KRTY-FM Los Gatos has been sold

[JeremyAndrews]

I never said that loopholes weren't legal and in my way of thinking, if it doesn't apply to everyone, it's a loophole but apparently, that's not correct terminology. Let's try this tact: Are there local employees at any of their stations? Here's another: How do they justify operating in places with established commercial CCM stations?

1: Yes. Promotions in particular. They actually have a few job openings for local promotions right now.

2: CCM tends to work better in non commercial environments for some reason. Since they are not competing for ad revenue, they will put K-LOVE on in markets with commercial CCM station. If there is a non commercial CCM in a market they get a station in, Air1 goes on. They try to avoid competing directly with other non profit CCM stations. Air1 fills that purpose because of the slight age difference.

 

[davideduardo]

I never said that loopholes weren't legal and in my way of thinking, if it doesn't apply to everyone, it's a loophole but apparently, that's not correct terminology.

Thanks for clarifying, Long ago the FCC allowed non-commercial stations to relay 100% of another station with the intent of bringing programming to smaller market areas. A good example of this, I believe, is public radio in Minnesota.

Of course, many religious operators used that rule to build national religious groups with no local presence.

Let's try this tact: Are there local employees at any of their stations?

Just engineering and in some markets the K-Love folks have outreach facilities. But there is no local programming.

Here's another: How do they justify operating in places with established commercial CCM stations?

How does iHeart justify operating a CHR where another company has one? The fact is that EMF does not use its formats for "preaching and teaching" which is common on many of the other groups and local stations.

 

[CTListener]

I never said that loopholes weren't legal and in my way of thinking, if it doesn't apply to everyone, it's a loophole but apparently, that's not correct terminology. Let's try this tact: Are there local employees at any of their stations? Here's another: How do they justify operating in places with established commercial CCM stations?

I'm no fan of EMF, but your second question can be shot down ultra-easily, by asking whether you'd be asking a non-comm that programs any other type of music to justify its existence in a place that already has that music on a commercial station. I've heard non-comms that play rock, country, classic hits, you name it. Why should they need to defend their choice if there are already commercial stations playing most of the same songs?

 

[TheBigA]

Here's another: How do they justify operating in places with established commercial CCM stations?

Who would they justify this to?

 

[semoochie]

Who would they justify this to?

I suppose, themselves and possibly God. The whole thing comes down to the playing field not being level. They can and do have thousands of stations and commercial operators can't! As I said before, this isn't very important in the scheme of things.

 

[EddieTheRapFan]

People listen what they want freely. And now they have 2 choices of Christian music, if not more. So no need to 'justify' anything to anyone, IMHO.

 

[TheBigA]

I suppose, themselves and possibly God. The whole thing comes down to the playing field not being level.

It's an interesting point. It's been my experience in the world of comparative religion that the individual diocese doesn't care how it affects the format as long as it all gets to the same place. I've never heard them speak in terms of competition.

In the public radio world, there is competition for funds and audience, but there's also co-operation.

 

[b-turner]

If there were not so many listeners wanting Christian Music/Positive & Uplifting songs, there would be fewer stations. You can argue there are so many, some must number listeners on their hands and not use all the fingers. That might be true but there were donors that made sure that signal reaches that, what, 7 people. And that's the point. Christian Radio listeners put their money where their ears are tuned.

 

[davideduardo]

I suppose, themselves and possibly God. The whole thing comes down to the playing field not being level. They can and do have thousands of stations and commercial operators can't! As I said before, this isn't very important in the scheme of things.

Commercial operators can have "thousands of stations" if they are interested in Petoskey, MI and Barstow, CA and other small markets.

The playing field is completely level. Bigger radio companies tried small market strategies and it did not work* but the contribution-based operation of EMF does.

* Clear Channel even tried to buy stations in every smaller market in Ohio to form a state-wide ad buy proposition but it did not work. But if anyone wanted to do this again, they could.

 

[michael hagerty]

I suppose, themselves and possibly God. The whole thing comes down to the playing field not being level. They can and do have thousands of stations and commercial operators can't! As I said before, this isn't very important in the scheme of things.

EMF does not have thousands of stations. They are the number two chain in terms of number of stations, but iHeart (which at one time was the only chain to top 1,000 stations at roughly 1,250 and now owns 855) has nearly double EMF's total. Chart at the bottom of the page, numbers as of seven months ago (there have not been enough acquisitions since to materially affect the ranking):

Inside Radio Station Counts: EMF Is Fastest Growing Company, Overtaking Cumulus At No. 2.

Educational Media Foundation expanded its full power station portfolio by 39 signals from 2019-2021, making it the fastest growing radio company during the three-year period and the industry’s second largest

www.insideradio.com

 

[TheBigA]

There are more than 130 million paid digital audio subscribers in the U.S. right now, probably way more in fact, and the number is increasing every year. It has never gone down.

