"My sense is that the priority at radio companies will be towards original content, and less with music". Yes, with all of the internet choices for music, it is no wonder. It appears that the future of broadcast radio will be sports, talk radio, foreign language and religion.
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99.1
- Thread starter Yabadabado1
- Start date
The format change was telegraphed last week when Kent State University announced their move to WARF (only calling it "Fox Sports 1350" in the press release with zero "Gambler"), and that "broadcasts will also air on SportsRadio 99.1FM/Cleveland." Which only makes sense if WARF is being repositioned back to being an Akron station again.
kentstatesports.com
Kent State Athletics, Van Wagner, Announce New Partnership with iHeartRadio, Broadcast Team for 2025 - Kent State Golden Flashes
KENT, Ohio – Kent State Athletics, in partnership with Van Wagner, is announcing the return of Kent State Athletics to iHeartRadio and Fox Sports 1350.
It's more than that. For 30 years, the record labels have been paid royalties when music is played on digital outlets. It gets no money directly from broadcast radio. The broadcast stations stream, and the labels get royalties from that. But it's not because of any partnership between radio and record labels. If fact, the relationship is pretty contentious. So as far as strategies or good business practices, it's in the best interest of these radio companies to focus on content they create and own, or content related to business partnerships. Right now, sports is a very willing partner.
The business decisions I question the most concern keeping some AM stations on the air. The expense of maintenance, the value of the land they occupy and the bleak future they face would seem to indicate more shut downs or combining sites. I can't see AM as being part of a forward looking business plan for much longer.
40 years ago a Drake Chenault exec told me that very soon only the biggest 50kw AM's would be left. It's taken longer than he predicted, but he was fundamentally correct.
40 years ago a Drake Chenault exec told me that very soon only the biggest 50kw AM's would be left. It's taken longer than he predicted, but he was fundamentally correct.
And why no Les Nesman!
Depends on the station. Obviously no problem with WTAM. In the case of WARF, the point of its existence is to clear the iHeart distributed Fox Sports Network. Adding 99.1 to the mix makes that station less useful. So it may go away. However, iHeart usually doesn't shut down stations. They find other purposes, such as BIN. The business plan is to attach stations to specific revenue streams, whatever they happen to be.
I don't think it is. But once again, it depends on the station and the owner. We don't have a Minister of Radio in this country. Everything is done independently.
I've seen some companies, such as Townsquare and Cumulus, surrendering AM licenses to the FCC.
Correct and to clarify a little on why 99.1 and 1350 are likely not simulcasting in particular...
WARF has an agreement with VSiN to carry some of its Sports Betting network programming and a couple other brokered betting shows. It's NOT a 24/7 Fox Sports simulcast.
99.1, as mentioned previously, looks to have an agreement with Rock Entertainment Group coming to carry their teams.
This way they can keep the already existing money on the books for 1350, while adding new revenue on 99.1.
Someone needs to start another "Sports Radio" station, dub it something slightly different from the other two, slap some Guardians colors on it, and plop it on another FM frequency. How's 107.3 doing these days? "Sports Radio 107.3 The Wave" with the emoji doing the wave, but in blue and red, would be PERFECT, and encapsulate both ends of the radio dial. They could have an alternate purple-toned variant of the logo and simulcast the Lake Erie Crushers home games, too!
WARF, at least judging by the schedule on their website, only airs VSiN programming from 5pm-7pm weekdays, 9am-noon on Saturdays and 10am-noon on Sundays. The rest of the time is FSR off the bird. (It's also far, far less VSiN content than WNIO in Youngstown or WCWA in Toledo.)
Given how imperceptible WARF's ratings are (a 0.0 in the most recent 12+ topline) how much of their revenue isn't spillover from WTAM/WMMS?
And if it ever comes to pass that radio has to pay record companies for the privilege of playing artists/groups music then it should only be fair that radio stations send them a bill whenever a listener goes and buys the song/album as a result of the station playing the record companies artists/groups music. I could say that literally 90% of music I have bought beginning in the 60s has been from hearing it on a radio station first.
I agree philosophically. But the reality here is that record companies seem to really, truly think that radio is dead and its only value is in getting them to pay to play the songs.
I'd be fascinated to know what a sample of record company executives think the weekly reach (cume) of radio actually is. I'll bet none know that is is in the high eighty percent range for adults... and I think most would say thing like 25% or 30% or somewhere well below half of all adults.
They are relaying WMMS-HD2 full-time.
Don't read too much into that.The format change was telegraphed last week when Kent State University announced their move to WARF (only calling it "Fox Sports 1350" in the press release with zero "Gambler"), and that "broadcasts will also air on SportsRadio 99.1FM/Cleveland." Which only makes sense if WARF is being repositioned back to being an Akron station again.
Kent State Athletics, Van Wagner, Announce New Partnership with iHeartRadio, Broadcast Team for 2025 - Kent State Golden Flashes
KENT, Ohio – Kent State Athletics, in partnership with Van Wagner, is announcing the return of Kent State Athletics to iHeartRadio and Fox Sports 1350.
Last season WHKW 1220/96.9 was the KSU flagship.
This season there is no college football on either WHKW or WHK 1420/102.9.
The last few years the 2 stations at various points aired Akron, Bowling Green, Notre Dame, and Kent State football, but this season, they ain't got nothing.
College football wise for 2025 in Cleveland, we have THE Ohio State Buckeyes and ESPN national games on WKNR, Kent State on WARF, and Westwood One national games on WKRK 92.3 The Fan.
In Akron, Zips games are on flagship WHLO 640, and OSU is on WAKR 1590/93.5
And as of this year the new Lorain County home of the Buckeyes is WOBL 1320/107.7
The only radio stations record label heads care about are Mediabase chart reporters. The rest don't matter. But labels still care about music charts.
The idea of radio stations sending labels a bill for airplay is laughable. Who would they send a bill to? Someone in Japan or France???
Both teams were carried on WARF, which given the signal's anemic coverage outside of Cleveland itself, was probably the equivalent of having no radio coverage. (At least WARF puts out a solid enough signal to the Kent State campus.)
Cleveland State Vikings basketball games have also been carried on WARF, I'm assuming they'll announce a forthcoming move to 100.7-2 and 99.1 as well.
Yeah, it is. I was mostly being sarcastic because unless some listener says" Hey, I heard this great tune on 99.3 & 1/2 'The Hemorrhoid', I think it was called "Eep Opp Ork Ah-Ah" by Jet Screamer or maybe the Violent Phlegm...? Anyway, if I buy the record/CD/download/Edison wax cylinder can you let the station know to send a bill to the record company to let them know that if I hadn't heard it on their station the record company wouldn't have made any money from me?" You know it's not going to happen unless some low paid record store schmoe says "Sorry, can't sell you this record/CD/wax cylinder till you tell me what station you heard it on first so I can make sure they get their 0.00003 cents for the sale."
The record labels would respond by saying the radio station making money by playing their music.