Clear Channel Ohio Sale

[RF Man]

The Cleveland Radio-info.com board is reporting the sale of Clear Channel's Ohio stations to a Goodman Company. Goodman is reportedly headed by a former Paxson executive. Saga reportedly buys Clear Channel Mansfield.

 

[CBusDave]

This is what kentuckymedia posted over there:

Yeppers Jim...thats what I heard. It would BAS get their hand on one of the clusters.

What I did hear and this is really interesting.

GOODMAN gets

FINDLAY/TIFFIN - WTTF AM, WCKY FM, WPFX FM
SANDUSKY - WLEC AM, WMJK FM, WCPZ FM
ASHTABULA - WFUN AM, WFXJ FM, WREO FM, WYBL FM, WZOO FM
LIMA/WAPAKONETA - WIMA AM, WLWD FM, WIMT FM, WMLX FM
CHILLICOTHE - WBEX AM, WCHI AM, WKKJ FM, WSRW FM
WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE - WCHO AM, WSRW AM, WCHO FM
MARION WMRN AM, WYNT FM, WDIF FM

Saga of course walks away with the prize known as Mansfield

MANSFIELD WMAN AM, WNCO AM, WYHT FM, WNCO FM, WFXN FM, WXXF FM, WXXR FM, WSWR FM

I dont know if you heard this or not...but I was told Saga wants to do a nice little trade with this new company so they can move in 106.7 to Dublin, Saga will spin off 107.9 in Delaware to the new people in town.

Defiance is up in the air, but I heard its now in the family of someone who owns stations in Indiana....

 

[Allfirdup]

This is what kentuckymedia posted over there:

Yeppers Jim...thats what I heard. It would BAS get their hand on one of the clusters.

What I did hear and this is really interesting.

GOODMAN gets

FINDLAY/TIFFIN - WTTF AM, WCKY FM, WPFX FM
SANDUSKY - WLEC AM, WMJK FM, WCPZ FM
ASHTABULA - WFUN AM, WFXJ FM, WREO FM, WYBL FM, WZOO FM
LIMA/WAPAKONETA - WIMA AM, WLWD FM, WIMT FM, WMLX FM
CHILLICOTHE - WBEX AM, WCHI AM, WKKJ FM, WSRW FM
WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE - WCHO AM, WSRW AM, WCHO FM
MARION WMRN AM, WYNT FM, WDIF FM

Saga of course walks away with the prize known as Mansfield

MANSFIELD WMAN AM, WNCO AM, WYHT FM, WNCO FM, WFXN FM, WXXF FM, WXXR FM, WSWR FM

I dont know if you heard this or not...but I was told Saga wants to do a nice little trade with this new company so they can move in 106.7 to Dublin, Saga will spin off 107.9 in Delaware to the new people in town.

Defiance is up in the air, but I heard its now in the family of someone who owns stations in Indiana....

how can saga do anything with 106.7 when it looks as if CC didnt sell WMRN-fm in marion (Dublin),

 

[Frogger1]

CC didn't sell MRN-FM because it is in the process of moving to Dublin under CC Columbus. Nobody will be able to do anything with it...

 

[Radioboy989]

So CC Columbus is NOT efffected, right?

 

[Allfirdup]

So CC Columbus is NOT efffected, right?

No changes for Columbus, CC decided to sell off any market outside of the top 100 measured radio markets

 

[xiradiodotcom]

No changes for Columbus, CC decided to sell off any market outside of the top 100 measured radio markets

Maybe people in smaller towns don't like cookie-cutter, voice-tracked radio programmed by "experts" in another state? It only took a few years to figure this out.

 

[sunset77]

Goodman is calling the company Goodradio,TV LLC...Eddie Fritts the former head of the NAB, Larry Patrick of Patrick Communications...a media broker and Carl Hirsch are also involved...we understand they are buying 180 stations but the markets have not been announced yet...It's believed that the states are Ohio, Pa and WV but none of that's been confirmed...It seems to be confirmed that Saga did get Mansfield. As far as Marion, we've heard GoodRadio picked that up as well except for the FM that CC is moving south closer to Columbus...sorry forgot the calls on that one. Other then that..nothing much is known about the company other then they own some other stations.

 

[CBusDave]

Maybe people in smaller towns don't like cookie-cutter, voice-tracked radio programmed by "experts" in another state? It only took a few years to figure this out.

I was thinking this same thing yesterday. So much for a huge radio conglomerate. They figured economies through scale would be a good business model but it only lasted all of a couple years.

 

[gr8oldies]

If that's the case, why do people in surrounding small towns listen to stations from adjoining larger markets?

 

[pbf1]

They figured economies through scale would be a good business model but it only lasted all of a couple years.

Not to defend them - I won't - but it all started nearly 10 years ago.

 

[RF Man]

If that's the case, why do people in surrounding small towns listen to stations from adjoining larger markets?

Everybody likes to watch a train wreck! Ha Ha!

 

[kentuckymedia]

If CC is moving in WMRN-FM to Dublin and they still have to spin off an FM once the company goes private, why pay all the money to move signals all over the state to accomodate a new station your gonna have to sell anyhow. Why not just sell that and let Saga and Goodradio.TV fight over it?

 

[xiradiodotcom]

If that's the case, why do people in surrounding small towns listen to stations from adjoining larger markets?

Apparently they aren't listening to the local stations, or CC would be keeping them. Why listen to a local pre-recorded show if you can possibly get a live one from the bigger market?

 

[kentuckymedia]

Great to hear Saga picks up Mansfield. Only good things can come from that deal. I do know that Clear Channel owns a 3.5 acre lot on US 42 just outside of Mansfield between Ash and Man near the commercial strip. Plans called for a new complex with 12 new studios in there. I think that would be great!