Until now. According to a new study, almost 2/3rds of US users have either canceled or are about to cancel a subscription service. This study also includes video streaming, so the Netflix drop is a likely contributor. But I've also seen weakening in Spotify subscription numbers. Here's a link to the study:

Is Advertising the Answer? Recent Study Reveals a Third of Users are Likely to Cancel a Streaming Subscription in the Next Year

BOSTON, July 21, 2022--The pandemic has had a lasting effect on streaming behavior and signs of subscription fatigue are starting to show. The Global Streaming Study by Simon-Kucher & Partners shows that close to two thirds of US users have either canceled a subscription or are likely to cancel...

finance.yahoo.com

 

[semoochie]

EMF does not have thousands of stations. They are the number two chain in terms of number of stations, but iHeart (which at one time was the only chain to top 1,000 stations at roughly 1,250 and now owns 855) has nearly double EMF's total. Chart at the bottom of the page, numbers as of seven months ago (there have not been enough acquisitions since to materially affect the ranking):

Inside Radio Station Counts: EMF Is Fastest Growing Company, Overtaking Cumulus At No. 2.

Educational Media Foundation expanded its full power station portfolio by 39 signals from 2019-2021, making it the fastest growing radio company during the three-year period and the industry’s second largest

www.insideradio.com

The FCC count's translators as broadcast stations so for EMF's purposes, where all of their stations are basically translators, they have thousands of stations.

 

[michael hagerty]

The FCC count's translators as broadcast stations so for EMF's purposes, where all of their stations are basically translators, they have thousands of stations.

As of six months ago, EMF owned 478 broadcast stations and 382 translators. Total 860---or five signals more than iHeart owns in broadcast stations alone.

What I think is throwing you, Semoochie, is that when EMF gets a full-market signal in any given place, they ditch the translator. They had 388 four years ago.

Who’s Radio’s Biggest Translator Owner? It’s Not Who You Think.

In the rock universe, CSN stands for Crosby, Stills & Nash, one of the original supergroups, formed by members of the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and the Hollies. But in the

www.insideradio.com

 

[JeremyAndrews]

KHRI and it’s 41 translators make up a chunk of the Air1 network. Half of that network’s signals are translators. A lot of them were put in college towns because that was the target demo (Still is to a lesser extent)

 

[davideduardo]

The FCC count's translators as broadcast stations so for EMF's purposes, where all of their stations are basically translators, they have thousands of stations.

Including translators, as of last week EMF has 881 stations in the US and its territories. 480 are "full FMs" and the rest are translators.

 

[michael hagerty]

Including translators, as of last week EMF has 881 stations in the US and its territories. 480 are "full FMs" and the rest are translators.

That would mean either Inside Radio had its count wrong eight months ago, or EMF added 2 full signals and 19 translators in that time.

 

[KilowattKat]

KHRI and it’s 41 translators make up a chunk of the Air1 network. Half of that network’s signals are translators. A lot of them were put in college towns because that was the target demo (Still is to a lesser extent)

41 translators tied to one originating station...Is there any limit to how many an originating station can have? Maybe there should be.

 

[michael hagerty]

41 translators tied to one originating station...Is there any limit to how many an originating station can have? Maybe there should be.

There are no multiple ownership limits on the number of translator and booster stations a single entity may own. Nor are they counted as FM stations for the purposes of the primary station multiple ownership rule, 47 CFR Section 73.3555

FM Translators and Boosters

General information about FM translator and FM booster stations is contained below. You can click on any of the topic headings in the Table of Contents to jump directly to a particular section or scroll through the topics that start sequentially after the Table of Contents. Contents What Is an...

www.fcc.gov

 

[davideduardo]

That would mean either Inside Radio had its count wrong eight months ago, or EMF added 2 full signals and 19 translators in that time.

Gradual growth. Looking at acquisition dates, my list seems to correspond with yours when adding in acquisitions and assuming one or more translators was closed or sold.

 

[semoochie]

As of six months ago, EMF owned 478 broadcast stations and 382 translators. Total 860---or five signals more than iHeart owns in broadcast stations alone.

What I think is throwing you, Semoochie, is that when EMF gets a full-market signal in any given place, they ditch the translator. They had 388 four years ago.

Who’s Radio’s Biggest Translator Owner? It’s Not Who You Think.

In the rock universe, CSN stands for Crosby, Stills & Nash, one of the original supergroups, formed by members of the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and the Hollies. But in the

www.insideradio.com

I stand corrected! My experience is when they acquire a full power station, they switch the translator to AirOne or some other EMF property. Outside of a metro area, they seem to dot the countryside with low power translators that often overlap but it could be just my area of the country.