Is it a sure thing that Cats will not be acquiring an FM, perhaps a rimshotter? All speculation here has centered on AM, but is an FM buy completely out of the realm of possibility? He may not be wealthy enough to acquire a big NYC signal, but ...
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John Catsimatidis Will be Acquiring another Station
- Thread starter Always interested
- Start date
I didn't realize how wealthy he is. According to Forbes he's worth $4.5 billion, so I think he can afford one or two or.....
John Catsimatidis
John Catsimatidis is #891 on Forbes' 2026 Billionaires list. Read more about John Catsimatidis, their experience, their asset summary, and more here.
www.forbes.com
FACT CHECK: No reports of Musk acquiring Fox News
Neither the tech billionaire nor Fox News released any announcement confirming the supposed deal
www.rappler.com
Elon Musk teases potential MSNBC offer: 'How much does it cost?'
Musk made a similar comment on social media years before he acquired X (then Twitter) in 2022.
www.businessinsider.com
Anytime John Catsimatidis hypes up buying another station we have to look at it as an Elon Musk type situation when the people around him hyped up buying Fox News and MSNBC with no direct connections. In MSNBC case they were being split from Comcast to SpinCo due to Comcast role in protecting the Peacock app.
Then the question becomes not whether he can afford an FM in the No. 1 market, but whether he's bold enough to overpay for one to such an extent that even iHeart would be foolish to turn the offer down. Goodbye, WHTZ?I didn't realize how wealthy he is. According to Forbes he's worth $4.5 billion, so I think he can afford one or two or.....
John Catsimatidis
John Catsimatidis is #891 on Forbes' 2026 Billionaires list. Read more about John Catsimatidis, their experience, their asset summary, and more here.
History would say he's smart enough not to overpay for an FM (or frankly, any signal) in the NYC market. After all, he got WABC at (what was at the time) a ridiculously low price of $7.5 Million, IIRC. If acquiring 98.7 or 100.3 or 970 or any other signal met his perceived needs at an aggressive price, I suspect he'd bite on it. But he didn't work his way up to billionaire status by overpaying for any assets.
Catsimatidis purchased WABC for $12.5 million.
And if he does buy another station, he's not going to overpay. So take 98.7 out of the mix because though he can meet Emmis's seemingly non-negotiable $50 million price tag easily, he would rather buy on the cheap.
I think that's a bet I'd take also.
Al Sharpton has a show that has been airing on WLIB Saturday mornings for many years, and a friend told me this past Saturday Sharpton mentioned on the show that the owner of WLIB called him to personally tell him that the station had been sold, and the format would be changing early on in the New Year upon the announcement of the sale.
I don't see Cats keeping the WLIB call letters. You know LI,B, could be seen as short for LIBeral.
LIB could also be the first three letters of "Liberty"
Are we assuming that Cats is just looking for a 50,000 watt station? Or do we think that there are people on his team that know the difference between 50 kw non-directional on 770 and things like 1190, 1280, 1560 with "bad" frequencies and restrictive directional systems. Even 970 is a signal challenged station (unless you are in Bermuda)1
Cats can't run the station he currently has right. I seriously doubt he knows the difference between directional and non-directional. Remember, he thinks 6+ ratings actually mean something.
Cats is not a radio person, he's a fan-turned-hobbyist. He's most likely taking his cues from Chad Lopez–who, considering how he ran WABC for Cumulus, isn't someone I'd take any advice from (and from what I hear BTS, he's become basically one of many yes-men for Cats).
He doesn't care about making money from the station, he's just using it as a promotional tool.
I tuned in 970 WNYM yesterday because they were actually playing Christmas music instead of right-wing talk, but almost every single one of the ads was for a "buy gold" scam, including several which were promoted by Ron Paul and one which claimed to be endorsed by Donald Trump Jr.
I really wish the FCC and FTC would crack down on those kinds of ads.
So Long KGO: Historic Call Letters To Vanish From Bay Area Radio Dial.
A set of historic call letters will vanish from the radio dial on New Year’s Day. Come Jan. 1, KGO San Francisco (810) will adopt the KSFO calls long associated
If Cats continues to hype up getting another radio station in 2025 this might have to come into play. Cats might play a similar card here like remove the WABC Call Letters from 770 and move the WNYM Call letters there via LMA agreement with Salem. Yes Basically in the same way Cumulus is removing the KGO call letters off 810 AM and putting KSFO there and 560 AM becomes KZAC(AM). Yes this is given Cats history of being on WNYM while being on WABC at the same time. Are we supposed to look at Red Apple as a sidecar company to Salem. Yes its like on the TV side we talk about Deerfield and Cunningham as related companies to Sinclair or Mission Broadcasting as a related company to Nexstar.
