BONNEVILLE SWAPS ENTERCOM FOR CINCY

[Elephant]

http://home.businesswire.com/portal...d=news_view&newsId=20070118005088&newsLang=en

 

[robmadden1]

Wow this is a shocker to me.

 

[marko83]

Maybe they'll move the country station again..lol. So much for consistancy in 2007 huh? You thought all the changes were over.

 

[microbob]

Bonneville has some nice stations in markets like Chicago an St Louis such as Classic Hits, The Drive and The Arch which is a Variety Hits station. They also have a Movin Station in St Louis. I could see them doing either of these formats here and it being successful.

 

[exradio]

Wow.

Bonneville International is owned by the LDS Church.

It's only in a few markets.

It's absolutely the nation's leading advocate of moving news and talk to FM, having done so with all three of its top three AM's (All-news WTOP, DC, Newstalk KTAR, Phoenix, with N/T KSL in Salt Lake still simulcasting on AM. )

They've even got a related release on their website: http://www.bonnint.com/docs/FM_news_initiative.pdf. Don't know if or how much that'll affect Cincinnati.

They've also invented and been successful with one of the nation's most specialized radio formats: Federal News Radio, which started as an internet-only news-talk station in Washington focusing on federal employees, and which later added a low power AM with a signal just like WCVX's (and also on 1050).

They are more into the internet than any current Tri-state broadcaster.

If you check this website, you'll learn some interesting things about their stations, but you'll be scratching your head about what kind of music they play.

If you had given me a list of the Cincinnati groups and asked me to guess which one would be owned by Bonneville, I would have guessed the Cumulus stations.

Since Bonneville is relatively small and slowly evolving, there's not too many examples for you to guess what they will do when they suddenly come into a new market in a big way, but in recent years they haven't been averse to major change in their existing markets.

So what are people gonna think about this on Reading Rd? Or at Cumulus? Or at the Death Star in Kenwood?

 

[brian_stevens]

Bonneville International is owned by the LDS Church.

For your consideration.

The Sound. Owned by the LDS Church?

(Someone was bound to ask...)

 

[microbob]

If you had given me a list of the Cincinnati groups and asked me to guess which one would be owned by Bonneville, I would have guessed the Cumulus stations.

Since Bonneville is relatively small and slowly evolving, there's not too many examples for you to guess what they will do when they suddenly come into a new market in a big way, but in recent years they haven't been averse to major change in their existing markets.

So what are people gonna think about this on Reading Rd? Or at Cumulus? Or at the Death Star in Kenwood?

The Cumulus cluster fits into Bonneville strategy of running a FM talker in Markets such as Phoenix and Washington DC. Could there be a swap happening again between them and Cumulus putting the stations back to their original studio locations?

 

[WyllyWylly]

From a revenue perspective, the chances of country returning to Cumulus are pretty slim. Then again, Ken and Kitty have a radically different - and more entertaining, IMHO - show over at Entercom, and Bonneville probably won't like the stunts and over the top stuff that makes it what it is. back to my original point, one company owns all of the country market in Cincinnati and it doesn't make much sense to open up competition to yourself unless (again) there's a reason based on revenue.

Add to that the fact that non-competes were likely signed, and it becomes an even more distant prospective. FM talk might take on a new level in town, though, what with CC derailing (nearly) all of their AM talkers and Supertalk's recent emergence. Clear Channel and Bonneville might find some common ground, particularly if CC needs to spin off market share.

I'll buy a ticket and watch from the sidelines. I'm just curious to see what happens when all of the tectonic plates in the radio biz around Cincinnati stop moving and patterns become established.

 

[kentuckymedia]

I am quite the large fan of Entercom, and I was excited to see what they would bring to the Cincinnati market. As we can see, they really made a great move with the legendary WKRQ. However, it scares me with Bonneville. One thing we know is they invest in the betterment of their programming and delivery.

Bonneville also cares a ton about the community which will help them in the Cincinnati arena.

It will be interesting to see what happens. In my honest opinion, Bonneville will go after one of Clear Channels AM's. It would be nice to see them keep the FM formats the same.

Could this get even messier. I dont know if Bonneville will want to stay in town? Maybe they will use this as leverage with Cox to pick up some stations down south?

It will really be interesting to see what happens. I just really hope they atleast leave WUBE and WKRQ in place!

