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AM Stations
- Thread starter pioneer71
- Start date
Good luck to you but WCSI isn't a stand-alone; Findlay Publishing subset White River Broadcasting has a four-station cluster in Columbus.
WJCP 1460 North Vernon and WOCC 1550 Corydon are a couple of standalones that come to mind.
WBNL Boonville
WVHI Evansville.
WCSI isn't standalone and it's really not a local station. It's a translator for a talk network. I think sports is now on an FM as the 11 watt night signal is awful.
Anyone with investors and money to spend: Why AM radio? Or radio at all? Is this a license to loose money? Prices are too high for the economy.
What will you do to engage listeners? Too many jukebox stations now. If there is a purpose let us in.
WCSI isn't standalone and it's really not a local station. It's a translator for a talk network. I think sports is now on an FM as the 11 watt night signal is awful.
Anyone with investors and money to spend: Why AM radio? Or radio at all? Is this a license to loose money? Prices are too high for the economy.
What will you do to engage listeners? Too many jukebox stations now. If there is a purpose let us in.
I am sorry that Chief Engineer is so down on the value of not ony AM radio but radio overall.
I can tell you that you can run a tight operation on the AM and FM dial and make money. There are excellent radio operators who are making money. There are managers in markets even under 10,000 who are doing well.
You need to understand the strenghts and weakness of all media and see that radio can be an important part of a media buy. The agency folks love FM's and the big market AM's. They seem to pass on the small market stations and that is why a GM and sales staff that understands how to get direct buys will lead the market.
The FM stations ,that are no more than a music jukebox ,are subject to a shift in ratings from book to book. In other words, if you can be a force in your community you have a solid chance to be successful. This means that local personalities can still have an impact.
I can tell you that you can run a tight operation on the AM and FM dial and make money. There are excellent radio operators who are making money. There are managers in markets even under 10,000 who are doing well.
You need to understand the strenghts and weakness of all media and see that radio can be an important part of a media buy. The agency folks love FM's and the big market AM's. They seem to pass on the small market stations and that is why a GM and sales staff that understands how to get direct buys will lead the market.
The FM stations ,that are no more than a music jukebox ,are subject to a shift in ratings from book to book. In other words, if you can be a force in your community you have a solid chance to be successful. This means that local personalities can still have an impact.
The economy. The market. Billing. All of these factors are down on radio. If I point to this and you buy an AM daytimer at 1500 kc in Ohio for 1.2 million and expect it to be a cash cow you have overlooked the obvious. Even if you plan to develop the transmitter land it probably won't make money in this economy.
The problem with AM is that there are no more stations that are a force, or few. If you buy one, fine. Build one? Let me know how you do that and how anyone would be propelled into such a place?
I like AM. It has a warm feel. AM peaked 50 years ago. When I was at WLW it was a fun time. If I say my audience at WCSI was the same I would be wrong. 11 watts at night is less than some CB radios. What radio was is gone. Not to say that it can't come back but in the era of follow the other sheep this isn't likely.
WXXX is an example. If it sold for 20k it might be worth working with, might. A friend bought an AM in a large market for under 100k. AM stations have some value but the problem is the fact that the audience is no longer there. It is on FM or ipod or iphone.
WFNI, formerly WIBC, is a great example. 50kw. Incredible signal. The problems with a poor signal or bad frequency aren't the problem. Hardly ratings. They couldn't sell the signal with good ratings. " We don't cover Carmel at night." What's the power bill? 5 grand a month? Taxes on 100 acres? Thousands a year? ESPN Fee? Trade? The 3 employees that work there on air outside the network? 100k? Sales Staff? Promotion money? BMI, SESAC, ASCAP? An engineer? Replacement parts for one of the 3 transmitters? If expenses are 40k a month, how much do they need to make to cash flow? Expenses are more likely 80k a month. Youe investor wants how much retrun monthly? Don't expect to hit goal.
WXLW, also a good day signal , was bleeding 40 to 50k a month before it reverted to the previous owner. That's a lot of chicken. And the station has billing, just not enough. It sold for 2 million and then was sold back for 130,000. Actual money. That means the original owner ended up getting around 2 million dollars (because the owner rented the tower land to the buyer, the rubes didn't even get the tower land at that price) so someone could play radio. Then they got the station back. Mid owners bought a new transmitter too.
The scenarios for making money, if this is the goal of an investor, are few. I was just hoping you had one you could enunciate. Always looking to learn but it doesn't look like this idea had a plan.
If your investor is Martine from Columbia I have been told there is good money to be made in Hispanic radio laundering money. The cash factor is high. No agencies. Most of this audience is not in Southern Indiana. Gary, Goshen, South Bend.
The problem with AM is that there are no more stations that are a force, or few. If you buy one, fine. Build one? Let me know how you do that and how anyone would be propelled into such a place?
I like AM. It has a warm feel. AM peaked 50 years ago. When I was at WLW it was a fun time. If I say my audience at WCSI was the same I would be wrong. 11 watts at night is less than some CB radios. What radio was is gone. Not to say that it can't come back but in the era of follow the other sheep this isn't likely.
WXXX is an example. If it sold for 20k it might be worth working with, might. A friend bought an AM in a large market for under 100k. AM stations have some value but the problem is the fact that the audience is no longer there. It is on FM or ipod or iphone.
