If you use the Catholic church as a model, the next step is international. Other countries aren't as strict about foreign ownership.
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EMF name change?
- Thread starter Mediafrog+
- Start date
If you use the Catholic church as a model, the next step is international. Other countries aren't as strict about foreign ownership.
The only way to really count is to state a location, such as in Denver itself or in a suburb or town within the Metro Survey Area, and see how many such stations have a truly usable signal in each one.
Yes, I see that happening. However, Mexico and Canada would be difficult, where religious broadcasting has tough regulations against it.
It depends. In some countries, there are strict limits on foreign ownership, ranging from 0% to majority positions.
When I was offered the GM position of a group of stations in Mexico City in the 70's, the law required that station managers be born Mexican citizens. That was, apparently, no problem to the station owner who said that I could be shown as born in a small Sonora town with full citizenship papers.
That's what I think I did; I am in Denver proper. (A combined city and county, for avoidance of doubt.)
But some are very strict about religious programming, even of a less hortatory nature than preaching. Canada used to be - not sure what the current status is; France still has restrictions of that type.
That probably wouldn't apply to something like K-Love that's mainly music.
This gets to why I believe some have such a negative reaction to EMF and K-Love. Essentially, they used a loophole to build that empire: much looser limits on multiple station ownership and the former local studio rules by being a so-called educational organization. What they did was perfectly legal, and they are generally good about regulatory compliance. (So is iHeart.) But the fairness of that loophole was and is questionable. So often, evangelicals complain about being oppressed when they are criticized for taking advantage of special privileges, when the reality is that they've been getting preferential treatment all along. I'm not saying EMF has made those types of complaints, but the perception of unfairness hangs over what they've done. That's the price they're paying for their success, in my opinion. Yes, at some point, they will hit saturation. And monocultures have a tendency to deteriorate over time.
Radio 74 has run into issues in France, and had to turn to more secular programming compared to its American operations.
What "loophole". In few markets have they had more than two stations, and a huge percentage of that 1,100 station count is composed of translators, not actual "stations".
The only "treatment" they get is being a non-commercial and non-profit entity, just like churches and the Red Cross.
What is "unfair" about owning one or two stations in each population area?
They are expanding their podcast options, Spanish language programming and local outreach. This is very much a company that is nowhere close to being complete or saturated.
Time to pull out this explainer I wrote in 2017...
radioinsight.com
EMF: Don’t Hate The Player, Hate The Game
I originally wrote this last September after the purchase of KSWD Los Angeles, but after today's purchase of 97.9 WLUP
radioinsight.com
Until recently, the main studio rule. Even though that's not gone now, most of EMF's growth occurred while that was in place. The exemption to the main studio rule had good intentions, intended for truly educational networks and stations, and EMF abused the crap out of it. All perfectly legal but unfair even to commercial Christian broadcasters!
A company ... that's very telling in and of itself.
As much as us radio folks grew used to it, the name Educational Media Foundation was not only kind of cryptic but straight out of the 1980s with its myriad of Christian NCE applicants with "Educational" in the name (Educational Radio Foundation of East Texas, Top O' Texas Educational Broadcasting Foundation are good examples that endure). Its removal as part of the relocation to Tennessee is kind of symbolic, and the name K-Love, Inc. is a much better encapsulation of their activity.
The fact of the matter is the methods they used could have been used by any other non-profit. I chuckle when I look at the names groups use when they apply for LPFMs, knowing it's just going to be a personal oldies jukebox. But they somehow work in words like "cultural" or "educational" in their name. The Educational Doowop Foundation. I think the intent of EMF might have been to be more of a teaching network. But they discovered you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
The thing that EMF did was create a good product that attracted lots of money. All the rest of it doesn't matter if they weren't able to use their format to raise money. Once again, any other music lover could have done the same thing for jazz, blues, folk, or any other type of music. But running a radio station takes more than passion for music. One thing religious folks are good at is collecting money. Other radio owners could learn a lot from them.
The main studio rule has not applied for a long time to non-commercial stations, I believe. In fact, it allowed for extensive public radio networks in stATES like Minnesota, IIRC. Is there some reason why a religious, faith-based station web should not enjoy the same priveledgrs?
Not for non-commercial stations, which included EMF.
Why did they “abuse” the rule when it was written to apply to all kinds of non commercial stations, from college run sets of stations to PBS affiliates to EMF? The key there has been “not for profit” and not “any cause except faith based ones.”
“Company” means they are incorporated as opposed to a partnership or sole proprietorship. There are non-profit “companies” too. My mother spent about four decades on the board of the Cleveland Visiting Nurse Association, Inc. it was definitely non-profit, but was certainly legally incorporated about 70 years ago; incorporation simply protects the staff and officers from personal liability
Many commercial operators “worship” the broadcaster formerly known as EMF because they have taken one or two viable FM stations out of many over radio markets at a time when revenue is declining. By reducing the number of commercial stations, what is left for the rest is divided into bigger pieces.Time to pull out this explainer I wrote in 2017...
