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ESPN: Back To The Drawing Board

DToTheJ

DToTheJ

The big news today is that Randy Michaels is part of a group planning to buy three stations from Emmis - including 101.9 WRXP.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/busin...-buy-emmis-wlup-wkqx-20110621,0,1980468.story

Of course, one of the rumored entities interested in buying the station - if not the most interested - was ESPN, for an FM frequency for its "ESPN New York 1050".

With WRXP now pretty much off the table, will ESPN stick with 1050 AM (as previously discussed, the signal does have its strengths), or does it go looking for another stick?

And could you imagine if Randy Michaels and his crew decides to use 101.9 to program a sports station of their own? I guess we can say Disney would be in full-on desperation mode at that point... And having a third sports radio station in New York isn't unheard of; in fact, it actually happened for awhile with the short-lived WJWR 620 AM.

Okay, radioguy39nj, speculate away! ;)
 
Honestly, I don't know what ESPN does now! ESPN is stuck on 1050 unless perhaps Emmis decides to let go of 97.1 or 98.7. That might not be too far-fetched given Emmis' financial situation. Other than those two stations, I don't see anyone else flipping or selling.

One of the web domains registered was 101.9FMNewsTalk. Might FM talk be coming to NY? Or will Randy Michaels put a sports station on 101.9?

I've opened the speculation, so everyone have at it! :)
 
97.1 and 98.7 are, more or less, winners - at least compared to 101.9. If Emmis does plan to unload those two stations, it would behoove them to do so either to Inner City or CBS. But preferably, Inner City.

And I'm sticking my prediction elsewhere on the board that ESPN would purchase the stick on 710 for its station on 1050.
 
Both Emmis and Radio One are having financial problems right now... so no, Radio One can't buy Hot 97 and Kiss (remember they sold off WILD recently in Boston)... Inner City might be a good candidate however for 97.1 and 98.7 if they are sold ;)
 
What would happen to WRKS if Inner City were to buy it? I'm guessing it would be tweaked to a gold-based format - either "jammin' oldies" or an "old school/back in the day" hip-hop format. Wouldn't mind seeing either of those.

As for ESPN, I'd love to see them take over WFME. Really, almost anything would be an improvement over that station's current programming.
 
I doubt WFME (or WBAI) will ever get sold... maybe eventually, but 94.7 has some obstacles to contend with (namely WPST 94.5, and co-channel WMAS in Springfield, MA) if they wanted to upgrade their signal or move to the Empire State Building. 99.5 otoh, doubt Pacifica will ever let go of that frequency either ;)

A similar situation exists with WQXR at 105.9: it can't upgrade at 105.9 due to WCHR-FM on 105.7 or WHCN on 105.9 :)
 
Right idea, wrong stations. WPST isn't a limitation for a WFME move to Empire, since it would be reducing grandfathered interference that way. It's WMAS-FM that's in the way, and Citadel surely has no interest in doing anything in Springfield that would benefit a competitor in NYC.

As for WQXR on 105.9, WBLI on 106.1 is the massive short-spaced limitation. There's no way 105.9 upgrades from B1 as long as WBLI exists...ever.
 
Scott Fybush said:
Right idea, wrong stations. WPST isn't a limitation for a WFME move to Empire, since it would be reducing grandfathered interference that way. It's WMAS-FM that's in the way, and Citadel surely has no interest in doing anything in Springfield that would benefit a competitor in NYC.

As for WQXR on 105.9, WBLI on 106.1 is the massive short-spaced limitation. There's no way 105.9 upgrades from B1 as long as WBLI exists...ever.
Click to expand...
The impossiblities become reality in NYC.

Always have, always will.

Laugh now, the last laugh will come...eventually.

It is, of course, Market #1.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!
 
danikayser84 said:
Yes, if WFME moved to Empire, it'd have to either downgrade to a B1 or install a directional away from WMAS/Springfield...
Click to expand...
The impossiblities become reality in NYC.

Always have, always will.

Laugh now, the last laugh will come...eventually.

It is, of course, Market #1.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!
 
The last NYC FM to make a really significant upgrade was 100.3, and that's 30 years ago already. And it was already a B, just at a less-than-optimum location.

There were enormous financial incentives that would have amply rewarded a full-B upgrade to 105.9 in the big-buck days of the late 90s/early 00s. If it could have been done, it would have been done then. It didn't happen, because it can't. Best they could do was to move it to Empire.
 
