Between population decline and Entercom's troubles, is WWL's 50 kW in danger?

[FloridaBear1776]

Entercom is facing possible issues over payola and licenses, in addition to
its woes dealing with a half-empty New Orleans metro and advertising revenue.

Could this present the temptation to sell away its Class A status for WWL?

Who'd want to pull a WOWO-style deal with the Big 870?

Salem owns a station on 870 in L.A. that could benefit from losing its protection to WWL's 0.5 nighttime contour, which reaches New Mexico. It also owns a station in Dunedin FL (Tampa) that could benefit from no longer having to adjacent-protect WWL, or which could even move to 870 and increase its nighttime power to cover the Tampa market.

KRVN 880 Lexington Nebraska might incur a side benefit by sliding over to 870, with mutual protection to the aforementioned KRLA and perhaps to the Tampa station, allowing it to throw out a cardioid going north that would cover most of Nebraska at night. Currently KRVN must abandon eastern Nebraska after dark to
protect WCBS. KRVN wouldn't have the resources to buy out WWL but it could piggyback on any Salem deal.

Perhaps the owners of the daytime-only 870 in Dallas would like to get involved as well.

WWL could lower power, move to an adjacent freq such as 880 on a minor change, or swap the format and calls with co-owned 1350, among other options.

Far-fetched, but a scenario worthy of debate.

 

[WildRider]

> Entercom is facing possible issues over payola and licenses,
> in addition to
> its woes dealing with a half-empty New Orleans metro and
> advertising revenue.
>
> Could this present the temptation to sell away its Class A
> status for WWL?
>
> Who'd want to pull a WOWO-style deal with the Big 870?
>
> Salem owns a station on 870 in L.A. that could benefit from
> losing its protection to WWL's 0.5 nighttime contour, which
> reaches New Mexico. It also owns a station in Dunedin FL
> (Tampa) that could benefit from no longer having to
> adjacent-protect WWL, or which could even move to 870 and
> increase its nighttime power to cover the Tampa market.
>
> KRVN 880 Lexington Nebraska might incur a side benefit by
> sliding over to 870, with mutual protection to the
> aforementioned KRLA and perhaps to the Tampa station,
> allowing it to throw out a cardioid going north that would
> cover most of Nebraska at night. Currently KRVN must abandon
> eastern Nebraska after dark to
> protect WCBS. KRVN wouldn't have the resources to buy out
> WWL but it could piggyback on any Salem deal.
>
> Perhaps the owners of the daytime-only 870 in Dallas would
> like to get involved as well.
>
> WWL could lower power, move to an adjacent freq such as 880
> on a minor change, or swap the format and calls with
> co-owned 1350, among other options.
>
> Far-fetched, but a scenario worthy of debate.
>


My bet is that they pull up stakes altogether and sell the N.O. cluster because of the highly reduced potential revenue, along with the bloated salaries they are paying.

Conversely, my feeling is that N.O. would be better off without such a sleeze outfit.

 

[RFLA]

> > Entercom is facing possible issues over payola and
> licenses,
> > in addition to
> > its woes dealing with a half-empty New Orleans metro and
> > advertising revenue.
> >
> > Could this present the temptation to sell away its Class A
>
> > status for WWL?
> >
> > Who'd want to pull a WOWO-style deal with the Big 870?
> >
> > Salem owns a station on 870 in L.A. that could benefit
> from
> > losing its protection to WWL's 0.5 nighttime contour,
> which
> > reaches New Mexico. It also owns a station in Dunedin FL
> > (Tampa) that could benefit from no longer having to
> > adjacent-protect WWL, or which could even move to 870 and
> > increase its nighttime power to cover the Tampa market.
> >
> > KRVN 880 Lexington Nebraska might incur a side benefit by
> > sliding over to 870, with mutual protection to the
> > aforementioned KRLA and perhaps to the Tampa station,
> > allowing it to throw out a cardioid going north that would
>
> > cover most of Nebraska at night. Currently KRVN must
> abandon
> > eastern Nebraska after dark to
> > protect WCBS. KRVN wouldn't have the resources to buy out
> > WWL but it could piggyback on any Salem deal.
> >
> > Perhaps the owners of the daytime-only 870 in Dallas would
>
> > like to get involved as well.
> >
> > WWL could lower power, move to an adjacent freq such as
> 880
> > on a minor change, or swap the format and calls with
> > co-owned 1350, among other options.
> >
> > Far-fetched, but a scenario worthy of debate.
> >
>
>
> My bet is that they pull up stakes altogether and sell the
> N.O. cluster because of the highly reduced potential
> revenue, along with the bloated salaries they are paying.
>
> Conversely, my feeling is that N.O. would be better off
> without such a sleeze outfit.
>