WFNI, formerly WIBC, is a great example. 50kw. Incredible signal. The problems with a poor signal or bad frequency aren't the problem. Hardly ratings. They couldn't sell the signal with good ratings. " We don't cover Carmel at night." What's the power bill? 5 grand a month? Taxes on 100 acres? Thousands a year? ESPN Fee? Trade? The 3 employees that work there on air outside the network? 100k? Sales Staff? Promotion money? BMI, SESAC, ASCAP? An engineer? Replacement parts for one of the 3 transmitters? If expenses are 40k a month, how much do they need to make to cash flow? Expenses are more likely 80k a month. Youe investor wants how much retrun monthly? Don't expect to hit goal.
WXLW, also a good day signal , was bleeding 40 to 50k a month before it reverted to the previous owner. That's a lot of chicken. And the station has billing, just not enough. It sold for 2 million and then was sold back for 130,000. Actual money. That means the original owner ended up getting around 2 million dollars (because the owner rented the tower land to the buyer, the rubes didn't even get the tower land at that price) so someone could play radio. Then they got the station back. Mid owners bought a new transmitter too.
The scenarios for making money, if this is the goal of an investor, are few. I was just hoping you had one you could enunciate. Always looking to learn but it doesn't look like this idea had a plan.
If your investor is Martine from Columbia I have been told there is good money to be made in Hispanic radio laundering money. The cash factor is high. No agencies. Most of this audience is not in Southern Indiana. Gary, Goshen, South Bend.
I enjoy these type of spirited discussions. First let me set some things straight. I have not stated a specfic plan. If you want to hire me to run your station give me a call. I will make you money or I will not take the positon if there is no high ceiling for the station.
I know from experience of billing better than a strongr postive cash flow with top unit rate of $45. Now that's understaning how to make bring in big revenue from sports play by play and NTR events. I have seen revenue based on prep sports being doubled from when a previous GM was running the station. I know of a FM in a small market having a positive cash flow of better than $80,000 per year. Sure as I told my investor that if he expected a quick turn around than radio is not for him. Is radio an easy business to make money? NO WAY.
Yes, I have been part of the stations that have struggled for billing and was hurt by poor night time signal strength. I have looked at several stations and there is no way you can have a positive cash flow. The day of a station having a complete staff of 15 plus in small to medium markets is gone.
I can take certain daytimers even, as I am sure there ae others who can too, and make a very good livng off it. I prefer a 24 hour station but I can thin of several daytime operators doing well.. Remember that if you know what you are doing and use your website right it becomes your second revenue source. In Texas there are several rado stations offerng three or four choices of which high school game they woud like to hear. I have one NTR event that can bring a station 10 to 18 thousand dollars in gross revenue in one day where you can make a very solid profit. That's ony one example.
With all due respect to the Chief Engineer, who I have always had the deepest of respect but had more fights with than anyone in radio, the biggest and most impotrant decisons you have to make is the format and the staff you hire. As a GM you have to be able to be able to hire air talent that can wear a number of hats including being abe to sell. My morning man has to be able to sell.
Radio is a huge challenge and there is no question the economy has had a deep impact and there are a ton of stations failing. Still, if you either get the station for the right price as a new owner or hire a GM who sells still on the street and perhaps even pull an ar shift and surrounds himself or herself with a solid staff - you can win even on AM.
I know from experience of billing better than a strongr postive cash flow with top unit rate of $45. Now that's understaning how to make bring in big revenue from sports play by play and NTR events. I have seen revenue based on prep sports being doubled from when a previous GM was running the station. I know of a FM in a small market having a positive cash flow of better than $80,000 per year. Sure as I told my investor that if he expected a quick turn around than radio is not for him. Is radio an easy business to make money? NO WAY.
Yes, I have been part of the stations that have struggled for billing and was hurt by poor night time signal strength. I have looked at several stations and there is no way you can have a positive cash flow. The day of a station having a complete staff of 15 plus in small to medium markets is gone.
I can take certain daytimers even, as I am sure there ae others who can too, and make a very good livng off it. I prefer a 24 hour station but I can thin of several daytime operators doing well.. Remember that if you know what you are doing and use your website right it becomes your second revenue source. In Texas there are several rado stations offerng three or four choices of which high school game they woud like to hear. I have one NTR event that can bring a station 10 to 18 thousand dollars in gross revenue in one day where you can make a very solid profit. That's ony one example.
With all due respect to the Chief Engineer, who I have always had the deepest of respect but had more fights with than anyone in radio, the biggest and most impotrant decisons you have to make is the format and the staff you hire. As a GM you have to be able to be able to hire air talent that can wear a number of hats including being abe to sell. My morning man has to be able to sell.
Radio is a huge challenge and there is no question the economy has had a deep impact and there are a ton of stations failing. Still, if you either get the station for the right price as a new owner or hire a GM who sells still on the street and perhaps even pull an ar shift and surrounds himself or herself with a solid staff - you can win even on AM.
WBRI 1500 AM in Indianapolis is a 5 KW daytimer that has had a Christian preaching and teaching program format since 1964. It's a commercial station, too. The station doesn't beg listeners for contributions. The station has remained successful because its listeners support the programmers who buy the airtime on the station. THIS AM station has remained successful for a long time!
After 6 months,I wish somebody would buy WQKC 1450 in Jeffersonville and get the station back on the air. Focusing on southern Indiana would be good.That's what WXVW used to do when Sunnyside owned 1450.
Bingo...if you want a good price & are willing to ignore the fact that Louisville,KY is 2 miles from the transmitter and instead concentrate on the local Indiana market, WQKC may well be your station. New transmitter & new Omnia processor collecting dust waiting for a buyer. Contact Cumulus...radiofan502 said:
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