redneckriviera said:
What a great piece of radio history. Most of us try to figure out these stories from bits and pieces of FCC info and our own observations from the outside, but things are often very different from the inside. Thanks, Jay.
Tibbs2 said:
Well said, RNR.
Jay, I have to say that what you wrote should be mandatory reading for all high school and college students and especially any human wanting to get into any business. Especially radio.
No textbook or professor who hasn't experienced the sheer terror of business ownership can't truly relate. I have read your post a dozen times and have to admit that I cannot read it all at once without getting sick. That "pain in your gut" feeling and the horror of being trapped and unable to escape feeling is the worst. I, as well, remember seeing bits a pieces of all that happening and I think it was RNR that sent me a link for the sale of the station a while back. Man, I "feel your pain." Jay, how ya doing today? Just know that even on FM and big signals that that area is tough. I thank Hurricane 0pal every day. People may laugh at Dave Ramsey's advice, but he is 1,000,000% right about not doing a deal with a) partners and b) debt. Funny, that Ramsey would be on Hales Freedom station in FWB/Destin. Proof that most "owners" don't listen to their stations or at least advice given on them. Jay, I wish you or someone would honestly tell me how Ron Hale has managed to survive all this time with all his issues and stay afloat in that market. I still thank CCENG for a simple true answer on my dream of trying to buy WPFM like 25 years ago, when I called him and asked if there was chance to make it work and he gave me Gill's number at Bromo Communications. That was enough to keep me away for a decade or more before I went fishing again. Then I got bite. 0uch.
Alan McCall said:
Jay,
I echo the sentiments made by others. Thank you for sharing your story. Not only do you know the radio business, you write about it well.
For many years, I was on the air almost daily in Tallahassee. Around 1997, I was acting as manager of WCVC, an AM station with an absentee owner. I enjoyed it immensely, and seriously was considering the possibility of purchasing it.
I knew the station carried a great deal of debt, but I wasn't sure how much. I liked the owner (and we still chat from time to time) but the debt, the purchase price, and the work needed to be done appeared to equal a gazillion dollars. Leo Barfield, a local engineer, was kind enough to give me an engineering list of items that would need repair/replacement/etc. It was not a pretty sight.
I decided not to pursue the purchase, and am now very glad. But it was difficult to walk away at the time. The heart said "yes," but the numbers and reality said "no."
I went by the transmitter site not too long ago, after someone called me (thinking I still worked there) telling me the tower lights were out. It was overgrown, the mobile home was in worse shape than ever, and the studio equipment had been stolen. It runs an EWTN satellite feed that's in the concrete block xmitter building.
Even as "just a manager," I'm familiar with the trials Jay speaks of. They're very real!
Well fellas, I’ve been doin’ this stuff since I only needed to shave about once a week, so I’ve seen and experienced a big ol’ bunch of stuff...some really good, some really bad, but most so-so.
I thank you for the compliments and condolences. I’m still alive and well (except in the head), and still doin’ that radio thing. I work for myself, but get to send regular bills to (and get checks from!) the stations’ owners. What a concept. I don’t own an airplane (or bass boat), but I don’t have to worry about the IRS or the FCC coming to get me with leg irons and handcuffs.
From way back when, I’ve always been very passionate about radio. For a long time, I made a nuisance of myself asking questions about everything radio under the sun and moon. My curiosity was insatiable. Fortunately, I listened and remember most of the stories. Funny thing is, I hated history when I was a school kid. Now, history is about all I care to talk about.
I started building my first radio station when I was 22, and put it on the air a little over two years later. Although I didn’t know what in the hell I was doing, I remain proud of the rather amazing radio station our little team put together. I had 9 partners and, in the end, lost my ass and lost my job. You can have a great sounding station, but without the sold and collected dollars in the bank, it’s just a rich man’s hobby.
Rather foolishly (I suppose), I applied for a fulltime AM station in my hometown back in January, 2004. I finally got the CP grant in December, 2007. In that time, my financial situation turned upside down, and there wasn’t enough money to build the thing. I have a couple of folks who are interested in buying the permit, but it’ll expire in less that 10 months, and I just hope I can get what I have in it.
Regarding Ron Hale...I’ve never met him, but talked with him a couple of times on the phone. Back in 2005, I was doing a good bit of consulting work for a guy that owned a trombo over in SW Alabama. The stations were for sale, but only on this guy’s terms. He’s a multi-millionaire, and it’s gonna be his way or no way. Well, Ron Hale was interested in buying the stations. The owner communicated with him, told him the price and told him it would be an all-cash deal with no LMA. He sent Hale the pertinent information, and Hale’s “guy” came over for the grand tour. Hale told the owner he’d take it. The owner emphatically stated the he did NOT want a hundred page contract, that it was a simple deal, so make it a simple agreement. Hale sent a 127 page contract, calling for an LMA and partial financing. The owner called me after he’d spoken with Hale. I asked what he’d told Hale, and he said “I told him that he was a ‘Goshdarn’ (or something like that) idiot, that my radio stations weren’t for sale at any price to anybody as stupid as he obviously was, and to be damned sure he never called me again”. I don’t know that I’ve laughed as hard and long since. It was TOO good.
Listen, if you have a dream...pursue it. If you fail, get up and try again. While I’ve had some unpleasant days, the experience and satisfaction was worth far more than the cost. Like the man says...you can’t take it with you.
