See how ridiculous this speculation has become??
Yes, and I hope that now, with your having asked that rhetorical question, everyone will just hold their breath now, stop posting fantasy scenarios, and wait to see what happens. In other words, I would like less silliness and more seriousness, and IMO all of the rational options that Emmis has have already been suggested, discussed, and (in some cases) rejected.
I know it is fun to guess at format flips, especially in the rare case where we know when it will happen. But this situation is unique, because Emmis is
definitely going to take into account the temporary nature of whatever programming they put on there.
For that reason alone, I am inclined to reject that they would go to an outside syndicator like Westwood One or iHeart, because neither of them have anything to gain by making exceptions to their usual long-term agreements. Nor do I think anyone like MediaCo would essentially allow 98.7 to be essentially a "full signal translator" for one of their HD2s (unless they are also negotiating with Emmis to buy the station, in which case we could take that as an indication of what the permanent format would be). Emmis could certainly originate something on the cheap from Indianapolis and feed 98.7 via the Internet, in much the same way that AutoPilotFM fed the former Stolz stations in San Francisco and Las Vegas during the bankruptcy.
(I know that if I were Jeff Smulyan, I'd put a loop of something like "Paranoimia" on there, just to mess with everyone's minds.)
I don't think any of the
(bleah) religious broadcasters would meet Emmis' asking price ... not even EMF, who have slowed their buying spree down considerably in the aftermath of the costs associated with moving from California to Tennessee. We also know Cumulus isn't likely to want to re-enter the market after spinning off its original holdings, and both Audacy and iHeart are at the market cap.
So, I suggest that we see what happens when the 98.7/880 simulcast ends, and then we can start a whole new thread on who might be the ultimate buyer.
www.emmis.com