My thing is people just see New Orleans (the city only) on TV and it's a woe is us thing.... Realize that areas west and north of the city are kicking with a lot of post K expansion from people leaving the city (but locals and others are projecting that NOLA will be rebuilt, but the racial makeup will be different than say 2004)..Also realize that unlike most other cities, where smaller suburbs build up around the larger parent, that the suburban parish of Jefferson to New Orleans' south and west was about as big in population? And a Lot of it's residents came back....

Hate to tell ya but last estimates I saw, shows the region is still a 70-80s DMA market (plus a few NOLA stations including WWL are starting to become minor players in the Baton Rouge market that has expanded post K), and the station uses the 50kw to cover the area..an area where WWL and it's sister WLMG were the only stations up for a time after Katrina (but listenership was at least 5 or 6 to one in favor of amer WWL) and was used by listeners who evacuated all over the region to keep track on what was going down here and is still used by evacuees (that are close to New Orleans).

Plus it's Entercon's top rated station in the market (and is estimated to be number 1 post K).

Will it switch or drop power etc? I don't think, even if Entercon decides to sell, It's sellability is it's whopping signal...We got something Houston don't have .....

Unless they need some quick cash, Having to rebuild WTKL and their studios are the only real major costs to Entercon right now for a market that they had 5 out of the 6 properties in the top 10 pre K....

All the air talent is back on as of Thursday basically.... and the ad revenue I think as I have said before can be almost as good as before, but it's gonna require sales to learn that they do have listeners and businesses outside of Orleans and Jefferson parish that they kind of neglected before....

My bets however on the first to leave would be Clear Channel though....

RFLA

 

[Pat2]

It definitly has a killer signal. It can be picked up in the car over 200 miles away on most days. It also turns up in the ratings in Hattisburg, MS. This last book it even showed up in the books in Jackson, MS. beating out some of the bottom feeders.

 

[marconi1]

> > Entercom is facing possible issues over payola and
> licenses,
> > in addition to
> > its woes dealing with a half-empty New Orleans metro and
> > advertising revenue.
> >
> > Could this present the temptation to sell away its Class A
>
> > status for WWL?
> >
> > Who'd want to pull a WOWO-style deal with the Big 870?
> >
> > Salem owns a station on 870 in L.A. that could benefit
> from
> > losing its protection to WWL's 0.5 nighttime contour,
> which
> > reaches New Mexico. It also owns a station in Dunedin FL
> > (Tampa) that could benefit from no longer having to
> > adjacent-protect WWL, or which could even move to 870 and
> > increase its nighttime power to cover the Tampa market.
> >
> > KRVN 880 Lexington Nebraska might incur a side benefit by
> > sliding over to 870, with mutual protection to the
> > aforementioned KRLA and perhaps to the Tampa station,
> > allowing it to throw out a cardioid going north that would
>
> > cover most of Nebraska at night. Currently KRVN must
> abandon
> > eastern Nebraska after dark to
> > protect WCBS. KRVN wouldn't have the resources to buy out
> > WWL but it could piggyback on any Salem deal.
> >
> > Perhaps the owners of the daytime-only 870 in Dallas would
>
> > like to get involved as well.
> >
> > WWL could lower power, move to an adjacent freq such as
> 880
> > on a minor change, or swap the format and calls with
> > co-owned 1350, among other options.
> >
> > Far-fetched, but a scenario worthy of debate.
> >
>
>
> My bet is that they pull up stakes altogether and sell the
> N.O. cluster because of the highly reduced potential
> revenue, along with the bloated salaries they are paying.
>
> Conversely, my feeling is that N.O. would be better off
> without such a sleeze outfit.


Ad revenue's are up. Not sure if people payed attention to after the storm but WWL was the ONLY local media outlet therefore increasing it's value big time. It showed that when everything else was down WWL was up. Revenue's across the board are positive due to new businesses as well as the attitude of "now or never" by open local businesses. Everything in the city has gone up, rent, ad dollars, you name it. So, not sure on everything else but "highly reduced potential revenue" is wrong.
>