CXR Trust Given Until February 15, 2022 To Sell WSUN & WPYO

[davideduardo]

Anyone have any idea as to when SBS will get the keys to WPYO and WSUN? Has there been any talk of an LMA deal with CXR until everything’s final, or will it be business as usual until everything’s final?

Usually an LMA goes into effect at the time of signing or filing. It did not, so I would assume there is no LMA. The rest depends on the FCC. Since this would be SBS' first stations in either market, there is no ownership issue so we are just looking at the approval and closing.

 

[MetroMuscle]

It appears 97X is not cluing in it's listener base about the change that is coming. There is no local media stories that I know of that making anything pubic. In my opinion it wrong to drop a format and flip a switch at 5pm on a given Friday, especially in a different language. Loyal alt music listeners will be angry if it does.
Or is this the heartless ways that radio companies operate.

 

[drt]

It appears 97X is not cluing in it's listener base about the change that is coming. There is no local media stories that I know of that making anything pubic. In my opinion it wrong to drop a format and flip a switch at 5pm on a given Friday, especially in a different language. Loyal alt music listeners will be angry if it does.
Or is this the heartless ways that radio companies operate.

The Tampa Bay Times had a very brief paragraph or two about the sale and mentioned the current format of 97X; but it was one of those articles that left as many questions after reading the article as before reading it.

You’re right, no mention of it on the air; WPOI‘s HD2 is still simulcasting 97X and I suspect after the sale, the 101.5 HD2 might be the only way to listen to 97X, OTA or perhaps at all, if they don’t stream.

 

[wprt949]

There may be an agreement in the next few weeks that SBS comes to terms with the air staff of both stations will be allowed to throw an on air party and say goodbye before SBS comes in and Flips the station. To new desired format

 

[davideduardo]

It appears 97X is not cluing in it's listener base about the change that is coming. There is no local media stories that I know of that making anything pubic. In my opinion it wrong to drop a format and flip a switch at 5pm on a given Friday, especially in a different language. Loyal alt music listeners will be angry if it does.
Or is this the heartless ways that radio companies operate.

This is not heartless.

First, the existing audience is still, obviously, enjoying the programming and the advertisers are getting their money's worth. Announcing a change drives listeners away and causes advertisers to get less than what they paid for.

And stations don't want the competition to know about the change.

Format switches are done, almost always, with no advance notice. In the 60's and 70's, it was common to have the new staff waiting "in secret" in a hotel ready for the owner or manager to call and say, "the old staff is gone. Come on over and launch".

I've done a number of switches. None was pre-announced.

One example: the old AC format was getting less than a 2 share, and we started planning a new format with research and staff hiring and training. We had confidentiality agreements in effect so the competition would not learn of what we were planning. One morning at about 11 AM we decided that we were ready. The last AC song played, and we switched to the new format. It debuted with over a 20 share.

Another example. We were doing Beautiful Music and were the leading FM in the market, but revenue for that format was limited. We kept the new format secret as we did our hiring, and even did a "fake" test format from midnight to 6 AM to make the competition think we were clueless. We shut down the old format at 6 PM on a Friday, waited about an hour and 40 minutes and played the first salsa song. That was like changing from Beautiful Music to Country. We had the whole staff there all weekend to calm down old listeners, some of whom were amazingly insulting towards the new music and the kind of "trashy" listeners we'd get. 24 days later, the first book had us at a 22.5 share.

My point is that generally format changes are not announced and that has been the case since Todd Storz reformatted KOWH as the first Top 40 station 60 years ago.

 

[davideduardo]

There may be an agreement in the next few weeks that SBS comes to terms with the air staff of both stations will be allowed to throw an on air party and say goodbye before SBS comes in and Flips the station. To new desired format

Most of us find doing that very dangerous and, sometimes, an endangerment to the license. "Swan songs" are easy to take off track, often become insulting to management and the new format.

Only when the old staff is considered very professional... usually enhanced by generous severance that is conditioned on no badmouthing... can this be done well.

I went through two angry transitions in LA, KNAC and KSCA, where there were way too many snide and derisive remarks made on the air... some (in the case of KNAC) made both format and ethnic related remarks that were beyond offensive.

 

[MetroMuscle]

Very interesting explanations for the processes and procedures and of flipping a station.

