Station Sales Week Of 11/18
Note: The following sales were filed between our 9/26 sales report and the start of the government shutdown on October
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Hartford/New Haven Relevant Radio is acquiring Spanish CHR “Mega 101.7” 910 WLAT/101.7 W269DE New Britain CT from Gois Broadcasting
- Thread starter DavidZ
- Start date
radioinsight.com
Station Sales Week Of 11/18
Note: The following sales were filed between our 9/26 sales report and the start of the government shutdown on October
One wonders if the conservative Catholic network is using some of the same practices that have been purportedly used by Educational Media Foundation during its expansion.
Relevant Radio has picked an interesting market to move into. The Hartford Archdiocese already operates a station, WJMJ, that mixes bits of Catholic news, dogma and features ("Saint of the Day," for one.) with a unique mix of secular music from the pop, AC, R&B and country charts and even Broadway tunes, and features DJs who are well-known to Connecticut listeners from their work with various commercial stations in the market. Having spent 40 years in the newspaper business in Connecticut, I'm very much aware that there's a strong conservative presence in the Roman Catholic Church in the state. I wonder if Relevant's programming will siphon off WJMJ listeners who are devoted to their faith but could do without the secular music.
If you look across much of Latin America, you can find markets with two or three Catholic stations in some. Years back when I was in Ecuador, there were four just in Quito... each one belonging to a different orders, such as Jesuits, Benedictines, Franciscans, and Dominicans.
And then there are lay organizations that can and do operate Catholic stations.
So it does not surprise me to see more than one Catholic stations in some markets.
When I consulted the stations under the Cardenal in Lima, Perú, we did commercial secular programming on one, and the other was done just like a commercial station, but we ran 30" to 60" messages between songs. Those could be a Bible verse and comment, a health tip, a word of the day, and other things. We did about 8 minutes of those messages each hour, and the rest was music with local talent. Another Catholic station, run by one of the orders, did long form mass, teaching, education and the like... very different. The Cardenal, Landázuri Ricketts, wanted a station that would not just "preach to the choir" but bring people closer.
And then there are lay organizations that can and do operate Catholic stations.
So it does not surprise me to see more than one Catholic stations in some markets.
When I consulted the stations under the Cardenal in Lima, Perú, we did commercial secular programming on one, and the other was done just like a commercial station, but we ran 30" to 60" messages between songs. Those could be a Bible verse and comment, a health tip, a word of the day, and other things. We did about 8 minutes of those messages each hour, and the rest was music with local talent. Another Catholic station, run by one of the orders, did long form mass, teaching, education and the like... very different. The Cardenal, Landázuri Ricketts, wanted a station that would not just "preach to the choir" but bring people closer.
Not the current morning host on RR, but the previous one was John Harper, a big time morning man at WEZN, worked at WFAS, did talk fill in at WTMJ and WBT... and is still on WRIP 97.9
If you're wondering if Relevant's programming will siphon off WJMJ listeners who are devoted to their faith but could do without the secular music, what is your opinion on K-Love106.9/WCCC, "Good News Connecticut" 104.9WIHS/Middletown (which has been around for decades), "Life-Changing Radio" 1550AM & 95.3FM WSDK/Bloomfield & "FaithRadio" WNWW AM1290 & 94.1FM?
If you're wondering if Relevant's programming will siphon off WJMJ listeners who are devoted to their faith but could do without the secular music, what is your opinion on K-Love106.9/WCCC, "Good News Connecticut" 104.9WIHS/Middletown (which has been around for decades), "Life-Changing Radio" 1550AM & 95.3FM WSDK/Bloomfield & "FaithRadio" WNWW AM1290 & 94.1FM/West Hartford?
I think there's room for different stations, as David tells us from his experience in Ecuador. I don't think there's a lot of cross over between Evangelical Christian (WCCC, WIHS, WSDK) and Catholic (WJMJ, WLAT).
Also WJMJ has its Hartford station (2,300 watts at more than 1,400 feet) and a few translators around the state. Relevant is just getting into the market with an AM and a 250 watt translator.
Of course, this tells us a bit about the fate of the radio dial. As listeners diminish, as stations become cheaper to acquire, more will be taken over by non-profit outfits that they hope can get their operating budget from donations, not commercials.
Just two, in Hamden and New Haven, and neither covers its entire city of license, even though Hamden and New Haven share a border. Driving south on I-91, you'll get a decent signal from the Hamden translator for about 3 miles, then a gap of another mile or two, then a usable signal to the I-95 merge. It's a rare accomplishment for a station's two translators to be simultaneously redundant and inefficient, but WJMJ has done it. Must have been the Devil's work.
Yeah and moving the Translator from 93.1 to 92.9 was supposed to fix the signal gap. Unfortunately 92.9 WEHM in Manorville. Long Island complained about interference and the JMJ translator had to move back to 93.1 FM.
Definitely didn't see WLAT/910 getting sold and losing their 24 1/2 year Contemporary Spanish Hits format going away. Though I remember several years back all 3 of Gois's Connecticut stations were listed for sale on one of those ststion brokerage websites.
If any Hispanic station in Hartford going off the air, I would have thought WPRX/1120 (Bristol). Between them have their license deleted and reinstated several times over the last 20 or so years because they failed to file for renewal, the fact that they're only 1000 wars day/500 watts by night without an FM translator, and he fact that the sound quality sounds like 2 tin cans and string.
P S. If a station in Hartford had to be soldto Relevant too bad it wasn't WDRC 1360/103 3 or WPOP 1410/100.9, both those stations ratings are in the toilet.
If any Hispanic station in Hartford going off the air, I would have thought WPRX/1120 (Bristol). Between them have their license deleted and reinstated several times over the last 20 or so years because they failed to file for renewal, the fact that they're only 1000 wars day/500 watts by night without an FM translator, and he fact that the sound quality sounds like 2 tin cans and string.
P S. If a station in Hartford had to be soldto Relevant too bad it wasn't WDRC 1360/103 3 or WPOP 1410/100.9, both those stations ratings are in the toilet.
but id wager WPOP and WDRC bill pretty well, especially compared to the cost to run it... many talk/sports stations dont always rate well but they bill pretty well, esp. compared to the cost to run them.
They also clear syndicated conservative talk shows in the Hartford market, which also increases their value. Is WLAT airing any syndicated programming as a Latino pop station?