Sinclair selling KOMO, KVI & KPLZ

[davideduardo]

Isn't KFI a top five biller in the L.A. market? Their ho-hum showing in A18-49 and A25-54 doesn't seem to be harming them.

Yes, but it is also the most expensive of all the LA formats due to well compensated local and live talent, an actual news staff, etc.

Yes, it is likely more expensive than KNX, which has a big staff, but each person is not paid the way the KFI talk hosts are.

In 2019 they billed $34 million. In 2000, they billed $35 million. So, given inflation, they are off by over a third in real dollars. I did not include 2020 numbers, as that year is an aberration for all formats. Projection is that they will bill around $26 million this year.

They are likely still profitable, but not the way that the music FMs are.

 

[davideduardo]

Is becoming? One could argue it started the slide 40 years ago. Where does that leave it today?

I can recall back in the early 70's when I was a GM with Mooney broadcasting, George Mooney wanted to buy KMO 1360 in Tacoma to do Top 40 for Seattle. For Seattle, FGS.

I told him to quit buying stations above 1000 on the dial. He had 1340 in Knoxville, which you could not hear at the studios at night. 1450 in Pensacola, 1320 in San Juan, 1300 in Nashville. No FMs. All were vulnerable to Arbitron which was taking over ratings and expanding the survey areas.

I sort of convinced him, and the company bought WBRC AM & FM in Birmingham, 960 AM and a nice full C FM. But for my trouble, I got transferred from San Juan to post-Wallace Alabama, which I could only take for about 6 months.

In general, there still are way too many owners and decision makers who don't get even a basic coverage map and how little listeners will tolerate bad signals today.

 

[Kelly A]

I think the former included TV + Portland TV

And Yakima plus Pasco, plus Walla-squared, plus KUNS and KUNP-TV (Univision).

As I mentioned early on; once the Seattle radio properties stopped being profitable, they probably started looking to unload them.

 

[davideduardo]

Yes, I should have thought that out better!

Say Part 73 of the rules ten times and do not sin again. Go in peace.

 

[Kelly A]

I can recall back in the early 70's when I was a GM with Mooney broadcasting, George Mooney wanted to buy KMO 1360 in Tacoma to do Top 40 for Seattle. For Seattle, FGS.

Oh man, George Mooney. There's a flashback!

I sort of convinced him, and the company bought WBRC AM & FM in Birmingham, 960 AM and a nice full C FM. But for my trouble, I got transferred from San Juan to post-Wallace Alabama, which I could only take for about 6 months.

From what I recall, that's the thing about George. Doing a good job and giving him proper guidance wasn't usually rewarded.

In general, there still are way too many owners and decision makers who don't get even a basic coverage map and how little listeners will tolerate bad signals today.

Many owners have had decades to see the signs that AM was heading closer to a cliff, but have looked the other way. Now they're grasping at life rings made up of FM translators hoping to keep things afloat while still refusing to see their fate.

 

[davideduardo]

Oh man, George Mooney. There's a flashback!

From what I recall, that's the thing about George. Doing a good job and giving him proper guidance wasn't usually rewarded.

And one of the obligations of the managers was to attend a Vols game with him each year. I score in extreme negative numbers on interest in American football, so that... including a trip in the Vols Navy... was about as much fun as a night out in the DMZ.

 

[crainbebo]

And Yakima plus Pasco, plus Walla-squared, plus KUNS and KUNP-TV (Univision).

As I mentioned early on; once the Seattle radio properties stopped being profitable, they probably started looking to unload them.

And the CBS stations in Eugene, Coos Bay, and Roseburg, Lewiston ID, Boise, and Bakersfield CA. KIDK in Idaho Falls meanwhile was Fisher-owned but got spun off to NPG (KIFI's owner) instead of Sinclair.

 

[bobdavcav]

As for news, there's a place for both. For the last 14 months, I've been reading the paper through a service for the blind on my phone, and there's definitely a contrast between what I'm reading and what I'm hearing on the radio in terms of depth of coverage. Radio is good for the quick headline which used to be all I cared about, but the papers are good for in-depth coverage. However, I still don't think about the paper for major breaking stories.

 

[seatownmedia]

News Press Gazette is actually a neat little company with local tv news operations in smaller markets. I don’t know their financial position but they seem to be on good footing based on how their newscasts look.

 

[boiseengineer]

Lotus's Spanish language stations in LA are all AM, and are both successful. They also have a really profitable Farsi station on what is a dreadful facility. They optimize performance by using format strategies that match the signal potential and which are not likely to be "jumped" by a better signal.

In 1998 Lotus paid the owner of KBOI 670 just over $1M for a new 6-tower array in Boise Idaho so it didn't send any much signal south. That's so the 670 in Simi Valley could be heard further than a couple miles at night. They also rebuilt the KIRN facilities but never upgraded it to 35 kW daytime for technical reasons.