 

[wprt949]

I remember back in Philly there was a disgruntled bored op who got on the air and said some not nice things on the air a week into said Format change the management happened to be listening of the said station in question they later escorted him of station premises and the incident was over thus happened on a Saturday night because I heard it live on the air

 

[CTListener]

I remember back in Philly there was a disgruntled bored op who got on the air and said some not nice things on the air a week into said Format change the management happened to be listening of the said station in question they later escorted him of station premises and the incident was over thus happened on a Saturday night because I heard it live on the air

Classic rock WCCC Hartford let its staff say goodbye before new owner EMF flipped the switch and started piping in K-Love. It turned out to be an hour-long orgy of Christianity (and Christian music) bashing, culminating in the final song played before the flip being "Highway to Hell." I've told this story before and David responded that EMF was none too happy that the old ownership had let the final hour play out that way.

 

[Yabadabado1]

Two format/station ownership changes I was sorta in the middle of. [Not going to say what stations or where because they're still some people mad about it and it's been a number of years since this happened......but never say DJs can't carry a grudge.] First one, at a local mall and stopped by someone doing a survey about what you'd like to hear in a radio station, what music I like, and so on and so forth. Curious, I was pressing her about what station she was talking about and she finally said "Well, I'm not supposed to say but..." and proceeded to tell me. I flipped out because she named the station that I had been told that I was going to be hired at for overnights. I ran back to the station the next morning and informed the PD and production director [who had gotten me the job] and the fecal matter hit the fan. They went marching in to the GM, he said "First I've heard about it." Called the station owner and after some hemming and hawing they fessed up that they had sold the station and a format change was coming and new staff was being hired. The morning guy, who they had talked out of retirement to come back, quit in the middle of his show, threw all his personal effects into a box and was out the door and back on a plane to California within the hour. Rest of the DJs just decided they were going to play whatever the hell they wanted, whether it fit the format or not. Station management/owners just let it play out till the new owners came in.

Second one, station flipped to an oldies format and owners PROMISED that they would keep the format for 18 months, no one would be fired during that time so they could give it a chance to get a foothold in the market. Six months later they GAVE the station away to a religious satellite fed outfit so they could get a tax write-off as a "donation" Should have known better....people would call and request an oldie and we didn't have it in the library and they said they weren't going to get it. I ended up bringing a LOT of my own oldie records in to play. When they sold it, they didn't even have the guts to tell anyone, we read about it in the paper. DJs just about rioted, they canned everyone except for two guys, cranked up the old automation in the basement and told the guys to just check off the songs as they played and under no circumstances were they to crack open a microphone....period. To this day, station is still satellite fed religious format broadcasting off a computer located at the transmitter site. I think dogs farting have higher ratings then that station now.

 

[billalm]

Although Power 95.3 appears to have a full air staff, most likely those people have already been told of the plan. Note that Hot 101.5 Tampa Bay currently has no morning show ;-) and there's room within the Florida clusters for the Power staff to retain jobs. As for 97X... there really isn't any on-air staff to say goodbye because really only one person works there. Again, between the remaining properties in Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa, she's probably got a gig and something to do in some capacity.

Agreed that the demographic and listeners for 97X really doesn't need a send off. Also agreed that an impending change will devalue the current advertisers. I would assume Cox will ride 97X to the end, play a goodbye song at some agreed upon time, and that will be it. Whether the format continues on 94.9 HD2 or 101.5 HD2 is the question. I'd suspect they may just trash it and be done with it. SBS will obviously have to establish engineering for both stations even if it's simply a feed from Miami received at the transmitter sites. There won't be any SBS employees rolling into the CMG offices in either city. CMG will simply end up with an available studio where both stations used to be.

One thing I've been wondering about is the WSUN call sign. There's been no mention of Cox retaining those while it's my belief that those hold tremendous value to the Tampa Bay market. They've got 3 FMs (94.9 WWRM, 101.5 WPOI, and 102.5 WHPT) that all currently carry letters that mean nothing (aside from National ad buy recognition) to their current imaging. I mean... wouldn't it make the most sense to drop WPOI and assign WSUN to Hot 101.5? Of course I guess SBS could have something planned with "Sun" in Spanish so maybe they'll stay. Whatever the case, if WSUN is simply dropped, another group in Tampa Bay should grab em immediately, even if they're simply parked on 1250 WHNZ. I know I know... call letter rarely mean much anymore but these seem to be different and have historical value to Tampa Bay.