EMF: Don’t Hate The Player, Hate The Game
I originally wrote this last September after the purchase of KSWD Los Angeles, but after today's purchase of 97.9 WLUP
I love local, full service type radio as much as many.. but as ive gotten older and understood the business side of radio even more I've learned a few things and come to understand things different.
People kvetch about how poor radio pay is and how poor staff are treated. Ive heard from anyone whos worked there that staff is paid well and treated well.
EMF, er Klove...does pay local taxes where applicable on property/equipment.
Theres alot EMF, er Klvoe that you never hear about. They have training/debriefing skill courses for first responders.
They have a 24/7 prayer line. Someone answers no matter when. And they do NOT solicit those calls at any point during or after, EVER by mail or phone for money.
One reason EMF. er Klove does so well is listeners know theyll hear the same thing that is a quality product wherever they tune in. Not Joe Schmoe in Akron who may be good but with bad music choices and Karen in Witchita bad but has good music.
And wheres the hatred that gets tossed on EMF, er Klove when a sale has been announced..... getting tossed on the seller? I NEVER EVER see it. THere is zero guarentee if a commercial broadcaster bought it theyd keep the staff and format. In many, not all, but many cases, the stations EMF ends up with are failing in revenue, ratings or both...we just dont know it from the outside. Im some cases the station owner wants to retire.
Sell to ma and pa? Whos going to lend them money, especially if they arent a current owner? I know an owner who could get a loan to take his station HD because hes got a 20 year relationship with his LOCAL bank. He could buy another station in the same market if he wanted, again.. get a loan with that 20 year history.
I dont have to personally like EMF, er Klove...... to look at this practically and with facts but no emotion.
Doesnt mean I agree with them, doesnt mean I listen, doesnt mean much of anything.
People kvetch about how poor radio pay is and how poor staff are treated. Ive heard from anyone whos worked there that staff is paid well and treated well.
EMF, er Klove...does pay local taxes where applicable on property/equipment.
Theres alot EMF, er Klvoe that you never hear about. They have training/debriefing skill courses for first responders.
They have a 24/7 prayer line. Someone answers no matter when. And they do NOT solicit those calls at any point during or after, EVER by mail or phone for money.
One reason EMF. er Klove does so well is listeners know theyll hear the same thing that is a quality product wherever they tune in. Not Joe Schmoe in Akron who may be good but with bad music choices and Karen in Witchita bad but has good music.
And wheres the hatred that gets tossed on EMF, er Klove when a sale has been announced..... getting tossed on the seller? I NEVER EVER see it. THere is zero guarentee if a commercial broadcaster bought it theyd keep the staff and format. In many, not all, but many cases, the stations EMF ends up with are failing in revenue, ratings or both...we just dont know it from the outside. Im some cases the station owner wants to retire.
Sell to ma and pa? Whos going to lend them money, especially if they arent a current owner? I know an owner who could get a loan to take his station HD because hes got a 20 year relationship with his LOCAL bank. He could buy another station in the same market if he wanted, again.. get a loan with that 20 year history.
I dont have to personally like EMF, er Klove...... to look at this practically and with facts but no emotion.
Doesnt mean I agree with them, doesnt mean I listen, doesnt mean much of anything.
Waivers were always required, if I recall correctly.
There's what's legal and then there's what's fulfilling the intent of what's legal. It's just like the rules on "service animals" on airplanes. You can be compliant and still abuse the rules. Then you end up with pooping Dalmatians:
Delta Passengers Fly Through 6-Hour Stench From Sick Dog: ‘4,000 SkyMiles Can’t Fix What We Endured’ - View from the Wing
A reader on Delta Air lines flight 800 from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles on Sunday had a front row seat to a large dalmatian experiencing bowel issues throughout the six hour journey. Passengers in the area around the dalmatian were told they would receive 4,000 SkyMiles for the inconvenience.
What's the saying? Obedezco pero no cumplo....
Isn't it the other way around?
Mark is correct that, until the main studio rule was repealed, non-commercial operators had to apply for waivers with a justification and an explanation of where the public file would be kept. I suppose the FCC could’ve granted them systematically and/or presumed them in the public interest, but the waivers had to be filed.
I always found EMF's waiver applications to be somewhat cringeworthy since they usually more or less pleaded poverty, even when the organization was raking in tens of millions every year. I don’t ever recall any numbers as part of the application to show where those dollars were going and why they couldn’t be used to staff and maintain a main studio.
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