If Entercom gets hold of the CBS cluster, and they have a choice: WMBZ, or FM 100...it's a no-brainer. Buzz will die...end of story. Why save a station that has 1/3rd of the female audience of their competitor, and 25% of the billing? 94.1 would be wearing spurs so fast it would make your head spin. WRVR would tweak a litle older, FM 100 a little younger, and there is your Wall Of Women. The problem, as Inside Radio said today, is that CBS may not sell ANYTHING. If they don't get what they want, they'll keep it. If anyone really wanted the CBS stations, they would have been gone a year ago. All of the public companies are trying to manage debt right now, so this is not a good time for any of them to be in acquisition mode. Les is trying to look proactive, and boost the stock price. The other issue is that Memphis is not a growth market in terms of revenue. The major players want to be in markets where the opprotunity for more $$ is there. Memphis is not growing, and is danger of falling out of the Top 50. The revenue has not shown signs of growth ina while...thats a reason why CBS wants out. That's why they want out of Cincinnati & KC as well, while keeping Orlando and Vegas. No big operator would want to be in a market where they can't find new revenue streams, or if the $$ is drying up.. Why add sattions in a market where the pie isn't getting any bigger? No one, resonably, will be able to meet the asking price and make enough off of the stations to bolster the bottom line, if there is no new cash coming in. The other concern is that Entercom may have a DOJ concern with the revenue share. They may make too much money with WRVR to pick up another money machine.I really believe that no one that is currently in the market gets the CBS cluster. It will be a smaller operator who has no debt load. South Central may be a good bet, and Simmons is the dark horse, IMHO.
