WSNR AM 620 sold for $12.5 Million

[MarcB]

Blackstrap Broadcasting has sold Russian formatted WSNR 620 to Davidzon Radio for $12.5 Million. Davidzon Radio has been leasing the daytime programming on AM 620 since 2003. Starting November 1st a new Time Brokerage Arrangement will give Davidzon Radio control of AM 620 24/7.

http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/90592/620-wsnr-new-york-sold/

 

[MTNProductions]

That is a dumb move for WSNR. Remember back around 2004 when WSNR carried a sports station called Sporting News Radio? That was a big failure and it does hurt WEPN and WFAN, but it flipped to brokered programming and it lasted until about 8 or 9 until the station is sold. But now, WSNR will pull the plug on brokered programming and goes all-Russian as of November 1st as Davidzon Radio. This is going to be the worst station ever and listeners don't care about Russian. Look at WQEW, it is considered to buy Family Radio, but now this. Let's hope the station fails. If 620 doesn't go well with its all-Russian format, I would consider to bring oldies back to NYC, because WCBS-FM pulled oldies in 2005 to make way for "Jack" and now back to its Classic Hits rotation and becomes the new #1 station in NYC. WSNR needs an oldies format to play 50's, 60's and 70's and maybe they should go after WCBS-FM, because AM is an older skewing demographics. People over the age of 50 would love to bring oldies back. WMTR in Morristown, NJ does a great job, but NYC is lacking. I hope that maybe 620 would have Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Four Seasons, classic Motown, the Rolling Stones along with some MOR artists like Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Peggy Lee and many others. Good luck with Davidzon Radio and it's all-Russian format, but I hope the station will fail just like the old Sporting News Radio from a long time ago.

 

[Richard Stefan]

here is a question i asked last week...will the FCC help AM radio by allowing a more even radiation pattern say from 5 towers to 3.... even if it means lowing power.......they have/had a 15kw CP....

 

[reelyreal]

That is a dumb move for WSNR. Remember back around 2004 when WSNR carried a sports station called Sporting News Radio? That was a big failure and it does hurt WEPN and WFAN, but it flipped to brokered programming and it lasted until about 8 or 9 until the station is sold. But now, WSNR will pull the plug on brokered programming and goes all-Russian as of November 1st as Davidzon Radio. This is going to be the worst station ever and listeners don't care about Russian. Look at WQEW, it is considered to buy Family Radio, but now this. Let's hope the station fails. If 620 doesn't go well with its all-Russian format, I would consider to bring oldies back to NYC, because WCBS-FM pulled oldies in 2005 to make way for "Jack" and now back to its Classic Hits rotation and becomes the new #1 station in NYC. WSNR needs an oldies format to play 50's, 60's and 70's and maybe they should go after WCBS-FM, because AM is an older skewing demographics. People over the age of 50 would love to bring oldies back. WMTR in Morristown, NJ does a great job, but NYC is lacking. I hope that maybe 620 would have Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Four Seasons, classic Motown, the Rolling Stones along with some MOR artists like Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Peggy Lee and many others. Good luck with Davidzon Radio and it's all-Russian format, but I hope the station will fail just like the old Sporting News Radio from a long time ago.

Can I ask you an honest-to-God serious question? Do you ever read anyone's responses to you, or anything that anyone else posts?

Also, Russian listeners would disagree with your statement that "listeners don't care about Russian."

 

[TheBigA]

here is a question i asked last week...will the FCC help AM radio

You could have stopped your question after 6 words. The answer is no. The FCC will NOT help AM radio.

You wonder who will buy radio stations after the big companies pull out? You have your answer with the two most recent AM sales. That is the future of OTA radio.

 

[Groove1670]

Actually WSNR is in a area of the largest population of Russian immigrants, so yes it is going to continue to do well.

WQEW will survive with donations from loyal Family Radio listeners.

I doubt you will ever see a mainstream music radio format on a AM station in New York again.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

With all the negative talk about the usefulness or wisdom regarding nighttime skywave signals, does anyone here -- engineers, please -- know why 620 had to drop their DAYTIME signal to less than 5000 watts? As WVNJ, that's what they used.

The infallible Radio-Locator has them at 3000 watts during the day.
One would figure that, with five towers now at their disposal, they easily could jerk around 5000 daytime watts, probably even easier than they'd done for decades with fewer towers.

 

[Kelly A]

With all the negative talk about the usefulness or wisdom regarding nighttime skywave signals, does anyone here -- engineers, please -- know why 620 had to drop their DAYTIME signal to less than 5000 watts? As WVNJ, that's what they used.

The infallible Radio-Locator has them at 3000 watts during the day.
One would figure that, with five towers now at their disposal, they easily could jerk around 5000 daytime watts, probably even easier than they'd done for decades with fewer towers.

I'm not familiar with all the details related to WVNJ, but according to the FCC database, WVNJ operates at 2.5kW night with a pretty tight cardioid pattern and some really deep nulls to the north, west, and south: http://transition.fcc.gov/ftp/Bureaus/MB/Databases/AM_DA_patterns/239944-1293.pdf
I suspect the only way to meet these protections were through a combination of tower numbers, spacing and power. Obviously the more towers, the easier it is to create a pattern, but sometimes the existing day towers aren't in the correct orientation that could be used in combination to meet the need.