HOW WILL WFAN's MOVE TO 101.9 AFFECT 1010 WINS?

[NorwoodBoundD]

Some people have been mulling over the fate of the CBS owned and operated stations now that WFAN is making the move to FM. I have heard some people say that this will probably lead to CBS dumping 1010 WINS, in order to get under the cap of radio and TV stations owned in the same market, and because they already have WCBS 880. What do you guys think will happen?

 

[NorwoodBoundD]

Re: HOW WILL WFAN'S MOVE TO 101.9 AFFECT 1010 WINS?

Sorry. I did not intend for this double post to happen.

 

[badjef]

This cap thing is confusing.

Our 970 WFLA is simulcasting on a 105.9 translator only for Hillsborough County. But, Clear Channel was maxed out in Tampa, before the translator and there is one proposed for Pinellas County.

We were all thinking that CBS-New York was maxed out as well. Now, it appears there is some kind of a loophole to that ownership market rule since 101.9 is a full market signal.

I suspect it has to do with the definitions of "ownership" and "operator".

I think we all need clarification on this.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

 

[stationless listener]

It is interesting to note that CBS Corporate decided that The Fan was the property that would be placed on the new FM, rather than 1010 WINS. We read so many times that WINS wins (no pun intended) revenues for CBS. Yet, sports was picked over news. Maybe they were spooked by the experience of FM News and thought they couldn't take the chance using their own news brands on that frequency?

Definitely there have been internal discussions over what would happen if the WINS brand were to be placed on an FM and whether the money would be worth blowing up a current musical format. Any decision on that front would come down to which would be the more attractive demo between a current FM music format and WINS. The popular opinion seems to favor WINS but what if we're all wrong? What if CBS decides that the demos NOW get are worth doing away with one of the two all-news brands? NYC is unique among markets with that factoid but perhaps future money is worth the risk of current money. For a company that operates conservatively that's a big risk.

The other scenario is the "KFWB" scenario. That's the one where they spin off 1010 to a trust to go around the cap limit. Sorry, that would be a d1ck move on their part. The point of the cap is so that there are more businesses competing. However, experience tells us that the worst scenario is the one most likely to happen.

Ideally, I would like to see this:

94.7 goes to Greater Media, Townsquare or Cumulus. A NJ-friendly music format is debuted. It could be rock, country, AC, whatever. The rimshot signal means that I'll have a good chance at listening to music that can't be put on city stations for obvious reasons

1010 is sold to an independent operator who would put the BBC or a combination of simulcasts of British, Canadian and Australian public stations, hopefully stations that would air sports from Five Live, along with news

If they have to blow up a music format for WINS then better be 102.7. Lite FM is just too tough to beat and I don't know if the demos are there to keep Fresh around. Trying to beat Lite/Z100 has not been successful for CBS. So better they concentrate on serving listeners that the CC stations don't reach. Tweak 92.3's current format towards an edgier sound. Less Beyonce and more house music. No dubstep, though.

 

[davideduardo]

It is interesting to note that CBS Corporate decided that The Fan was the property that would be placed on the new FM, rather than 1010 WINS. We read so many times that WINS wins (no pun intended) revenues for CBS. Yet, sports was picked over news.

WINS and WFAN have nearly identical revenues.

I think the huge success of sports on FM in places like Detroit has been a decisive factor, as well as the fact that news listeners tend to be older in general, while sports appeals to all ages and could benefit most from FM.

 

[davideduardo]

This cap thing is confusing.


I suspect it has to do with the definitions of "ownership" and "operator".

I think we all need clarification on this.

No confusion: 8 stations in an Arbitron defined metro. 5 FMs or AMs and 2 TVs are the per-band cap. LMA's and JSA's are counted toward the caps, but translators/boosters are not.

CBS will have to spin off one station.

 

[carolinaradio]

CBS will have to spin off one station.

And, using elimination...

92.3, 101.1, and 102.7 are going nowhere as far as being owned by CBS. FM has a lot more life and potential left in it than AM.
880 isn't going anywhere. I would think 660 will eventually carry the CBS Sports Network 24/7, with 880 AM remaining as is. 660 COULD go to Cumulus to carry the network, as they are distributing it, I guess, thus leaving the news outlets alone. 66 and 88 have a definite signal advantage over 1010.
Channel 2 and Channel 55. 2 is going nowhere. 55 is a wildcard.

When it comes down to it, either 1010 or 55 will go, IMO. CBS could spin off 55 and not have to worry about re-shuffling its radio properties further. If they opted to spin off 1010, if WINS News continued, where would it go? I'd guess 92.3?

 

[kickass367]

I'm hearing that CBS will stay within the FCC Ownership Cap by selling the transmitter and license of channel 55 but keep the "WLNY 10/55" brand as a cable only channel. Therefore no radio stations will need to be sold.

 

[WNTIRadio]

They will lose must carry status when they do that, which was the primary reason for channel 55 in the first place. I suppose the thought process is that people will ask their cable operators to keep it now that it has been on for awhile.

Think about it: 1010 and 880 are gold mines. Those wont be messed with. The simulcast will continue on 660. They're not going to sell an FM because that would leave them in the same place they were before. Channel 55 is the albatross here.

 

[fybush]

They will lose must carry status when they do that, which was the primary reason for channel 55 in the first place. I suppose the thought process is that people will ask their cable operators to keep it now that it has been on for awhile.