So Saga picks up...

1200 WMAN News/Talk
1340 WNCO Nostalgia
1540 WBCO Nostalgia
98.3 WXXR Classic Rock
100.1 WSWR Oldies
101.3 WNCO Country
102.3 WFXN Classic Rock
105.3 WYHT Adult Top 40
107.7 WXXF Classic Rock

Saga will be big on utilizing all of their signals in this cluster, do you really think they will keep the trimulcast? Maybe Oldies on 98.3/100.1 and Rock on 102.3/107.7? The Blitz does extremely well in Richland and Crawford Counties...could there be an Active Rock lean? Who knows...but it sure will be great to see.

I know one of the guys who made a bid on 107.7 as a stand alone and he may want to approach Saga on the deal.

So this leaves the other commercial signals in the market to

1300 WMVO Nostalgia - Bas Communications of Ohio
93.7 WQIO Adult Contemporary - Bas Communications of Ohio
1440 WRGM Sports - Johnny Appleseed Broadcasting
106.1 WVNO Adult Contemporary - Johnny Appleseed Broadcasting

 

[Nu_Roo_2]

Wish this had all happened awhile ago, so that 106.7 might have ended up in Dublin as a Saga station rather than as part of the CC cluster.  Someday, the timing is finally going to work out right on of these things.  Nah, maybe not...

Speaking of bad timing, I wonder if CBS would have sold LVQ/HOK/AZU (and stations in other markets) had Dan Mason taken over for Joel Hollander *before* the sale.

 

[kentuckymedia]

Clear Channel Stations not going to DEAN GOODMAN and who is the most feasible buyer?

Ashland/Mansfield, OH
WMAN-AM, WNCO-AM, WYHT-FM, WNCO-FM, WXXF-FM, WXXR-FM, WFXN-FM, WSWR-FM
Saga Communications is projected buyer
Ashtabula, OH
WFUN-AM, WZOO-FM, WFXJ-FM, WREO-FM, WYBL-FM
Media One/Embracia is projected buyer
Defiance, OH
WONW-AM, WZOM-FM, WDFM-FM, WNDH-FM
Federated Media of Fort Wayne is projected buyer
Centralia, WA
KELA-AM
Yakima, WA
KUTI-AM, KIT-AM, KATS-FM, KDBL-FM, KFFM-FM, KQSN-FM
Tri-Cities, WA
KFLD-AM, KEYW-FM, KOLW-FM, KORD-FM, KXRX-FM
Charlottesville, VA
WCHV-AM, WKAV-AM, WCJZ-FM, WCYK-FM, WHTE-FM, WSUH-FM
Dickinson, ND
KENR-AM, KCAD-FM, KZRX-FM
Cumulus Media of Bismark is projected buyer
Frankfort, KY
WFKY-AM, WCND-AM, WKRD-FM, WKED-FM
L.M. Communications is projected buyer
Grand Forks, ND
KKXL-AM, KSNR-FM, KQHT-FM, KKXL-FM, KJKJ-FM
Schurz is projected buyer
Marion/Carbondale, IL
WDDD-AM, WFRX-AM, WDDD-FM, WQUL-FM, WTAO-FM, WVZA-FM
Either Maverick or Connoisseur is projected buyer
Rome/Utica, NY
WUTQ-AM, WRNY-AM, WADR-AM, WIXT-AM, WOKR-FM, WOUR-FM, WSKS-FM, WSKU-FM, WUMX-FM
San Luis Obispo, CA
KVEC-AM, KSMA-AM, KSLY-FM, KSMY-FM, KSNY-FM, KSTT-FM, KURQ-FM, KXFM-FM,
The Florida Keys, FL
WKWF-AM, WKEZ-FM, WAOW-FM, WAIL-FM, WCTH-FM, WFKZ-FM, WKEY-FM
Victorville, CA
KIXW-AM, KATJ-FM, KIXA-FM, KRSX-FM, KZXY-FM
Yuma, AZ
KBLU-AM, KQSR-FM, KTTI-FM

Some of the stations may have to be broke down and a few of them may have to be sold off seperately. I know there is a deal in the works for a sale in the Florida Keys where someone would get an FM combo away from the rest of the cluster. This was approved by the company from what I understand that that market will be split. The rest....well who knows.

http://home.businesswire.com/portal...d=news_view&newsId=20070502006197&newsLang=en

 

[CBusDave]

They figured economies through scale would be a good business model but it only lasted all of a couple years.

Not to defend them - I won't - but it all started nearly 10 years ago.

Ok, you are right.. the media gobbling began after the 1996 Telecommunications Act. Man it seems like yesterday.

 

[gr8oldies]

I doubt that "no one's listening" and would be if there was Swap Shop. There just isn't enough money to be made for a nationwide company. A smaller company can do just fine with those stations.

 

[sunset77]

gr8oldies...said
I doubt that "no one's listening" and would be if there was Swap Shop. There just isn't enough money to be made for a nationwide company. A smaller company can do just fine with those stations.

He gets it...doesn't matter what format...doesn't matter whether it's done live or satellite...CC is selling these stations because they are not making money..and they are not making money even though CC owns the larger markets around these smaller clusters...CC still couldn't make it work...another large consolidator buying these stations for any price...let alone the enourmous price they are paying...will need to make money...as gr8oldies said and it's very true...there is not enough money in these smaller markets for a large consolidator to make the ROI they expect...a local owner in the market everyday stands a better chance of cultivating revenue that the big consolidator will never go after...