First, "WABC" is a brand all by itself. Catsimatidis is a grocery store guy who understands the importance and significance of brand names, because they attract customers. Why would he retire the WABC callsign, which is attached to the "WABC" brand, and for what? "AM 770 The Answer"? Really? What was done in SF has no bearing on what happens in New York.
Secondly, Red Apple is not a Salem sidecar. They are two separate entities. Not sure where you got that implication. Cats/Red Apple are clients of Salem. That is as far as it goes (for now).
And lastly–and perhaps, most importantly–based on yesterday's announcement, I don't think Salem is selling anything to Red Apple. The deal with WaterStone is fortifying them their remaining radio operations, at least in the short term. It is a band-aid, but a fix nevertheless.
Secondly, Red Apple is not a Salem sidecar. They are two separate entities. Not sure where you got that implication. Cats/Red Apple are clients of Salem. That is as far as it goes (for now).
And lastly–and perhaps, most importantly–based on yesterday's announcement, I don't think Salem is selling anything to Red Apple. The deal with WaterStone is fortifying them their remaining radio operations, at least in the short term. It is a band-aid, but a fix nevertheless.
Huge difference. KGO is a legacy radio station. Those are legacy calls. But ... they're legacy for 50 years of full-service news/talk, with all sides of the spectrum represented. WABC, OTOH, became known for being the most successful hit music radio station of the '60s and '70s, and then a mediocre talk station, getting most of their programming off the "ABC Talkradio" satellite) until John Mainelli ,and then Phil Boyce, hit upon the all-conservative-talk approach, anchored by Rush Limbaugh. The two stations and their famous call letters are renowned for very different approaches to spoken-word programming.So Long KGO: Historic Call Letters To Vanish From Bay Area Radio Dial.
A set of historic call letters will vanish from the radio dial on New Year’s Day. Come Jan. 1, KGO San Francisco (810) will adopt the KSFO calls long associatedwww.insideradio.com
If Cats continues to hype up getting another radio station in 2025 this might have to come into play. Cats might play a similar card here like remove the WABC Call Letters from 770 and move the WNYM Call letters there via LMA agreement with Salem. Yes Basically in the same way Cumulus is removing the KGO call letters off 810 AM and putting KSFO there and 560 AM becomes KZAC(AM). Yes this is given Cats history of being on WNYM while being on WABC at the same time. Are we supposed to look at Red Apple as a sidecar company to Salem. Yes its like on the TV side we talk about Deerfield and Cunningham as related companies to Sinclair or Mission Broadcasting as a related company to Nexstar.
KGO's famous format and personalities have been gone for almost 15 years, and the weak-tea Cumulus attempt to recreate it on the cheap has been relegated to the dustbin of history. The call letters are best buried with the rest of that station's legacy. It makes sense to rebrand 810 as KSFO, and put the modestly-successful wingnut programming on the stronger signal and let the weaker one get used for something else, if they can find something else to put on it.
WABC is still going, continuing a similar (note I didn't say "the same") programming approach, all wingnut talk, all the time. The call letters still have heritage, and continue an association that's been going on for close to 35 years. They continue to have goodwill amongst their listenership. I see no reason yet to discard them.
First of all agreed on all points for New York specifically. You can also argue the same for the soon to be KGO Radio. But in KGO’s case they had to deal with a high median age and also Cumulus wanting to remove the KGO calls for the other reason its KGO is more associated with TV as in the Disney owned ABC affiliate. Yes also KSFO is one Cumulus owns completely and sent it to 810 AM and move the programming there congrats to them. I was thinking the way Cats Red Apple is on both Salem and WABC makes me wonder how long will his strategy be viable for Red Apple specifically until proven otherwise.
New York
Nielsen Audio PPM Monthly Ratings New York City (Market #1) Population: 16,299,100 Black: 2,670,400 - Hispanic: 4,273,100 Average Quarter Hour Share for Persons
radioinsight.com
As in all his businesses, he hires people who do understand. One of the first things a successful business person learns is to hire people to head departments and manage divisions, who know more about their area of specialization than they themselves do.
And yet he has a radio station getting top 10 6+ shares and he can use that to sell non-agency account and even some local agency accounts where he has contacts and friendships with the owners.
And Cats certainly seems to pick the right people. Just take a look at his other businesses and his net worth he is hardly prone to silly decesions