Yep...I was also thinking about WPLJ. Keep in mind that Cumulus Media already has a programming deal with ESPN Radio. So all they'd need to do is make an LMA that's more favorable to Cumulus than it's current programming deal. As the late night spots on WABC used to say: Money talks, nobody walks.
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
ESPN FM?
- Thread starter mets18
- Start date
WPLJ has very good revenue, despite its mediocre ratings. And I would expect that a company as large as Cumulus would not want to give up control of its only FM station in the country's largest market.
I doubt that WVIP's 93.5 signal reaches enough of the area to be acceptable for an FM sports station that would hope to carry major league baseball games. But perhaps it could be bought to use in trade for a station such as WBAI.
I also doubt that SBS would sell WPAT FM. The Hispanic market in this area is probably large enough to make it worthwhile to keep Spanish language programming on it. They can fix the current format, if it is not working.
I doubt that WVIP's 93.5 signal reaches enough of the area to be acceptable for an FM sports station that would hope to carry major league baseball games. But perhaps it could be bought to use in trade for a station such as WBAI.
I also doubt that SBS would sell WPAT FM. The Hispanic market in this area is probably large enough to make it worthwhile to keep Spanish language programming on it. They can fix the current format, if it is not working.
N
necrat123
Guest
I sure hope if ESPN picks up the Yankees, they carry them on 1050 as well.
Keep in mind that radio is in business to sell advertising. I would agree that SBS isn't likely to "sell" WPAT, but if they did an LMA with ESPN, that would mean that the three remaining Spanish language FMs would divide an ad dollar pie, three ways instead of four. And SBS also owns one of those three FM stations. So, SBS would gain revenue from the lease, and not lose all of the advertising revenue had been getting.
For ESPN to sweeten the deal, if the 1050-AM sports signal switches to Spanish, SBS could be involved in that Spanish language operation in some way too.
And another possibility is that ESPN buys WFME, but because of the short signal on Long Island, does an LMA for WPAT with SBS that includes putting WPAT's current format on WFME. I am not sure how densely Hispanic that problem ten or 15-mile stretch is on Long Island where the WFME signal isn't as strong as an ESB signal, but Northern New Jersey has a large Hispanic population and the WFME signal is superior to WPAT there and SBS would have very little to lose making such a deal.
I think the people on this board have the best guess out there. You beat the "brains" on the dentist board. Yes ESPN want ESPN deportes there and what better way to promote it then the Spanish speaking network aficionados. I also read that WPAT was not doing too good in their ratings so there was a change in their music programming. It's a WIN WIN situation to me at least.
Stations like WFAS-FM or WVIP just don't have the full-market signals that ESPN would both want, and need, to support the kind of Sports talk station it is planning. And those local stations certainly would be far from adequate for major sports team coverage.
The only FM stations under serious consideration are the high power ones transmitting from Manhattan, with the exception of WFME, which transmits from a mountain in New Jersey about 15-miles west of Manhattan. WFME is for sale, and as has been discussed many many times on this board, doesn't have the same signal coverage, mostly on a ten or 15-mile sliver on Long Island, that FMs from Manhattan do.
We may find out later this week whether ESPN found that Long Island signal shortfall a deal breaker on buying WFME, and whether or not they found an alternate plan that works.
From an accounting perspective, if Family Radio is not in immediate need of all the money from a station sale, there may be financial advantages for both parties to ESPN leasing the station from Family Radio for a while instead of making an outright purchase now. That could be why that sentence in the NY Post article was written the way it was, and has led to all this other speculation. Hopefully, we'll know all the answers in a few days.
WPLJ is a suburban format, so the class A signal of even the moved 103.9 wouldn't be a good fit.
