Montana Cluster for sale? Hmmmm.

[michaeljwyo1]

To start a new topic -- on the KHKM thread, RF101 wrote:

Apparently some full powered FM signals are for sale per a "behind the paywall" tickler at RadioTVDeals. Missoula and the Bitterroot Valley is overrun with stations.. Truly a "flood". Geologists will get that joke.

Yep...it's overrun. Not uncommon. But really? What cluster could that ad be talking about? Seriously, Townsquare owns the dial here and I don't see them selling out because...well...they're Townsquare.

Next cluster: Missoula Broadcasting Co - KKVU, KYJK, and KDTR - okay...those are "full power" stations. Locally owned and operated. Good folks. But I don't see them trying to sell either. Could be wrong.

I guess there's the Anderson "cluster" - stations that sold to Anderson Broadcasting when Townsquare was forced to sell off some stations after they bought out Cherry Creek. So...Anderson has 2 "full power" AM stations - KYLT-Missoula, and KLYQ-Hamilton. For FM, KXDR is "Full power". Otherwise they have KQEZ (St. Regis) with a Missoula booster, and KENR (Superior) with a Missoula booster. (maybe they're counting those two?)

The only other thing I could think of would be the silent "Mountain Broadcasting" stations - KHDV and KMSO. Those two also had translators in each others communities, although those translators are now doing something else. Something we don't know?

So who knows? No one really talks radio around here. You try to talk to them, they don't talk back. Missoula / Bitterroot Valley is basically a non-rated market so there's no element of competition. Hell, Townsquare has 2 country stations (KYSS and KGGL). They're both the same format. They're competing against themselves....always thought that was funny.

Thanks for reading to this point. (TLDR)

 

[b-turner]

People don't talk about stations for sale because you sign a promise to keep details private. You can bet the verbage used on sites advertising stations for sale are put in the most glowing terms. And the pricing is always, let's say, like it's 1999, not 2025.

One station termed a community involved AM and FM on 5 acres with owned tower site, owned building with an apartment for the owner's family. Just 50 miles to a major city. Price $195,000. In reality the station was falling apart, had been in disrepair for about a decade. It was owned by a local church that funded what the station couldn't sell, so it was breaking even, I suppose. At $195,000, it was grossly overpriced.

 

[ted chittenden]

I'd be surprised if Anderson was selling--the company just put up online streams for all of its stations, including the ones mentioned in Missoula. I may be wrong but I think that taking the time and spending the money to set up your Missoula radio properties for streaming means you are planning to hold on to those stations for the long term.

 

[RF101]

There's a little more info at RadioTVDeals.com .

Ad Headline Montana - Profitable Cluster Of Stations Are Available
Market Rank Do Not Disclose
Asking Price $ 1,800,000

Cluster of stations in MT are for sale. Full Service, community-oriented stations. Profitable.

 

[crainbebo]

That has to be the KMSO/KHDV cluster for sale.
KYSS and KGGL air the same Taste of Country Nights program for evenings. The exact same songs, exact same commercials, etc. I don't know how they can get away with that. One of them should hire a local night guy (or even voicetracked from another market).
I think the "overrun with stations" is probably in reference to the translators and HD2s/3s. There's numerous translators and some LPFMs in Missoula. Alt 95.7, 96.9 Zoo FM, KWLY-LP (LifeTalk), Radio By Grace on 95.3, etc. And now The Big 100 is on 103.7 in Missoula/Lolo/Frenchtown.

 

[CTListener]

That has to be the KMSO/KHDV cluster for sale.
KYSS and KGGL air the same Taste of Country Nights program for evenings. The exact same songs, exact same commercials, etc. I don't know how they can get away with that.

Maybe because few people are listening to both stations during the same time frame?

 

[michaeljwyo1]

I'd be surprised if Anderson was selling--the company just put up online streams for all of its stations, including the ones mentioned in Missoula. I may be wrong but I think that taking the time and spending the money to set up your Missoula radio properties for streaming means you are planning to hold on to those stations for the long term.

That was my thought too. Now if they could just get someone to sell Missoula, they'd be making money instead of running PSA's all the time. KIBG and KERR (I listen to those too) are totally community oriented, local news & weather, plenty of ads for the Polson and Ronan businesses. They know how to do it. But that's the only place they do it. All these other stations, there's nothing except for local forecasts and PSA's in the "must fill" breaks. I haven't listened much to KLYQ in Hamilton, mainly because I don't like News/Talk, but I think there are a few local ads there...but I digress. No, probably not the Anderson cluster.

 

[michaeljwyo1]

People don't talk about stations for sale because you sign a promise to keep details private. You can bet the verbage used on sites advertising stations for sale are put in the most glowing terms. And the pricing is always, let's say, like it's 1999, not 2025.

One station termed a community involved AM and FM on 5 acres with owned tower site, owned building with an apartment for the owner's family. Just 50 miles to a major city. Price $195,000. In reality the station was falling apart, had been in disrepair for about a decade. It was owned by a local church that funded what the station couldn't sell, so it was breaking even, I suppose. At $195,000, it was grossly overpriced.

I guess you are "paying for the license" (if they have one). Otherwise that was my first thought. You might be buying something run-down with a transmitter building that had a fire and an office where the ceiling is falling in. But if you're looking to own a station and have the money to start from the ground up, I guess it's a start. Not sure how it works but like for KHDV and KMSO...they "turned in their license" to the FCC. So what happens if someone buys them? Is the allocation on the dial the same and are they re-licensed? Same COL?

 

[K.M. Richards]

Not sure how it works but like for KHDV and KMSO...they "turned in their license" to the FCC. So what happens if someone buys them? Is the allocation on the dial the same and are they re-licensed? Same COL?

If a licensee takes a station permanently silent and requests cancellation of their license with the FCC, I believe they can have it reinstated during a grace period, although someone like @fybush would know that better than I (and if I am correct, he would know how long the grace period is).

But you have made an incorrect presumption that this is the case with those two stations. Looking them up at fccdata.org, they both have had a silent STA since January 31, which was extended on July 17. No request for license cancellation.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

KYSS and KGGL air the same Taste of Country Nights program for evenings. The exact same songs, exact same commercials, etc. I don't know how .

KYSS, KGGL and ToCN are all owned by Townsquare. Thats how.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

That was my thought too. Now if they could just get someone to sell Missoula, they'd be making money instead of running PSA's all the time. KIBG and KERR (I listen to those too) are totally community oriented, local news & weather, plenty of ads for the Polson and Ronan businesses. They know how to do it. But that's the only place they do it. All these other stations, there's nothing except for local forecasts and PSA's in the "must fill" breaks. I haven't listened much to KLYQ in Hamilton, mainly because I don't like News/Talk, but I think there are a few local ads there...but I digress. No, probably not the Anderson cluster.

KERR/KIBG do well because they dont really try to sell in Kalispell, they leave it to the others.

I listened to some of the Anderson stations.. sounds like theyre running the Storq version of some formats, voicetracked from WW1 on hard drive.... and they have to fill a break with at least 91 seconds or it takes the option song so the logs dont run short every hour

 

[inari]

And the pricing is always, let's say, like it's 1999, not 2025.

I've been browsing RadioTVDeals for years (15?) and it's very common to see a station or stations listed for $X and then a year later see it appear sold on the FCC site for 25% to 50% less of $X.

One such listing said something like "$250k cash buyers only" and ended up getting sold many months later for I think around $125k with seller financing. At that price and terms that would've hooked me and perhaps a few others to take a serious look and maybe drive the price up from the floor it sold at.