• 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

Has Clear Channel Bought WSJS?

XTalker said:
First, I don't believe they own the building they are in in Greensboro. I do believe they have a long term lease and right much control. I may be wrong, but I think that is the case.

Second, I wasn't suggesting they have to remain at 5th & Summit - in fact, the should find a storefront downtown on 4th Street and put some studios and a sales office there (for all their stations) and keep the WS presence. It would be a huge mistake to move WSJS out of Winston-Salem.

Third, CC might like to have Nemenz back, but I don't think he wants any part of Big Radio anymore. As for driving people away, my experience with Howard was he only drove those away who didn't want to work! He has some interesting quirks, but can quite delightful to deal with. Those who ran afoul of him most often wanted to be their own boss and didn't want to do things his way! I could tell you more, but why give away the secrets to working for a demanding boss?

They had to drop WSJS because they were over the limit of market revenue allowed under anti-trust laws. At the time of the merger between CC and AM/FM, the combined billing would have been about 43% of the market. DOJ allows up to 40%. Long story short, they had to divest of about 3-million in annual billing, WSJS was the only single station that would achieve that (WMFR was a throw-away). So they sold WSJS and kept the four FMs. The would have liked nothing better than to have been able to keep SJS (not that I can speak for CC 0 but with the billing it is a no-brainer).

5 FMs does not put them over the limit - and even it it did, WSJS is an AM and the count is different, I do believe. Some of your techies might weigh in on that one.
Click to expand...




I don't think Nemenz is a friendly word in the halls of CC GSO. Saying they'd like to have him back may be a stretch. There IS plenty of room in the Hwy 68 building for another move in...but I too think WSJS should stay where it is. CC needs a bit more of a presence in WS. For some reason, the sales and promo higher ups seem to think WS only exists when Summer on Trade or 4th St. Jazz is going on. It would make sense to me to have a full blown office in Winston.
 
SJS has the same problem with Greensboro. All they would need:

* TWO on-air studios (so the other stations can put forth some Forsyth presence from time to time),
* An office for the PD and work space for air staff.
* An announce booth connected to a couple of production work stations (no full blown studio is needed, but so much of their business is local/direct, they do as much local production as all the CC stations combined). Lots of client voiced spots.
* A sales office for Forsyth based sales staff - three or four good people and work station for others to share. (might even consider territorial sales staffs for all stations).
* A newsroom to house the SJS news staff.
* A small conference room
* A receptionist.
* Remote gear could be housed at the transmitter site on Robinhood Road.

Same would be true for Entercom. And don't forget the current lease - new about a year ago and you know CBS will not keep it! Building will be part of the deal whether they want it or not.

To answer the WHERE is WMFR question - two floor of The Radio Building on Main Street in downtown HP (across from the Raddison Hotel). Transmitter is there, studios and offices - although the studios get very little use (Morning show). Everything else comes through WS. Tower is on roof of the building.

Studios housed WMAG until they acquired B100 FM and moved to PAI. Lease (which contains some strange provisions) was forced on CBS along with the station.
 
XTalker said:
SJS has the same problem with Greensboro. All they would need:

* TWO on-air studios (so the other stations can put forth some Forsyth presence from time to time),
* An office for the PD and work space for air staff.
* An announce booth connected to a couple of production work stations (no full blown studio is needed, but so much of their business is local/direct, they do as much local production as all the CC stations combined). Lots of client voiced spots.
* A sales office for Forsyth based sales staff - three or four good people and work station for others to share. (might even consider territorial sales staffs for all stations).
* A newsroom to house the SJS news staff.
* A small conference room
* A receptionist.
* Remote gear could be housed at the transmitter site on Robinhood Road.

Same would be true for Entercom. And don't forget the current lease - new about a year ago and you know CBS will not keep it! Building will be part of the deal whether they want it or not.

To answer the WHERE is WMFR question - two floor of The Radio Building on Main Street in downtown HP (across from the Raddison Hotel). Transmitter is there, studios and offices - although the studios get very little use (Morning show). Everything else comes through WS. Tower is on roof of the building.

Studios housed WMAG until they acquired B100 FM and moved to PAI. Lease (which contains some strange provisions) was forced on CBS along with the station.
Click to expand...




That scenario makes too much sense for a radio group to try it. SJS is clearly a WS station...but you can't just ignore the rest of the Triad..and they obviously aren't if they are on 1200 as well. I wonder if there's any radio folk left drinking at Gatsby's these days.
 
Yeah, it makes too much sense!

1200 adds so little to the whole, they would be better off doing a Greensboro oriented morning show on 1200 (maybe Dusty Dunn) then Laura and Rush, and then a Greensboro oriented afternoon show. Sports at night is OK. Nobody cares about nights on AM and NT.

Finally, yes! :~)
 
Beth Ann McBride might not stay with WSJS but the rumor is that CC has approached her about another on-air position on a new format in the market. She may be KISSing off from WSJS.
 
It wouldn't surprise me in the least. BAM has a nice voice, a great sense of humor, and a lot of talent - just not for NT. Would be great with Flynn, or maybe on TQR. She has a solid feel for pop culture and while she blows it know and then on the facts, she manages to beat herself up pretty good!
 
Okay, that was really random about BA. WHATEVER!!

If she goes, she goes.

WSJS existed before BA and will exist AFTER BA.
 
Problem with WSJS, as with any heritage AM, once it dies, it seldom comes back. SJS is struggling right now. CBS has not been kind, making a big deal about selling it a couple of times in the last few years. Problem is that the staff gets panicked - sales people leave - billing and ratings go down - and it is hard to rebuild.

Biggest problem for SJS is new cume! They need some solid, cume building promotion. There are thousands of people in the Traid that do not know it exists - and if they did, might actually enjoy it. Station has had no such promotion in years.
 
If you think BAM has a future..do you think SJS does after Glenn Scott exits...I think it's called a house of cards....kiss SJS good bye especially when CC buys it and could care less about WS....it's a shame but WS is going to lose it's talker as we know it
 
slogan said:
If you think BAM has a future..do you think SJS does after Glenn Scott exits...I think it's called a house of cards....kiss SJS good bye especially when CC buys it and could care less about WS....it's a shame but WS is going to lose it's talker as we know it
Click to expand...


Have you listened to SJS lately?? HAve you seen the numbers???? There's no place to go BUT up. SJS "as we know it" is a foundering shell of its former self
 
Glenn is good for another year, at least. Can SJS survive his retirement? Sure, if the right person takes his place, learns the audience, and plays to the core.

As for CC or anyother potential owner - give them some credit for recognizing the value of the stations. First, they will not pay the necessary price just to change it to something stupid. While numbers and billing are down, it isn't over for WSJS. The roots of success are deep and it can be brought back in both areas - as long as they don't wait too long.

If it is CC, I would expect them to beef up the programming in terms of syndication - less Sporting News Radio at night (once baseball is done). They would keep racing programs and college sports (both make good money). I could see Glenn Beck in place of Laura Ingraham and possibly Phil Hendrie latenight. Probably some weekend changes.

One thing is for certain - you don't pull the plug on that amount of billing!
 
Thinks have been mighty quiet on this thread! I start to worry when things get quiet! :)
 
I heard that Clear Channel folks were NOT in the building last week. However, it's goin' down right now, whoever it is. Paperwork is flying back and forth in a frenzy. I think they're getting the station for a whole lot less than what I heard they were asking, which is around $17 million. It'll wind up being more like $7 million. If that's the case, I don't understand why Curtis or some other local group didn't buy them. I hate to see one of the really big groups get WSJS.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom