So what you're saying is that iHeart doesn't need all the stations it's got since they're moving to a streaming model and national distribution anyway. I think that they should cut their expenses and have a fire sale on those underutilized terrestrial stations in their inventory. After all, they just wrote down the value of a bunch of their stations. Maybe they can sell them for enough to cover their "estimated value."
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
Entercom
- Thread starter CassChopper96
- Start date
I did not understand the post that way.
What iHeart is doing is moving to a combined streaming / new media and national radio model, where content is distributed through all channels and on a broader national or regional basis.
In that way, advertising can be targeted at the local, regional and national level across a combination of distribution channels. That way radio, as it declines, can be added to buys without the radio-only prejudices growing at the advertiser level.
They've made an effort to get rid of the stations in the various trusts around the country. The problem is that even at fire sale prices, there are no buyers.
But they don't own any stations in Buffalo, and this thread is about Entercom.
B
Buddy Shula
Guest
Dominant in what way? Do they have more stations? Do they make great profit? Are their quarter hours and cume what they used to be? How are they dominant?
Billing, audience rank, profitability.
LA: 3 of the top 5
NYC: 4 if the top 6 in 25-54
Billing is commensurate, except for KIIS which is pretty much tied with WTOP as the highest billing station in the country.
Exactly. If you want iHeart, you'll have to go to Erie PA or Rochester. Erie has iHeart controlling the majority of the market share, with Cumulus in second place. In Rochester, Entercom is 1st, then iHeart.
If people in Buffalo want Iheart product, there's a thing called internet. They won't have to go anywhere. What year is it in Buffalo?
As A pointed out, Radio transmitters aren't in demand. Just like the brick and mortar retail stores that used to advertise on Radio...
There's also this thing called syndicated radio. A lot of stations owned by other companies run shows owned by iHeart. Since this thread is supposed to be about Entercom, they run several iHeart hosts. This guy named Rush Limbaugh on WBEN. Maybe you've head of him. For some reason a lot of listeners prefer him to local talent. Personally I don't know why, but they do. The same station runs Hannity, although they delay him. WBLK, owned by Townsquare, runs iHeart's Steve Harvey in morning drive instead of local talent. So iHeart gets a lot of coverage in Buffalo even though they don't own any stations. Keep talking yourself into thinking live & local is the only way to get ratings.
Wrong guy. I never said "Live & Local" is necessarily better. In fact, it's often worse. ALT Buffalo is local and the ratings have been consistently abysmal. As for Limbaugh, he's a fossil like the formats that still air his vitriol...
B
Buddy Shula
Guest
How is EBITA?
There are no local market cash flow numbers, but those of us who have managed stations in LA believe that iHeart has the greatest cash flow of any group in the market, considerably ahead of Entercom, Univision, SBS and Meruelo.
B
Buddy Shula
Guest
That makes sense, especially after the I heart bankruptcy. I was wondering if you heard how EBITA has fared over the past few quarters
Let's set this sequence in motion. Entercom, the subject of this thread, is going to agree to sell or LMA 107.7 to a local owner in Buffalo who is on record with plans to change the format from alternative to country thereby challenging Townsquare's WYRK which essentially dominates all demographics in Buffalo.
Got it.
It's a known and accepted fact (dBu-wise and on a car receiver) that the 107.7 signal penetrates Rochester than it does Buffalo. Attribute this to the topography, the Genesee Valley, and the 107.7 antenna location in Whethersfield.
Entercom owns Rochester's country WBEE, which dominates just about every demographic in that city.
Got it.
Entercom is going to agree to sell a frequency to a Buffalo company that proposes a format which has the potential to diminish Entercom's share of the Rochester ratings pie, possibly leading to the potential of taking money out of Entercom's pocket?
Got it.
It's a known and accepted fact (dBu-wise and on a car receiver) that the 107.7 signal penetrates Rochester than it does Buffalo. Attribute this to the topography, the Genesee Valley, and the 107.7 antenna location in Whethersfield.
Entercom owns Rochester's country WBEE, which dominates just about every demographic in that city.
Got it.
Entercom is going to agree to sell a frequency to a Buffalo company that proposes a format which has the potential to diminish Entercom's share of the Rochester ratings pie, possibly leading to the potential of taking money out of Entercom's pocket?
David Field loves the ALT format. It is a good talking point for him(young demos, the bright future of radio, etc...) It is Gallows Humour...
But if WBEE is so good at what they do there should be no threat from whoever might put a country format on 107.7 so why should Entercom be concerned if this sale comes to fruition?
Unless the theory of 'if you can't beat them buy them' is true in this case as many suspect is the reason Entercom purchased 107.7 in the first place.
How about oldies on 107.7? Would that be too much of a threat to WBEN? Entercom doesn't really compete for that demo in Rochester.
All this speculation makes this just about the most interesting board at radiodiscussions. Especially since the market I live near rarely has anything relevant occurring.
I don't think that there's any question that Entercom bought 107.7 as a flanker to protect existing formats. If they thought that country was the answer - especially an upper-demo classic country format - why wouldn't they just put a syndicated version on the frequency themselves? If it hurts WYRK, good. If it hurts WBEE, bundle them together and you still get the same amount of money out of sponsors. You might even get more money from sponsors looking for different demographics in the country audience.
Is Entercom hurting for cash? Maybe. Will selling a station in a market that is decidedly on the plus side of the ledger gain them more cash than reprogramming to a more profitable niche audience?
Only if the buy has very deep pockets.
Is Entercom hurting for cash? Maybe. Will selling a station in a market that is decidedly on the plus side of the ledger gain them more cash than reprogramming to a more profitable niche audience?
Only if the buy has very deep pockets.
I'm not aware that they run a syndicated music format on any of their stations. The main reason being they'd have to split the commercial positions with the syndicator.
It's a different era now for broadcasting. Back in 2004 the big companies were flush with investor cash and far less competition. If Entercom does have to hold a fire sale the depreciation factor shouldn't really enter into it due to that fact. If it is Buddy that all this speculation about 107.7 is attached to it's not like they would be selling it to Cumulus or Townsquare who can ostensibly afford to turn it into far more of a thorn in their side.
Everyone discusses the limitations of the signal so why would Entercom be that concerned about it as a serious competitor? They can easily retain the Alt Buffalo and The Lake presence on Radio.com. That is supposedly more attractive to the demos they desire anyway.
The format that would likely work for both Buffalo and Rochester is the modernized version of soft rock that's running on KSWD/Seattle (an Entercom station) and WDUV in Tampa (which does quite well with it). It would complement Star, take some from both TSM and Cumulus along with iHeart in Rochester. And bring back the Lake name!
- Status