Two west suburban Chicago AM stations and their FM translators are for sale, according to a posting on WCKG’s website and facebook page earlier today (May 28). WCKG-1530 Elmhurst with FM translator W272DQ at 102.3 in Chicago is for sale, along with WBIG-1280 Aurora and FM translator W272EP at 102.3 in Aurora. The posting suggests that national religious broadcasters, ethnic programs or regional clusters may be potential buyers. Asking price: $3 to $5 million. WCKG has bumped Dave Ramsey in favor of Overcomer Ministry in the afternoons. This was heard a week ago with barely perceptible audio. Today it has a better signal. For SALE : 2 Chicago FM Radio Stations on 102.3 FM with AM Feeder stations in Market 3 | WCKG - Bloomberg Business Radio - Dave Ramsey - Money Talks
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WCKG-1530, WBIG-1280 and two Chicago area FM translators for sale
- Thread starter Koolmotor
- Start date
They want 3 to 5 million! 😂😅😂 Good luck with that...
Yes and in the same fever dream the owner sold a rusty Yugo for $50,000.
What interests me is that the two stations show two different companies owning them but it looks like any correspondence with them goes to the same address. Here is the data page on WCKG from fccdata.org:
and here is the same information for WBIG from the same source:
Like the other responders, I very highly doubt the current owner will get anywhere near his/her asking price, even from religious groups.
and here is the same information for WBIG from the same source:
Like the other responders, I very highly doubt the current owner will get anywhere near his/her asking price, even from religious groups.
Yes, both corporations are managed by Matt DuBiel. Mr. DuBiel's father Arthur is (or was?) a co-owner of WCKG, but not of WBIG, thus the two separate corporations.
BTW, WBIG sold for only $50,000 two years ago. Unless it now has a permanent transmitter site (which doesn't appear to be the case?) its value remains quite low.
Buying WCKG:
Suburban Chicago AM sold | Radio & Television Business Report
$290K WCKG-AM Chicago IL (Elmhurst IL) from Joseph J. Gentile Inc. (Carol Gentile) to Dupage Radio LLC (Arthur DuBiel, Matt DuBiel). $29K deposit, remainder into escrow and paid in cash at closing. [FCC file date 11/1/13] $175K KXIJ-FM Mooreland OK from Bradley Snow to Classic Communications...
rbr.com
Buying WBIG:
Station Sales Week of 1/12
Matt Dubiel's Aurora Naperville Radio will purchase Shopping/Sports 1280 WBIG/105.5 W288EA Aurora IL from William Pollack's Auril Broadcasting for $50,000.
radioinsight.com
I just a thread like this on Chicagoland Radio/Media. This really is the bottom of the barrel for 1530. On/around the 20th, 1530 is now airing Brother Stair, nonstop. Talk about living in strange times. I never thought the Elmhurst 1530 would air The Overcomer. WCKY had it on, until Covid. Then, it resurfaced on 1080 (overnights and on/off in the evening)...2021-Present. I begin to wonder if 1530 will finally go off the air. What if someone actually buys the station? Any thoughts?
1530 is probably on its last legs. Unlike the 1280 frequency, this one is a daytime only operation that really doesn't get out very far. WBIG may not be much better, but it does have some nighttime authority.
At this point in the game, unless you are selling a 50kW AM or the land that the plant sits on, there is almost no value to an AM of any sort. The only value here would be the two FM translators, on the same frequency BTW- one in the city and one in the western suburbs. SO what value are we really talking about here? 50 grand? Maybe? Even at 5X that, still nothing in comparison to what he is asking.
Fully agree. 1530's been on its last legs for a number of years now. AM altogether has been dying since the early 2000s. The question is, when will they pull the plug on 1530?
1530 used to be a directional with more then 300 some odd watts didnt it?
i wonder what the population count is under the translators both have on 102.3.
That and the cost of keepin the AM's alive is the question here
i wonder what the population count is under the translators both have on 102.3.
That and the cost of keepin the AM's alive is the question here
I know the general consensus is to shut down the AMs, but what you would be buying are the FM translators.
The technology is available to sync up both translators. Take into consideration the CP for 1530's translator there might be something of value.
IMHO:
Not counting any possible land value, what ever the population count in the translator's 60db's is the value. The AMs only exists to legally "feed" the translators on paper for the FCC. If you bought both, you might be able to do away with one of the AMs using the 15 mile rule unless the translators are permanently attached to the AMs. If both can belong to one AM the cheapest to operate 1530 (???) would survive. I doubt there is any value for AM nighttime or daytime service.
The technology is available to sync up both translators. Take into consideration the CP for 1530's translator there might be something of value.
IMHO:
Not counting any possible land value, what ever the population count in the translator's 60db's is the value. The AMs only exists to legally "feed" the translators on paper for the FCC. If you bought both, you might be able to do away with one of the AMs using the 15 mile rule unless the translators are permanently attached to the AMs. If both can belong to one AM the cheapest to operate 1530 (???) would survive. I doubt there is any value for AM nighttime or daytime service.
Only one license of his has value and that's the 102.3 translator with the CP to move to the Trump Hotel in downtown. A minor mod to the Hancock or Willis would be feasible but since not built out that will be on the burden of the buyer to do all that. Thankfully that translator isn't married to the AM and could be fed by an HD subchannel should someone want that (albeit risking interference complaints upon sign-on from Connoisseur's WXLC and Crawford's WYCA as well)...
There's no real land value for the transmitter sites.
He'd be massively lucky if he could get a million for everything, and that would be reliant on the value of the 102.3 translator. And that's with a number of other similar translator signals just sitting vacant already built out on the Hancock or Willis.
There's no real land value for the transmitter sites.
He'd be massively lucky if he could get a million for everything, and that would be reliant on the value of the 102.3 translator. And that's with a number of other similar translator signals just sitting vacant already built out on the Hancock or Willis.
Is there a listing of those translators? I can't find the old FCC page anymore.
1280 translator is W272EP
1530 translator is W272DQ
1530 translator is W272DQ
Sorry got distracted during the post. I will try again:
Is the a listing of the vacant translators on the John Hancock or Willis that Lance mentioned? I couldn't find the old FCC page that had the silent stations listed.
Nighttime service on 1530 would never happen. One common thing with our AMs is, none of them are up for nighttime service. Past and present. I have heard 1530 (in the last 5 years) on, accidentally, overnight. The same with 1510 next door. 1570 (now defunct) had reduced power, but continued into the night. They were one of many that got extended airtime, in the 90s.
And to prove a point, Ohana Del Sol sold 96.7 W244BQ Park Ridge with a CP to operate with a highly directional array from the Willis to Birach Broadcasting today for $1 million.
Just for fun, if that 102.3 CP were built and you got to program it, what would you put on it?
If W244BQ signs on with those new facilities, if I'm Connoisseur (WSSR), I'd be monitoring potential interference like a hawk.