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Cleveland now the only Major Ohio city with NO FM Talker
- Thread starter Elephant
- Start date
Don't count on it. But if you've got $20 million, you could buy the Fish and do it.
Cincinnati used to be the only overtalked city in Ohio; now, Cleveland's the only one that's not. Considering that Beck and Hannity are up for grabs and Savage could be persuaded to move, there's plenty to build a station around. Dave Ramsey, while not always my cup of tea, is a rising star and is available after he removed himself from 1220 in the Salem fiasco. Add a local host in AMD and go local against Rush and viola! Now I must wake up...
Cincinnati used to be the only overtalked city in Ohio; now, Cleveland's the only one that's not. Considering that Beck and Hannity are up for grabs and Savage could be persuaded to move, there's plenty to build a station around. Dave Ramsey, while not always my cup of tea, is a rising star and is available after he removed himself from 1220 in the Salem fiasco. Add a local host in AMD and go local against Rush and viola! Now I must wake up...
C
cARLOS Blake
Guest
"How about it Cleveland" looks like a "question", and I bet a 7 year old would've been able to stick one of these things after it >?? What would be the point of FM Talk in Cleveland?
N
network
Guest
Oh grrrreat. Another one of these "hey, they do it in these markets, so why aren't you doing it here" threads. :Elephant said:
How about knowing the market first?
That is IF you are even in this market.
J
Johnny Morgan
Guest
You're absolutely right that those figures being bandied about are a reality check, pricing a license out of the realm of possibility for anyone but a large company or a deep-pocketed individual (see, e.g., Craig Karmazin).
But, let's not mistake ourselves--$44 million may or may not be the asking price for 95.5.
1. Salem sold 850 for $3 million less than it bought 1420 (from WCLV) just two and 1/2 years ago. Is it willing to take a hit to firm up its bottom line nationally?
2. 95.5 is a full-market, full-strength FM signal, coveted by any number of people. But for cap limits, Clear Channel would likely be the ones fighting tooth and nail for it. Is demand still high (compared to, say, 1999 or 2000)? Maybe. That pushes price up.
But, CC is limited legally and CBS is limited corporately, as are most of the other players out there. That pushes price down--lower demand and all.
Now, this all assumes that 95.5 is expendable in Salem's national bottom line, which may or may not be the case (I suggest the latter).
By the way, $44 million (minus a pittance for 104.9) plus $10 million (for 1420, which he got for free), equals $55 million or so.
Who came out the best in these deals? I would suggest that Bob Conrad and the WCLV Foundation beat all of those lawyers, accountants, prayer fellows, and "executives" at their own game.
You won't get $65 million for it. $20 mil is indeed a low-sounding number, but I heard it from a broker who mentioned that he got the listing on another Salem station for sale.
What someone pays for a station means nothing. How many people in suburban Cleveland are selling their homes for less than they paid for them two years ago? Salem paid $10m for 1420... high on the dial, 5kW. They sold 850 for less than that with a low frequency, 50kW regional daytime signal, and, well... alright - fine - a marginal if not horrible night pattern. Here a null, there a null...
So the bottom line: I may be a bit low, but what they paid has nothing to do with it. And $65 mil... you could buy a lot in Cleveland for that.
What someone pays for a station means nothing. How many people in suburban Cleveland are selling their homes for less than they paid for them two years ago? Salem paid $10m for 1420... high on the dial, 5kW. They sold 850 for less than that with a low frequency, 50kW regional daytime signal, and, well... alright - fine - a marginal if not horrible night pattern. Here a null, there a null...
So the bottom line: I may be a bit low, but what they paid has nothing to do with it. And $65 mil... you could buy a lot in Cleveland for that.
T
tcsnrayp
Guest
James Ingstad (?) just picked up a cluster from CC in the Fargo market. He PAID them 14 million for it.
He also SOLD the same group to CC in 2000. Selling price then: $40 mil.
Even real estate in Cleveburg hasn't lost that much value.
He also SOLD the same group to CC in 2000. Selling price then: $40 mil.
Even real estate in Cleveburg hasn't lost that much value.
As perhaps the most vocal on the "FM Talk Watch"...
Some of the above is correct. Cleveland is a unique market, and just because FM talk stations pop up in Cincinnati and Columbus doesn't mean one will show up in Cleveland.
Most of your limitations are listed above. And who, in the Cleveland market, would mount an FM talker?
Clear Channel isn't, unless it's skewing somewhat differently from WTAM (it had been rumored WMMS would go in that direction, likely mostly as a "hot talk" style station). There's no need for a WPGB/Pittsburgh-style AM Talker on FM here, because of WTAM's presence on the monster signal on the AM side.
CBS Radio already owns half-talk WXRK/92.3, which positions with its alt-rock history and other half as "K-Rock" even with 8 hours of talk a day - Rover and O&A in both drive times.
Cumulus does a lot of FM talk, but they own nothing in Cleveland. (And they are about to exit entirely even from Canton...)
Salem has a couple of its conservatalkers on FM, but they aren't moving WHK/1420 to 95.5, assuming they hang onto it. Maybe a move of their WHKW preach-and-teach format to 95.5, ala "The Word" in places like Pittsburgh and Dallas? Hmmm. That would sure be interesting.
But the secular talk format? Nah. Their FM conservatalk stations, like KTKZ/Sacramento, are on rimshot FMs with poor signals, and in that latter case, it simulcasts an in-market AM.
Just some thoughts.
Some of the above is correct. Cleveland is a unique market, and just because FM talk stations pop up in Cincinnati and Columbus doesn't mean one will show up in Cleveland.
Most of your limitations are listed above. And who, in the Cleveland market, would mount an FM talker?
Clear Channel isn't, unless it's skewing somewhat differently from WTAM (it had been rumored WMMS would go in that direction, likely mostly as a "hot talk" style station). There's no need for a WPGB/Pittsburgh-style AM Talker on FM here, because of WTAM's presence on the monster signal on the AM side.
CBS Radio already owns half-talk WXRK/92.3, which positions with its alt-rock history and other half as "K-Rock" even with 8 hours of talk a day - Rover and O&A in both drive times.
Cumulus does a lot of FM talk, but they own nothing in Cleveland. (And they are about to exit entirely even from Canton...)
Salem has a couple of its conservatalkers on FM, but they aren't moving WHK/1420 to 95.5, assuming they hang onto it. Maybe a move of their WHKW preach-and-teach format to 95.5, ala "The Word" in places like Pittsburgh and Dallas? Hmmm. That would sure be interesting.
But the secular talk format? Nah. Their FM conservatalk stations, like KTKZ/Sacramento, are on rimshot FMs with poor signals, and in that latter case, it simulcasts an in-market AM.
Just some thoughts.
OhioMediaWatch said:
Yes. And Ohio as a whole.
KJCB said:
Cumulus still has WQXK and WSOM in Youngstown, plus their sizable Toledo cluster (WTOD, WXKR, WTWR, WWWM)... I doubt that they're giving those up just yet.
- Nathan Obral
Nathan Obral said:
Don't forget WBBW 1240, WHOT 101.1 and WYFM 102.9, licensed to Youngstown; plus they have WPIC 790, WLLF 96.7, and WWIZ 103.9 all just across the border in PA, the latter most actively targeting Youngstown.
Sorry, I believe I was thinking of NextMedia.
Nathan Obral said:
They also own market leader WKKO, in Toledo, I dont see them exiting that market any time soon.
xmusicmatt said:
And speaking of winning talk stations, WTOD. Or... :'(
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