Here's how it should go down... at least in my head if this were a perfect world:
- ESPN buys 93.1
- Cumulus sells 103.9 to SBS, Spanish format goes there due to urban signal
OR
- ESPN buys 94.7
- Swaps with Cumulus for 95.5 plus some cash
- PLJ moves to 94.7 and continues to broadcast to the soccer moms
Here's how it should go down... at least in my head if this were a perfect world:
- ESPN buys 93.1
- Cumulus sells 103.9 to SBS, Spanish format goes there due to urban signal
OR
- ESPN buys 94.7
- Swaps with Cumulus for 95.5 plus some cash
- PLJ moves to 94.7 and continues to broadcast to the soccer moms
How about SBS swaps 93.1 for 94.7 (assuming ESPN gets it), the puts ESPN Deportes on 94.7, they get revenue for that, and ESPN gets 2 FM signals covering both of their formats.
That is a good answer to this topic. To get things straight, the Yankees contract with WCBS-AM is ending by the end of the 2012 season, last year, the Yankees contract was extended by WCBS-AM, and of course, the other station that simulcasting the Yankees from WCBS-AM (which is on WCBS-FM's HD3 channel) is on WKXP/WZAD's "The Wolf" in the Poughkeepsie area at 94.3/97.3 while on the other hand, the station plays country music, just like you don't expect to hear on WDBY/WDVY's "Kicks 105.5/106.3" and WKMK's "Thunder Country" at 106.3 down in New Jersey if you are in the NYC area won't pick up the station due to the pirates which is scattered around Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, etc.
You know who owns "The Wolf"? Cumulus. That's right! Cumulus owns many of the stations in the Hudson Valley area including WPDH, WCZX's "Mix 97.7", WRRV/WRRB, WKNY, WDBY/WDVY and WFAS as well as a Connecticut station WEBE along with the two NYC stations are WABC and WPLJ are all owned by the same company.
Here's the deal, if the Yankees would give a shot on moving to FM, why not put it on WPLJ. It's owned by Cumulus, the same company that owns "The Wolf" at 94.3/97.3. If not, maybe they should move the Yankees back to WABC, that must be another one of those Cumulus stations, because WABC hasn't been carrying Yankees baseball since 2001 when John Sterling & Michael Kay are around before John went to WCBS-AM to join Charlie Steiner before Suzan Waldman came in. The last time WABC carried the Yanks was after they lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2001 World Series. Tell Cumulus to put Yankees back to WABC, it's our only hope.
You know who owns "The Wolf"? Cumulus. That's right! Cumulus owns many of the stations in the Hudson Valley area including WPDH, WCZX's "Mix 97.7", WRRV/WRRB, WKNY, WDBY/WDVY and WFAS as well as a Connecticut station WEBE along with the two NYC stations are WABC and WPLJ are all owned by the same company.
Here's the deal, if the Yankees would give a shot on moving to FM, why not put it on WPLJ. It's owned by Cumulus, the same company that owns "The Wolf" at 94.3/97.3. If not, maybe they should move the Yankees back to WABC, that must be another one of those Cumulus stations, because WABC hasn't been carrying Yankees baseball since 2001 when John Sterling & Michael Kay are around before John went to WCBS-AM to join Charlie Steiner before Suzan Waldman came in. The last time WABC carried the Yanks was after they lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2001 World Series. Tell Cumulus to put Yankees back to WABC, it's our only hope.
Here in greater Hartford this past winter, the Yankees moved from WPOP-AM 1410 of Hartford to WUCS-FM 97.9 of Windsor Locks/Hartford. The ESPN Radio format also moved from 1410 AM to 97.9 FM. With that said, the coverage issue hasn't gotten any better. WPOP-AM 1410 does reasonably well during the day, but their nighttime coverage is dismal once away from Hartford and New Britain. Meanwhile, the signal of WUCS-FM is limited, having been moved in from the Springfield, MA radio market. (It used to be WPKX-FM of Enfield, CT/Springfield, MA, a country station called KIX 97.9.) Also limiting that signal is WCTY-FM 97.7 of Norwich, CT. Obviously, WUCS-FM has to be nulled towards the southeast. That's a loss of revenue to an extent, since our two major casinos are to the southeast, where they'd get no signal from 97.9 FM. Most of the other Hartford FMs do reasonably well along the CT Route 2 corridor, most of the route to either place.
