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Dark Panama City FM Now Up for Sale

You're too hip for the room, Poledo. Gotta warn 'em: JOKE COMING! No sublety allowed.

Regarding WSBX, you know, you can move AM signals around like checkers nowadays. Buy the CP for $1.37 and move it to some suburban crossroads in a major market, then run Korean informercials on the SOB. Cash flow a half-million a year and call it "retirement." I'd do it, but I'd have to get out of my easy chair and turn off "Buck Wild"...

As for Allan's friend buying 104.3, I wish them the best of fortune in beautiful, picturesque and historic Panama City. As I've stated before on this (or a related) thread, there are some real programming opportunities remaining in PC. Still, it's not a place for the faint of heart. Better be a warrior... and well-founded.
 
Maybe it's old founded money for funding that you're were referring too! But, I think a cool z$3-$5 million saved up should keep things on the air for a year.
 
Sorry I didnt know its was a joke. I was looking up at WSBX-AM for updates :) Hey Alan tell your friend that when 104.3 The Bay used to be on air its was on Tune In Radio App as well.
 
My understanding about 104.3/Panama City is that the tower lease on that station is OUTRAGEOUS, and seems to be pretty ironclad for at least three or four more years. I don't know that it's worth 10% of the asking price based on the monthly outlay that they were doing. The present owners are bat-poop crazy to have put that much money into that station in an already saturated market and sign on to a tower lease (and office lease, too, as I understand it) that they couldn't really afford.

TDO
 
David - what is considered outrageous for a tower lease, these days. You're spot on on your observations. You can't go into a new venture like this behind the 8 ball. Especially with only 6kw. It calls for something really unique, format-wise so you don't go toe to toe with everybody and all the duplicate formats. You've certainly seen this firsthand over the years. Looking at even what Powell averaged a station for their cluster and how tough of a go they appear to be having, I would make sure I had virtually no overhead starting off. A tower lease, office lease, music fees (if there are any) and electricity is probably enough to choke a cow, when you figure you get no agency buys and every small business on PCB sees a hundred radio salesmen a year....
 
Is this some satellite fed gospel network or is your buddy putting everything together on his own?

What options for non-commercial Urban or Southern Gospel are available in Bay county?
 
I may not live in that community but I believe I can help with some info, from my memory bank:

Here we go:

88.1 Way FM (CCM)
88.7 Calvary Satellite Network (Satellator) (Praise and Teaching)
89.9 Family Life Radio (Praise and Teaching)
91.7 Jimmy Swaggart (All Jimmy and/or his Church all the time) (No other program and or musician is heard on here) (I get his TV branding of Sonlife 24/7 on Direct TV)
and 106.3-LPFM (Various styles of music and Preaching from a local Presbyterian Church in that city)

If I missed anything, hope someone can come along and add to the list.

If I'm not mistaken, 104.3 FM will be the first and only for profit based Gospel radio station, in that city.

R.D.P. <><
 
Correct, it is Jay Green. While he was at WHBT, he developed an afternoon program that he called "Jay Green Live." It developed some ratings and revenue.

After he left Cumulus, he formed his own media company to begin syndicating "Jay Green Live." He did get it on several stations as an afternoon show. He bought time on WAKU/WAVE94 as
his flagship base.

Last time we talked, he was planning to continue his program. We discussed Tallahassee stations available for sale or lease and we both came up blank. He told me he had been hearing from people in Panama City that told him they "needed a gospel station" there. Tallahassee already has several.

Poledo, outside of the Yolanda Adams morning show, I think he wants to use local programs for the most part. I have not seen the line-up other than the Facebook posts.

I have no skin in this game. But I consider Jay a personal friend and wish him well with his dream.
 
So he'll be launching Southern Gospel with no competition in PCB. Humm, that certainly is an interesting choice. Could it work? Maybe, but the dollar figures mentioned to support 104.3 aren't there. The owners of the stick are going to take a huge loss.
 
poledo said:
So he'll be launching Southern Gospel with no competition in PCB. Humm, that certainly is an interesting choice. Could it work? Maybe, but the dollar figures mentioned to support 104.3 aren't there. The owners of the stick are going to take a huge loss.
Click to expand...
it will be urban Gospel
 
younglee981 said:
poledo said:
So he'll be launching Southern Gospel with no competition in PCB. Humm, that certainly is an interesting choice. Could it work? Maybe, but the dollar figures mentioned to support 104.3 aren't there. The owners of the stick are going to take a huge loss.
Click to expand...
it will be urban Gospel
Click to expand...
Urban gospel? Is there possibly a market for that format in PCB? Their Urban/Rap station isn't even very old. I don't think there is any urban gospel history in PCB to look back on.
 
If you look at the Panama City and Panama City Beach population numbers, you have about 8,000 African Americans , representing roughly 7 percent. That's about 1/8th of the Tallahassee market, but much of these figures don't count surrounding counties and more potential listeners. Alan, you might be able to help me with this, but my brief check of the new Power Facebook page looks like block programming that is bought vs. an all urban gospel music format. Am I correct?

It is an interesting format for this market. I think several of us thought the only potential format hole was some form of Christian vs. the standard music or talk formats. I can't speak for how well this will be received by listeners, but I can tell you that if it's all paid programming in advance, this is a smart approach. If the market is there, time will certainly tell, but even if there is a small audience or ratings, it might not really matter since the rates are probably already set.

Depending on all the LMA costs and tower rental, this might be just fine!
 
Tibbs,

I don't know for sure, but it does look like some paid blocks are part of the plan.

The new owner also holds quite a few local events such as concerts and such. By doing so he is developing a core following of sorts.

Urban gospel is not my personal cup of tea, but the format hole seems to be there in PC. There is not the same format holes here in Tally.

I may take him up on his offer of a station tour next time I go to PC.
 
Wouldn't you think Southern Gospel would find a stronger following than Urban Gospel in PCB?

I can remember a Pensacola or Milton non-com Christian station begging for pledges to keep "their brothers" in PCB from having to go off the air back in the early 1990s. Only time I've heard a non-com doing a pledge drive for a non affiliated station or a station in another market... even giving a long distance phone number to call pledges to PCB. I remember the line, "We can't let our friends in PCB loose their only Christian voice" or something like that.

I could almost see 104.3 doing Urban AC durring the week with Urban Gospel on nights or weekends successfully. Isn't there a station in Selma doing something like that?
Urban Gospel targeting a small percentage of 7% of the population of Bay county with little coverage outside the county lines. It certainly appears your friend has a long road ahead of him.
 
Personally, I would like Southern Gospel. I like WTYS 94.1 when we travel near Marianna.

I think Bay County is tough for radio, in general. I know Tallahassee is.
 
We have the following blocks of Urban Gospel:

96.3 FM/AM 1340
From from 7 till 11 Weeknights and Sunday mornings till noon, with a mixture of The Touch Gospel program and some local Church services.

105.3 FM
Does all kinds of programming and musical styles, which includes Gospel from 9 AM till Noon Weekday Mornings, 7 till 10 Monday-Thursday Nights and all day Sunday.

AM 1490
From 6 till Midnight nightly, 5 till 1 Sunday Mornings and 4 till Midnight Sunday Nights.

Hope this helps.

R.D.P. <><
 
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