They won't lose must-carry status if they offer up WLNY's spectrum in the upcoming incentive auction.

Brilliant, really.

 

[Barry]

So if the plan is to sell WLNY-TV to remain within the ownership limits (as is being reported on the other message board for this area), does that transaction need to be actually consummated before CBS can legally begin an LMA of WRXP?
If so, I would think it could take at least a few months before 'RXP gives way to a simulcast of WFAN.

 

[fybush]

WLNY could go into a divestiture trust in the meantime, or CBS might even be able to simply make the case to the FCC that it plans to put WLNY into the auction as soon as that's possible.

 

[Barry]

WLNY could go into a divestiture trust in the meantime, or CBS might even be able to simply make the case to the FCC that it plans to put WLNY into the auction as soon as that's possible.

Then I wonder why the WFAN simulcast on WRXP does not begin right away, under the LMA. It shouldn't take long at all to make the technical moves required to retransmit WFAN's programming on 101.9. When ESPN LMA'd 98.7, they began simulcasting WEPN 1050 on it a few days after the deal was announced.

 

[badjef]

It will not take that long for the simulcast to take place, hey are already promoting it pretty heavily on the air.

As soon as the papers are signed for control to CBS, a waiver can be granted for the rest of the time, assuming it is needed.

The rules are so convoluted and Scott is right, if WLNY is included in the deal with the FCC, it is brilliant. But we are all looking at ways we can operate inside of the current regulations. These companies find people who can accomplish things outside of the intent.

I liken it to the criminal and the perfect crime. We will all criticize him for breaking the law and secretly admire him for his ingenuity.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

 

[Bob1370]

1010 WINS, or at least its license and transmitter, will simply go away to some other owner for at least $30 million cash (the stick value for a directional 50 kW AM established recently in the WOR sale) and God-only-knows what future format (my guess is mail order Bible thumping of some kind, or else Clear Channel might buy it to max its market cluster and clear more Premiere Network shows). It gets put in a trust and then sold ASAP. The "intellectual property" of WINS, its format, staff and call sign, will all move to 660 the moment the WFAN simulcast ends this winter, giving CBS two full market blowtorch news signals and five Class-B FMs. The Fan stays at 101.9, all the other FMs retain their formats (although an attractive offer might pry one of them loose at a later date, since probably only WCBS-AM 880, WCBS-FM101.1, WCBS-TV, the future 660 WINS and WFAN-FM 101.9 are absolutely, unequivocally not for sale ever).

WLNY-TV may or may not have to be sold--maybe CBS can convince the FCC that it's in a different ADI for both radio and TV purposes, and when you come to think of it, that could be a valid assertion...

 

[recto101]

I'm hearing that CBS will stay within the FCC Ownership Cap by selling the transmitter and license of channel 55 but keep the "WLNY 10/55" brand as a cable only channel. Therefore no radio stations will need to be sold.

Is it possible to make WLNY function the same way that RSN's work.

 

[WNTIRadio]

I think the idea here is to acquire another property to be able to leave everything that is making money, in this case the whole CBS cluster alone.

They're not looking to spin off 1010 or anything else. They're also not looking to move 1010 either. It makes tons of money where it is and has been for 47 years. Don't fix it if it ain't broke.

Don't be fooled by 92.3's 6+ numbers either. The 18-34 and mainly the sales numbers are the most important. It's obviously making money since WFAN didn't wind up on 92.3.

Remember this is a business first, everything else later. Follow the dollars.

 

[nickp]

CBS could consolidate the two all-news stations into one

 

[davideduardo]

WLNY-TV may or may not have to be sold--maybe CBS can convince the FCC that it's in a different ADI for both radio and TV purposes, and when you come to think of it, that could be a valid assertion...

Bob, there are no ADI's.

"ADI" is an Arbitron TV term. Do you know how long ago Arbitron stopped doing TV ratings and, thus, killed the ADI term?

The FCC uses Arbitron radio MSA's to establish market definitions. Nassau and Suffolk counties are very, very much a part of the New York City MSA and (absolutely a part of the TV DMS) since in the two-county area less than 30% of radio listening is to "local" stations and the remainder goes to New York City radio stations.

Radio metros and TV DMA's are based on a variety of factors, including the amount of listening to the "central city" (or cities) stations, commute patterns, etc. The FCC has accepted the Arbitron system for defining a metro and uses it to determine the market caps and the stations that are attributed to a market.

You certainly could not claim that Hempstead is not part of the functioning New York City metro...

In any case, the option of making Ch. 55 a cable only channel is the one that makes the most sense.

Sidebar: Clear Channel would love a waiver or redefinition as then they could keep the successful LI operation that is now in the Aloha Trust. A waiver was also made on the ownership caps in Puerto Rico, based on the fact that no single station comes remotely close to covering the Arbitron-defined "metro" there, but that is not the case in New York City.

 

[davideduardo]

I'm hearing that CBS will stay within the FCC Ownership Cap by selling the transmitter and license of channel 55 but keep the "WLNY 10/55" brand as a cable only channel. Therefore no radio stations will need to be sold.

That makes sense, in that cable penetration in the NYC metro is among the highest in the USA. It stands at 96.6% for Cable and ADS and 83.3% for wired cable alone. As long as CBS can convince the cable operators to keep 10/55 on the systems even in the absence of "must carry" (or if, as Scott suggests, they offer up the spectrum to keep must carry) then they have effectively created a "free" TV channel with none of the costs of maintaining a transmitter site.