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New 80's station coming to TX

Basing on Whiplash's past, it will be an AM station and it will not be in a major market. Their history has been finding poor performing stations and buying for not a bunch of money. If I recall correctly, one such station was the station in Lobelville, Tennessee, about 50 miles out of Nashville. For example, KCTI in Gonzalez (that went to KSTX) would have been a potential station for Whiplash.

That is a good plan because it helps to keep debt service very low. The lower the debt, the less you need in advertising to pay the bills. There should be several candidates in Texas where Whiplash could land a station.

If I have remembered what I have read correctly and making the proper associations, there were a pair of AM stations in the Youngstown, Ohio metro. Later were non-commercial FMs in rural Kansas. Then there were some Tennessee stations. Now the Sunny stations and a projected Texas station. As I never hear what happened at any of these stations or even if they remain Whiplash holdings, I would be curious to know just what licenses/stations Whiplash controls. If they remain in the Whiplash portfolio, it is a geographically diverse group that would seem difficult to manage and staff.

If Whiplash is Chris Lash, and I'm guessing it is, I know nothing about him but I will say anyone that goes out there, finds these stations and gets them rolling must be quite a guy. None of that is easy to pull off...lots of hard work and tough to maintain through staff changes and simply staying on top of the stations.
 
Thanks for the interesting info man.

However that "texas station" quote was actually from John Small the owner of Cup O' Dirt. See http://www.argusleader.com/story/ne...6/02/19/sunny-radio-expands-florida/80578816/

Also look at Sunny Radio's website. It seems like a really cool station! :D
http://sunnyradio.com/
And a Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunny_Radio


You know, B-Turner, maybe this can do well on KYND? I don't know anything other than what I posted but it kind of seems worth checking out.
 
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Very interesting. I'm wondering if they are going for affiliates or buying stations to duplicate the format. I trust they realize, on AM anyway, the Upper Midwest is very different from other areas. Ground conductivity, for example, is exceptional in the region. From my travels in North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas, those AM stations really get out. A 1,000 watt non-directional AM might rival a 100,000 watt FM's coverage. It was probably about 15 years ago, but on one drive back, before Clear Channel bought KFYR, I listened to the station from the Canadian border to about North Platte, Nebraska. Sure KFYR is 550 (I think) and 5,000 watts, but wow, what a range!

The other thing is the markets are quite a bit smaller. In such markets there are enough stations to grab most of the money making formats without a bunch of stations left out on the sidelines. When you reach the larger markets, there are so many stations, if you start having success, chances are almost 100% a direct competitor will pop up among those stations on the sideline. The problem then becomes splitting a certain size audience between two stations when the audience can only sustain one station.

I'm sure they could find a station in San Antonio, Dallas/Ft. Worth or Houston if they have the cash to invest to either lease or buy but it would scare me to death because it would be so risky. By comparison, it's like a one or two location little burger place trying to compete with McDonalds. You'd need a great game plan, solid patient and understanding investors and all the know-how you can muster up.

As a program director once told me, it is easy to become #1 and much harder to stay #1. He said once you reach the top, you have to out-think your competitors: they are trying to use your plan to build a better mousetrap, so you have to out-think them and always have the best mousetrap constantly.

That reminds me of a station promo I heard some tears ago. It went like this: As a public service we'd like to explain to our competitors who are listening to us exactly how to be the number one station. You simply do....It's not that difficult. You guys are overthinking this. and concluded by saying Doing our part to help local stations be the best they can be. Pretty brazen and funny but a little too close to real life to actually laugh.

If they wanted to lease KYND, all they need to do is call.
 
It's not going to be anything in a large market. Pretty sure Chris Lash owns some stations in Texas, but I'm not sure which ones. Most of them are either non-commercial FM's or dumpwater AM's (which I have to say is cool that he's willing to invest in). So, it's cool programming, but it won't be on any big market stations.
 
Of what little I know of KBIB, I really doubt they would sell or lease. KYTY, however, might actually be a possibility or 1520 as well out in Stockton.

I still think the 'Texas' affiliate or owned station will not be in a major market. You have to ask how they can sell advertising, gain ratings and such against massive competition. I suspect we're looking at a smaller market in Texas...along the lines of Lubbock, Tyler/Longview, Waco or maybe Abilene. A station in those markets would be more affordable and easier to monetize. In places like Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio and Houston, almost all the ad dollars are doled out based on ratings. Just building awareness and operations, not to mention a lease or note payment could easily run in the millions before you could cover monthly operating expenses via advertising. Leasing a station starts at about $25,000 a month and goes way up from there for an AM station and $25,000 won't get you full market coverage via a daytime only AM.
 
Agreed in whole, Bill. I suspect we're looking at a station like 1260 KSML Diboll/Lufkin as a prime candidate for such a launch. Lufkin isn't the smallest market, but a far cry from San Antonio, Houston, or the Metroplex. Tyler, as you stated, would be another. 1490 KYZS was as dead as a doornail the last I heard. What's KLRK over in Mexia up to these days? KITY Crockett still dropping the needle on Sinatra every half hour?

That's where we'll see it debut in Texas, not in a top 50 or even 100 market, I don't believe.
 
There are certainly some nice possibilities in Texas in smaller markets where billing can easily eclipse what you could make in a major market.

I really like smaller markets because it is more about a relationship with the business owner. One 4 station market I worked bills about $60,000 with fewer than 40,000 in the listening area and they could do that with two salespeople. Another reality on monetizing a station is how many sales calls you can reach in a day. In the town I point out, we're talking 15 to 20 a day. In Houston, I could make 5 to 7 working the same hours. In Houston $200 was the average sale but about $450 in the 4 station market. Almost nobody renewed in Houston and most did in the 4 station town.
 
KYZS/Tyler, you say? Hmmmm....interesting point. Isn't it running ESPN Deportes? And would Paul Gleiser really do something like that given the competition from KDOK/Kilgore and whatever KOOI/Jacksonville is doing now? He had the classic hits on KDOK-FM (92.1 -- now KRWR) and killed it in favor of KTBB-FM 1.0. Can't see him being eager to steer KYZS that direction, especially when he could program the same format himself.

At least 1490 has an FM translator now.

<looking for asbestos suit amongst the stuff we're getting ready to move>
 
b-turner said:
There are certainly some nice possibilities in Texas in smaller markets where billing can easily eclipse what you could make in a major market.

I really like smaller markets because it is more about a relationship with the business owner. One 4 station market I worked bills about $60,000 with fewer than 40,000 in the listening area and they could do that with two salespeople. Another reality on monetizing a station is how many sales calls you can reach in a day. In the town I point out, we're talking 15 to 20 a day. In Houston, I could make 5 to 7 working the same hours. In Houston $200 was the average sale but about $450 in the 4 station market. Almost nobody renewed in Houston and most did in the 4 station town.
Click to expand...

Man ain't that the truth. In small markets it really is who you know.

That being said, its pretty damn easy to struggle in a small market. Especially if the market has 15,000 at most.
 
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