I know this is a far-fetched idea, but Disney doesn't actually need to purchase RXP in order for the station to carry ESPN. Citadel has the marketing rights to the network, and they could simply affiliate WRXP. That way Disney gets the advantages with none of the costs. Pretty much the direction they seem to be moving in. Then they either put 1050 on the block or use it for secondary programming. Or sell it!
 
Get ready for this crazy rumor I heard about WRXP. So the intellectual property for WPLJ will move to 101.9FM. Randy loves programming "Music Stations" and could do so much cheaper in NYC than it would cost to run a News FM.

101.9 WPLJ - Merlin Media
95.5 WEPN - Cumulus (once they get it).

I hear that is a plan between Lew and Randy...something is up in Chicago too!

Sure, Disney wants the FM to theirselves...but Lew needs the $$$$ more than anything. Maybe just a brokered deal like K-Love does in a lot of markets.
 
TheBigA said:
I know this is a far-fetched idea, but Disney doesn't actually need to purchase RXP in order for the station to carry ESPN. Citadel has the marketing rights to the network, and they could simply affiliate WRXP. That way Disney gets the advantages with none of the costs. Pretty much the direction they seem to be moving in. Then they either put 1050 on the block or use it for secondary programming. Or sell it!
Click to expand...

Citadel has nothing to do with ESPN. It was retained by Disney. Citadel only bought the ABC radio network. WABC and WPLJ.
 
ericjbard said:
Get ready for this crazy rumor I heard about WRXP. So the intellectual property for WPLJ will move to 101.9 FM. Randy loves programming "Music Stations" and could do so much cheaper in NYC than it would cost to run a News FM... something is up in Chicago too!
Click to expand...

1. Interestingly, there is also an ESPN station on the AM band in Chicago, too - let alone no FM sports station in the market at the moment - so whatever happens here could mirror in the Windy City in that regard. With that said...

2. Why would Merlin hire folks with experience in talk radio like Walter Sabo and Liz Aiello if they plan to run a music station? Smokescreen? That would be a pretty expensive smokescreen... Creative rumor, but these hires easily shoot it down...

Mike said:
Maybe [sic] ESPN could buy WFME if the price is right...
Click to expand...

It was actually brought to my attention that WFME's 1.1 actually beat WEPN in the May PPM. I suppose 1050 needs a rapture more than anything...
 
mets18 said:
Citadel has nothing to do with ESPN. It was retained by Disney. Citadel only bought the ABC radio network. WABC and WPLJ.
Click to expand...

Wrong. Citadel Media (the former ABC Radio Network) reps ESPN Radio for affiliate sales and advertising sales. In the same way that it handles ABC News Radio, which was also retained by Disney.

http://www.citadelmedianetworks.com/Article.asp?id=341453

But that's not my point. Disney does not have to own a station to put its programming on it. There are lots of ESPN Radio affiliates owned by outside companies.
 
Scott Fybush said:
The last NYC FM to make a really significant upgrade was 100.3, and that's 30 years ago already. And it was already a B, just at a less-than-optimum location.

There were enormous financial incentives that would have amply rewarded a full-B upgrade to 105.9 in the big-buck days of the late 90s/early 00s. If it could have been done, it would have been done then. It didn't happen, because it can't. Best they could do was to move it to Empire.
Click to expand...

Moving 105.9, and any other FM for that matter, to Empire is the hardest thing to do.

WFME never moved there because they didn't need to. They owned the property and tower so the expense of the Empire transmitter room and tagging into the master antenna was unnecessary.

The physical move is always the hardest and most expensive. Once the transmitter is in place, the power increase is all attorney fees and compensation.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!
 
Heck, if I were Disney, I'd swap the format and calls of 1050 and 1560. In fact, they did the same exact thing in LA about eight years ago. At least the 1560 facility has some protection status that 1050 never will because of CHUM/Toronto, among many other 50kWers on the East Coast. Then take chances with a rimshot FM signal. If that.

That being said, I never took seriously the possibility that Disney even considered buying 101.9. Such a possibility was totally out of step with how Disney has generally acted in radio operations (remember how staid and conservative they were when handling the ABC Radio station group?). Such speculation only existed here on the boards, and I often wonder as to how much of that speculation was wishful thinking.
 
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