 

[Kent]

The Cumulus cluster fits into Bonneville strategy of running a FM talker in Markets such as Phoenix and Washington DC. Could there be a swap happening again between them and Cumulus putting the stations back to their original studio locations?

Keep in mind the architect of the FM news initiative at Bonneville has been shown the door. I wouldn't look for them to try to swap with Cumulus to try FM news on 96.5. They passed up on the opportunity to do FM news/talk in St. Louis and went with Movin' instead. One of the reasons we likely saw them bypass doing FM news/talk in St. Louis is because the FM news initiative was about transitioning successful AM news/talkers to FM, not launching them from scratch. So, KBSG in Seattle has more reason to be concerned than anyone in Cincinnati.

 

[titoisradio]

The Cumulus cluster fits into Bonneville strategy of running a FM talker in Markets such as Phoenix and Washington DC. Could there be a swap happening again between them and Cumulus putting the stations back to their original studio locations?

Keep in mind the architect of the FM news initiative at Bonneville has been shown the door. I wouldn't look for them to try to swap with Cumulus to try FM news on 96.5. They passed up on the opportunity to do FM news/talk in St. Louis and went with Movin' instead. One of the reasons we likely saw them bypass doing FM news/talk in St. Louis is because the FM news initiative was about transitioning successful AM news/talkers to FM, not launching them from scratch. So, KBSG in Seattle has more reason to be concerned than anyone in Cincinnati.

I have figured it out.

Bonneville will swap 94.9 & 97.3 to Cumulus for 96.5, cash, a first round draft pick and a station to be named later, then sell 51% ownership to the Cincinnati Reds and form a joint venture, then move The Reds to 96.5 when the current contract with WLW is up. It could end up being Wayne Krivsky's biggest trade.

I honestly didn't see it as a real possibility in this market a year ago when the papers mentioned it as a posibility but now Cincinnati has becoming a revolving door of ownership and talent.

 

[content]

When does Bonneville take contol of the Entercom stations? (and vice versa)?

 

[gabigley1]

When does Bonneville take contol of the Entercom stations? (and vice versa)?

Notes this on the web:

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/113375.html

FCC will probe radio station
Agency's chairman is 'troubled' by information about the death of woman following contest.
By Christina Jewett - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Thursday, January 25, 2007
Story appeared in METRO section, Page B1

"Also Wednesday, a Washington, D.C., attorney filed a petition urging the FCC to consider Strange's death when deciding whether to approve Entercom's application to buy 15 radio stations, mostly in Ohio, Texas and New York. "The situation with Jennifer Strange really emphasizes the fact that they're not responsible broadcasters," attorney Arthur Belendiuk said."

 

[knowbetter]

When does Bonneville take contol of the Entercom stations? (and vice versa)?

Notes this on the web:

"Also Wednesday, a Washington, D.C., attorney filed a petition urging the FCC to consider Strange's death when deciding whether to approve Entercom's application to buy 15 radio stations, mostly in Ohio, Texas and New York. "The situation with Jennifer Strange really emphasizes the fact that they're not responsible broadcasters," attorney Arthur Belendiuk said."

but wasn't this instigated by a station owner who was a competing applicant for the California Entercom stations? I would be this would "go away" if Entercom allowed them to but the station they origionally tried to buy.

legal wrangling...it's stupid, and unfair...it just happens all the time...sadly

 

[content]

When does Bonneville take contol of the Entercom stations? (and vice versa)?

Notes this on the web:

"Also Wednesday, a Washington, D.C., attorney filed a petition urging the FCC to consider Strange's death when deciding whether to approve Entercom's application to buy 15 radio stations, mostly in Ohio, Texas and New York. "The situation with Jennifer Strange really emphasizes the fact that they're not responsible broadcasters," attorney Arthur Belendiuk said."

but wasn't this instigated by a station owner who was a competing applicant for the California Entercom stations? I would be this would "go away" if Entercom allowed them to but the station they origionally tried to buy.

legal wrangling...it's stupid, and unfair...it just happens all the time...sadly

The former owner of Entercom's KWOD-Sacramanto has been descibred as 'litigation happy' and has had some sort of ongoing claim against Entercom going back to their purchase of KWOD. Not sure of the exact details of that scenario. But his current tactics appear to me as opportunistic, rather than concerned.