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WABC-Building a Brand

B

Barry

For someone who had no experience in the radio business a few years ago (except for hosting a show), it seems that WABC's owner is doing quite a good job with it. Since buying the station 3 years ago, John Catsimatidis he has made the station mostly live and local, and boosted its ratings sharply.
According to AllAccess, his fledgling radio company Red Apple Audio Networks is now syndicating many of WABC's shows to other broadcasters around the country. They are apparently mostly small stations, but it seems that Cats has done quite a bit with WABC in 3 years.

Red Apple Audio Networks Adds Affiliates
 
More news about WABC from Inside Radio:

...Red Apple Media talk WABC New York (770) celebrated Frank Sinatra’s 107th birthday on Sunday, Dec. 11 as Joe Piscopo hosted the “Frank Sinatra Birthday Bash.” The station’s “Studio 77” was transformed into a Rat-pack Era nightspot for the live broadcast, which featured a six-piece orchestra fronted by Piscopo, who hosts “Sundays With Sinatra” (6-8pm) each weekend for WABC. “This is exactly why we built Studio 77,” said John Catsimatidis, Owner of Red Apple Media and WABC Radio. “Studio 77 extends the WABC experience. We are radio, video, digital, and we are live! We revamped our on-air line-up and brought music and entertainment to weekends. It’s just common sense... give people the entertainment and information that they want and need.” ]
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Once again, WABC's owner is indicating he is seeking an additional FM signal for WABC.
I'm surprised he didn't buy WFAS FM 103.9. There may not be any other FM stations for sale for awhile that reach a large portion of the Metro area.
WABC
 
Barry said:
For someone who had no experience in the radio business a few years ago (except for hosting a show), it seems that WABC's owner is doing quite a good job with it. Since buying the station 3 years ago, John Catsimatidis he has made the station mostly live and local, and boosted its ratings sharply.
According to AllAccess, his fledgling radio company Red Apple Audio Networks is now syndicating many of WABC's shows to other broadcasters around the country. They are apparently mostly small stations, but it seems that Cats has done quite a bit with WABC in 3 years.

Red Apple Audio Networks Adds Affiliates
Click to expand...

I hope that maybe one day, John Catsimatidis will launch a “WABC Musicradio Network” where they will they carrying Vinnie Medugno, a cousin Brucie, Tony Orlando, Joe Piscopo and Deana Martin, and it will be carrying on various oldies stations across the country to be carrying WABC’s music shows. I don’t see it happening just yet.
 
Barry said:
Once again, WABC's owner is indicating he is seeking an additional FM signal for WABC.
I'm surprised he didn't buy WFAS FM 103.9. There may not be any other FM stations for sale for awhile that reach a large portion of the Metro area.
WABC
Click to expand...
Unfortunately Cats is 15–20 years behind the trend. If he wants an FM he’s going to have to overpay dearly. (Yes, he’s operating WABC as a total loss leader with money from Gristedes, but still!)
 
MTNProductions said:
I hope that maybe one day, John Catsimatidis will launch a “WABC Musicradio Network” where they will they carrying Vinnie Medugno, a cousin Brucie, Tony Orlando, Joe Piscopo and Deana Martin, and it will be carrying on various oldies stations across the country to be carrying WABC’s music shows. I don’t see it happening just yet.
Click to expand...
Perhaps they can repurchase 95.5? Wasn't WPLJ owned by ABC?
 
Barry said:
Once again, WABC's owner is indicating he is seeking an additional FM signal for WABC.
I'm surprised he didn't buy WFAS FM 103.9. There may not be any other FM stations for sale for awhile that reach a large portion of the Metro area.
WABC
Click to expand...
WVIP? Its owner died in summer 2022, and it transmits from the same site as WFAS-FM with slightly more power.
 
Miss Tuned said:
WVIP? Its owner died in summer 2022, and it transmits from the same site as WFAS-FM with slightly more power.
Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking too. I think WFUV is also on that same tower.

What else could it be, unless he's looking at some piddly translator in Long Island or some other far-flung suburb which seems doubtful.
 
WVIP on 93.5 FM is probably one of the few remaining commercial FM's in the area not owned by a large radio group. So that would seem to be a possibility.
But it may be quite profitable as is, with its brokered, mostly Caribbean programming. WVIP also feeds several translators with leased ethnic programming, using its 3 HD subchannels.
 
Barry said:
WVIP on 93.5 FM is probably one of the few remaining commercial FM's in the area not owned by a large radio group. So that would seem to be a possibility.
But it may be quite profitable as is, with its brokered, mostly Caribbean programming. WVIP also feeds several translators with leased ethnic programming, using its 3 HD subchannels.
Click to expand...
The station brokers Caribbean format as you did state. But I doubt the station's current owner won't sell.
 
Barry said:
For someone who had no experience in the radio business a few years ago (except for hosting a show), it seems that WABC's owner is doing quite a good job with it. Since buying the station 3 years ago, John Catsimatidis he has made the station mostly live and local, and boosted its ratings sharply.
According to AllAccess, his fledgling radio company Red Apple Audio Networks is now syndicating many of WABC's shows to other broadcasters around the country. They are apparently mostly small stations, but it seems that Cats has done quite a bit with WABC in 3 years.

Red Apple Audio Networks Adds Affiliates
Click to expand...
I'm not disputing anything you said, but whether he's making money is a separate issue. WABC doesn't get agency business because their demos are too old. WABC has to rely on direct business, and even that is a tough sale given the station's demos.
 
RoddyFreeman said:
I'm not disputing anything you said, but whether he's making money is a separate issue. WABC doesn't get agency business because their demos are too old. WABC has to rely on direct business, and even that is a tough sale given the station's demos.
Click to expand...
My impression is that WABC is more of a wealthy man's hobby than an attempt to make big bucks.
If profits were the priority, there probably wouldn't be so many live and local shows. And live programs wouldn't have replaced the weekend infomercials.
 
BJSteigner said:
If someone pays $20 million for the station, would EMF budge?
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You could probably offer them $200 million and they would not budge. It's not about the money for outfits like EMF, it's the outreach, their literal religious mission. The 95.5 frequency is lost to the non-religious world unless EMF suddenly goes completely under, and even then they'd probably move to raise money to keep it on the air rather than sell.
 
Steve Green NEPA said:
Vis a vis Cats and an FM: What would a103.9 or 94.7 run him ?
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Had he wanted 103.9, he could have bought it as a package with WABC. He didn't. Same with 94.7. All of the Cumulus stations were on the market at the same time. Of all the signals available, he took WABC. That's it. Cumulus finally sold 103.9 a couple months ago. So I don't think ANY of those stations were of interest to him.
 
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