WTIC-AM 1080 of Hartford, the longtime CBS-owned 50,000 watt N/T outlet, has carried the Red Sox for at least 50 years. I can't see them ever changing that setup.
Nobody carries the Mets in greater Hartford at all.
WTIC-AM 1080 of Hartford, the longtime CBS-owned 50,000 watt N/T outlet, has carried the Red Sox for at least 50 years. I can't see them ever changing that setup.
Nobody carries the Mets in greater Hartford at all.
WFME will very likely be involved in this, but IMHO 94.7 will not be the ultimate destination of ESPN-FM. I see scenarios on this thread involving WBAI, WPAT and WPLJ, all full-market class Bs.
Not long ago, it was rumored WFAN would simulcast on 660 AM and 92.3 FM. CBS then transferred Rick Gillette from their Phoenix cluster to become PD at 92.3 NOW-FM. CBS wasn't expecting these events any more than any of us who post on this board. If ESPN-FM ends up on a class B ESB stick, CBS' plans for 92.3 will change quickly. CBS will not be able to stand pat with WFAN on 660 AM. Rick Gillette better not unpack yet. He might soon be on his way back to Phoenix!
Not long ago, it was rumored WFAN would simulcast on 660 AM and 92.3 FM. CBS then transferred Rick Gillette from their Phoenix cluster to become PD at 92.3 NOW-FM. CBS wasn't expecting these events any more than any of us who post on this board. If ESPN-FM ends up on a class B ESB stick, CBS' plans for 92.3 will change quickly. CBS will not be able to stand pat with WFAN on 660 AM. Rick Gillette better not unpack yet. He might soon be on his way back to Phoenix!
radioguy39nj said:WFME will very likely be involved in this, but IMHO 94.7 will not be the ultimate destination of ESPN-FM. I see scenarios on this thread involving WBAI, WPAT and WPLJ, all full-market class Bs.
Not long ago, it was rumored WFAN would simulcast on 660 AM and 92.3 FM. CBS then transferred Rick Gillette from their Phoenix cluster to become PD at 92.3 NOW-FM. CBS wasn't expecting these events any more than any of us who post on this board. If ESPN-FM ends up on a class B ESB stick, CBS' plans for 92.3 will change quickly. CBS will not be able to stand pat with WFAN on 660 AM. Rick Gillette better not unpack yet. He might soon be on his way back to Phoenix!
I seriously doubt you're going to see some big, complicated multi-station deal. There's nothing stopping ESPN from dealing directly with the owner of the station they want.
As for any WFAN on FM speculation, I seriously doubt you'd see a knee-jerk move in market #1. WFAN has the heritage and the local hosts that there won't be a quick mass migration. You saw that with WEMP launching... just putting your programming on FM is not the key to success. i don't think they'd wait 2 years like WEEI did in Boston, but I also don't think you'll see a preemptive FM launch.
It's a big city, we're talking about big stations and big money, nothing's happening quickly.
The speculation is entertaining, but this deal is fairly simple. WFME is the station in question, and nobody else is involved.
Radiofornia said:
It's A station in question. But if it was the only one, why would the article say "The deal, upon completion — and that could be by the end of this week — would give ESPN long-term programming rights on the FM station."
That language implies LMA. Owning the station doesn't give the owner "long term programming rights." The term is as long as the owner wants to own it.
My feeling is that since sales of stations can take some time, my guess is that ESPN will quickly start an LMA with Family Radio and Family will continue to own WFME until the sale closes.....And if ESPN does get WFME, I think 94.3 WIGX would be a good station to simulcast on to fill the void on Long Island (WIGX was just sold but there is always the possiblity if could be spun off if the price is right)
- Status