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Cumulus Media buying WGN Radio

TheBigA said:
To run a syndicated show, the station has to give up half of it's advertising inventory to the syndicator. So they may not have to pay the talent, but they make only half of the money during the show. So it costs money to run syndication. Unless you're so poorly rated that you can't sell it anyway. That's not the case with WGN, and it's why they prefer not to run syndication.
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I doubt it. They run so little syndication that it seems like a philosophical decision and not a business one. It probably does not make business sense to have a live talk show host at 4am on Sunday morning.

I would add that a few "high demand" syndicated shows require cash in addition to ad inventory. Limbaugh at least used to be an example.
 
TheBigA said:
In the context of my post, if new ownership of WGN were to blow out local hosts and replace them with syndication, neither Rush nor Hannity are available.

So WGN would be forced to run 4th string syndication, likely long forms shows from the Fox Radio Network, currently not cleared in Chicago, now repped by Cumulus. IMHO that's not the way to preserve a 3 share in market #3.
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What are syndicated shows that Cumulus Media would run that doesn't already have a Chicago home? WLS AM has been the Chicago home to Rush Limbaugh's show since the beginning.
 
TheBigA said:
To run a syndicated show, the station has to give up half of it's advertising inventory to the syndicator. So they may not have to pay the talent, but they make only half of the money during the show. So it costs money to run syndication. Unless you're so poorly rated that you can't sell it anyway. That's not the case with WGN, and it's why they prefer not to run syndication.
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That is more then I wanted to know, so really you have to still be spending more anyways whether to pay people to do a local show, or to run a syndicated radio show host's show. Which some might have to wonder if it is really worth running.
 
PTBoardOp94 said:
I doubt it. They run so little syndication that it seems like a philosophical decision and not a business one. It probably does not make business sense to have a live talk show host at 4am on Sunday morning.

I would add that a few "high demand" syndicated shows require cash in addition to ad inventory. Limbaugh at least used to be an example.
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And like pointed out Dave Plier is their early Sunday morning host from 2 to 5 AM, and he has had a show for a least quite a few years now, and assume will continue to do so.
 
Most syndicated shows come on a barter basis, so the only cost is the reduced available inventory for that slot meaning all of the expenses effectively disappear. Unless there is a well established local show doing pretty well, it's more often than not going to make sense for an AM talker in the current environment to air syndicated or brokered content. Suffice it to say, if Cumulus does acquire WGN-AM, there will be changes both there and at WLS.
 
What would Cumulus ownership + WLS + WGN make?

Answer: an unsavory food item that involves language not allowed on this board! :)
 
I don't think they would replace all local hosts with syndicated programs. Cumulus is REMOVING a lot of syndicated and local hosts. More likely, Full Service on WGN.
 
That's how they are doing it in Fresno too. Live and local during the day. Seems to be that way in any market iheart has a talk station. If iheart has no talk station in a given market Cumulus is happy to run Limbaugh, Hannity and the rest.
 
Schroedingers Cat said:
I don't think they would replace all local hosts with syndicated programs. Cumulus is REMOVING a lot of syndicated and local hosts. More likely, Full Service on WGN.
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If that is the case they why is WLS Am's new programming schedule will have 8 hours of syndicated shows with Big John Howell movie to afternoons, with a new morning man coming into place, which right now assume to be Mancow?
 
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