 

[Identnut]

One thing I've been wondering about is the WSUN call sign. There's been no mention of Cox retaining those while it's my belief that those hold tremendous value to the Tampa Bay market. They've got 3 FMs (94.9 WWRM, 101.5 WPOI, and 102.5 WHPT) that all currently carry letters that mean nothing (aside from National ad buy recognition) to their current imaging. I mean... wouldn't it make the most sense to drop WPOI and assign WSUN to Hot 101.5? Of course I guess SBS could have something planned with "Sun" in Spanish so maybe they'll stay. Whatever the case, if WSUN is simply dropped, another group in Tampa Bay should grab em immediately, even if they're simply parked on 1250 WHNZ. I know I know... call letter rarely mean much anymore but these seem to be different and have historical value to Tampa Bay.

As I've mentioned, the station is likely to be called "El Zol", which is Spanish for "Sun" with Xtreme Kool Letterz.

 

[Deleted User]

The funny thing is when wbcn Boston w o d s Boston and WAAF Worcester / Boston we're all flipped or sold, East station owners allowed most of the air staff to have a day to send the station call letters off in style. Mistress Carrie and Mike Hsu did a fantastic job over two days sending WAAF out in style. Paula Street took w o d s radio out in style they flipped at noon time and during the morning she along with JJ wright Jay Gordon and I believe Barry Scott spent a good amount of time going over the station history and reminiscing about the concerts and other events. Bradley J did an excellent job sending wbcn off into the sunset

 

[davideduardo]

The funny thing is when wbcn Boston w o d s Boston and WAAF Worcester / Boston we're all flipped or sold, East station owners allowed most of the air staff to have a day to send the station call letters off in style. Mistress Carrie and Mike Hsu did a fantastic job over two days sending WAAF out in style. Paula Street took w o d s radio out in style they flipped at noon time and during the morning she along with JJ wright Jay Gordon and I believe Barry Scott spent a good amount of time going over the station history and reminiscing about the concerts and other events. Bradley J did an excellent job sending wbcn off into the sunset

Again, all this depends on certain factors.

First is extreme trust of the ability of the departing staff to understand the change and accept it. This is usually accompanied by a good severance package.

Second is the situation. If there is acceptance of the change, such as when a new owner takes over an older station that is in decline and change is expected, the staff will be resigned to what is going to happen.

Third would be respect for local management such as the GM and PD. If the station has been a "happy place" and nobody wants to burn bridges, then the chances for an elegant farewell are good.

Otherwise, it is not worth the risk. The last thing that those responsible for the new format want is for the change to be reported in local press and on local news sites and in Tweets or social media posts as "did you hear what nasty things the old WZZZ people said on the air?" What the new team wants is reports on the "great new format" and the "ten thousand songs in a row".

The biggest focus of a format change today is on getting social media positive posts.

 

[Deleted User]

And make sure you have full faith and trust that the person who's running your board. When WHDH am was sent off into Oblivion years ago they brought back a board off that they had already fired to do the Sunday night shift after he gave the last legal ID he played a toilet flush

 

[RMarino]

Any heritage the WSUN call sign once held is long gone.

 

[victorres43]

X marks the spot as 97X begins broadcasting on WTMP's old translator at 97.5. If there are listeners outside Pinellas, it may be a challenge to receive the analogue signal due to WPCV out of Winter Haven/Lakeland. Regardless, less "coast to coast" for WPCV.

Though I must ask why 97X is broadcasting on 94.9 HD2 and 101.5 HD2, given that WWRM and WPOI share the same tower and signal coverage.

 

[MarkW]

It's stupid that 97X is broadcasting on a tiny little translator and a pair of HD2 signals. The ratings stunk before. They'll be lucky to get a 0.5 share.

 

[lanceventa]

It's stupid that 97X is broadcasting on a tiny little translator and a pair of HD2 signals. The ratings stunk before. They'll be lucky to get a 0.5 share.

Keeping the brand alive allows Cox to retain their revenue generating concert and NTR events tied to the brand in some form. Plus the station has limited overhead as their PD and only on-air talent have additional duties in both Tampa and at WXXJ Jacksonville.

 

[drt]

Keeping the brand alive allows Cox to retain their revenue generating concert and NTR events tied to the brand in some form. Plus the station has limited overhead as their PD and only on-air talent have additional duties in both Tampa and at WXXJ Jacksonville.

That said, it’s still a mystery to me why WSUN is on two HD2 signals, same tower, coverage range, etc; I could understand if they were on two different towers; right now, I’m in an area between Tampa and Orlando and just checked and WSUN- is coming in on both 94.9 HD2 as well as 101.5 HD2; seems redundant.