 

[bossbill]

Interesting thread, but rimshots matter. From the time I found 97.7 for Dave Gauger in Raymond, to the time I bought the station from him and upgraded it, and then sold it, now it's ended up as an ignored step-frequency in the Seattle market, it brings tears to my eyes. Rimshots have feelings too. And the City of License Oakville matters.

 

[crainbebo]

Bill, not to hijack, but speaking of rimshots, will 105.7 the Jet still be moving out to Matlock (where KOMO and 99.3 are now)? I'm guessing that move is to try and gain grade B coverage in Thurston County in addition to still serving the Coast and Aberdeen.

 

[boombox4]

What is the advantage of owning a tower and transmitter when they can put that same audio on the digital subchannel that they already own?

Sinclair Readies ATSC 3.0 Simulcast of Seattle Radio Stations

The broadcaster’s rollout of OTA-delivered ATSC 3.0 radio simulcasts advances its automotive strategy

www.tvtechnology.com

They own the brand KOMO, and if you want to hear KOMO, it's on their digital channel.

I agree with a couple of the others here (like KellyA), ATSC 3.0 may as well be ATSC 0.0. It's a non-starter. Who outside of radio geeks has even heard of it? Who listens to radio on their TV? I know there are a few cable TV music-only channels, but I think they were more in vogue in the 1990's and 2000's than they are now. But I could be wrong.

Yeah, probably. I assume other people would be thinking the same. Ask a fresh college bachelor's graduate (born in 1998-99 most likely) what an AM radio is. Most will barely know what that is. And this may even occur in places like Los Angeles, where heritage AMs like KFI and KNX still rate in the PPMs (in fact KFI is #2 6+).

Better yet: Forget the AM, just ask any younger demo (born after 1995) what a radio is. I took a walkman style radio in with me to a coffeeshop in the early 2010's, probably 2012 or so. The pleasant young barista asked me what it was. "It's a radio," I said. "What's a radio?" she said.

 

[bossbill]

Bill, not to hijack, but speaking of rimshots, will 105.7 the Jet still be moving out to Matlock (where KOMO and 99.3 are now)? I'm guessing that move is to try and gain grade B coverage in Thurston County in addition to still serving the Coast and Aberdeen.

KJET has a Construction Permit for a COL change, and will end up at either North Mountain or South Mountain. Unless the Commission relaxes mileage separations (which is unlikely), we're running out of rim shot possibilities. Of the seven counties of King, Snohomish, Pierce, Pacific, Grays Harbor, Mason, Thurston. The combined population of Pacific, Grays Harbor, and Mason is about 10% of the seven county total. Rim shots would be nicer if we enjoyed terrain more like Dallas. It's much easier to erect 2,000 ft towers than flatten numerous hills!

 

[Kelly A]

Interesting thread, but rimshots matter. From the time I found 97.7 for Dave Gauger in Raymond, to the time I bought the station from him and upgraded it, and then sold it, now it's ended up as an ignored step-frequency in the Seattle market, it brings tears to my eyes. Rimshots have feelings too. And the City of License Oakville matters.

Sure Bill, but what has the most potential for success in a market like Seattle? A rimshot from SW, or a C0 from Cougar Mt.?

 

[bossbill]

C0 Cougar would win that one... I know what didn't work at all, was 100 kw from a 400' tower on Harbor Island. My comment that rim shots matter and rim shots have feelings was of course tongue-in-cheek.

 

[The New Chico]

100kW from 400' on Harbor Island? I bet that brought up some fascinating multipath! Who and when was that?

 

[bossbill]

KOL-FM had a CP to upgrade to Class C. Rather than build at Cougar, the corporate decision was to build at the AM site. A 20 kw RCA FM transmitter was moved into the building, antenna on the daytime tower, turned it on, and GM Dick Curtis called Ralph Bellenot and me, "sounds terrible", with multipath everywhere. I don't remember how long we put up with that, but we subsequently moved the RCA to Cougar Mountain in the same building as KRAB. Bad corporate decision, above my pay grade.

 

[seatownmedia]

Colorfull KOL. Back when 1300 AM meant something.

 

[Kelly A]

KOL-FM had a CP to upgrade to Class C. Rather than build at Cougar, the corporate decision was to build at the AM site. A 20 kw RCA FM transmitter was moved into the building, antenna on the daytime tower, turned it on, and GM Dick Curtis called Ralph Bellenot and me, "sounds terrible", with multipath everywhere. I don't remember how long we put up with that, but we subsequently moved the RCA to Cougar Mountain in the same building as KRAB. Bad corporate decision, above my pay grade.

Those were the days where the only thing management thought of was: FM what? and Hey, it's 100,000 watts! Just stick it on an existing tower so it doesn't cost us anything.