102.9 and 104.9

[davideduardo]

My predictions for both stations:

I'd think 102.9 will go to Bustos or Univision.

Univision is not buying, and has been moving out of lower ranked markets. Seattle is not even in the top 15 markets in Hispanic population, and the signal is not perfect so would cover even fewer than the market total.

 

[davideduardo]

Her family likely stepped in after she died (which often happens in those cases.) The trust didn't change, but the ones managing it has. The terms of the trust itself haven't changed. Until further notice, from here, all else looks status quo.

The procedure for a divestiture trust is to have the board of trustees name a new manager. The stations are still owned by, through a blind trust, iHeart.

 

[The New Chico]

The procedure for a divestiture trust is to have the board of trustees name a new manager. The stations are still owned by, through a blind trust, iHeart.

David (and anyone else), how "blind" are these trusts, typically? Are they still being run out of the same plant as the current iHeart stations in a market? Are the ads being sold by iHeart AEs? Is the engineering still being done by the same CE and crew? Or is everything handled by the trust alone?

 

[davideduardo]

David (and anyone else), how "blind" are these trusts, typically? Are they still being run out of the same plant as the current iHeart stations in a market? Are the ads being sold by iHeart AEs? Is the engineering still being done by the same CE and crew? Or is everything handled by the trust alone?

These trusts are mostly concerned with the creating company not influencing business decisions such as programming and the setting of rates.

In theory, the trusts follow the same dictates that don't allow Joint Sales Agreements that go over the market owner cap. So there can not be joint sales. The programming and management has to be separate, but that does not preclude renting office space from the corporation that created the trust or contracting with them for engineering or even janatorial services.

The administrator of the trust has to be independent of the corporation that forms it, and not subject to consult with that corporation on changes and administrative decisions.

On the other hand, the trust's profits fall back to the trust's creator (unless there was some condition in the transfer application that sends any profits to a charity, for example).

The real question is how much oversight by regulators, particularly the FCC, exists. I can't answer that and would, like you, like to know.

I suspect that there is not a lot of government review of those agreements and their status, as witnessed by the fact that some of the trusts have been in effect for years and years and years.

 

[The New Chico]

Thanks David.


I know 104.9 is using the iHeart Contemporary Christian format, not sure what is being used on 102.9, though that seems like regular ol' automation. I have heard locally produced iHeart spots (starring local iHeart KJR talent) on both stations, same spots that run on the other iHeart stations, so seems like there isn't a ton of separation between the trust and the corporation, at least up here in Seattle.

 

[Bongwater]

KFNY 102.9 is Smooth Jazz

 

[seattlesarchiebunker]

Thanks David.


I know 104.9 is using the iHeart Contemporary Christian format, not sure what is being used on 102.9, though that seems like regular ol' automation. I have heard locally produced iHeart spots (starring local iHeart KJR talent) on both stations, same spots that run on the other iHeart stations, so seems like there isn't a ton of separation between the trust and the corporation, at least up here in Seattle.

I do believe its a Smooth Jazz satellite network (I think there is only one anyway) with locally inserted spots.

 

[crainbebo]

It's not the satellite network. The playlist is wider than what Broadcast Architecture's is usually. Local jukebox with sweepers 'south sound's smooth jazz' and all the commercials are for national advertisers, absolutely nothing was local last time I checked (gotta love bobdavcav's Edmonds Global Tuners receiver - the SJ station is not heard on iHeart!)

 

[bobdavcav]

Thanks! I don't know if you've checked lately, but I managed to get the antenna sort of fixed a few weeks ago, so it's been back up for a few weeks now.

 

[TheBigA]

The procedure for a divestiture trust is to have the board of trustees name a new manager. The stations are still owned by, through a blind trust, iHeart.

Barry Drake named as new trustee:

https://www.allaccess.com/net-news/...tmedia-spinoff-trusts-get-new-trustee-two-mor

 

[crainbebo]

Yes I've been on there a couple times. Of course, hanging out at 155.205 in the mid PMs when I don't have class ;-)