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KPLU Intent to sell to KUOW

Well, once again Cliff Mass' inflated ego claims "hundreds" have lined up, which does not equate to actual, or large enough dollars donated. The station in Colorado raised 2 million in 20 days, but that was 15 years ago, which is a lifetime in technology changes, where streaming and smart phones have spun terrestrial radio into playing a dizzying game of catch-up or selling. The Seattle area, being tech savvy, probably doesn't have the interest in saving a station whose format now has dozens or more options available thru streaming. But then there is the argument of past donations and the scrutiny of public funds of station equipment, and the loss of perhaps a better NPR newsroom and a decent signal at 88.5 along with translators, which do reach into non-internet areas.
 
Blatherwatch said:
Well, once again Cliff Mass' inflated ego claims "hundreds" have lined up, which does not equate to actual, or large enough dollars donated. The station in Colorado raised 2 million in 20 days, but that was 15 years ago, which is a lifetime in technology changes, where streaming and smart phones have spun terrestrial radio into playing a dizzying game of catch-up or selling. The Seattle area, being tech savvy, probably doesn't have the interest in saving a station whose format now has dozens or more options available thru streaming. But then there is the argument of past donations and the scrutiny of public funds of station equipment, and the loss of perhaps a better NPR newsroom and a decent signal at 88.5 along with translators, which do reach into non-internet areas.
Click to expand...

Cliff Mass has an ego? Say it isn't so! (I actually met him on a hiking trail two summers ago...wouldn't even consider talking to the unwashed Masses.) If you listen to him on KPLU, he sounds all important and seems to love hearing his voice in his headset, but catch him in person, and he's soft spoken and wants to get away from 'real' people who might ask him a weather and/or climate question that he can't answer and find himself in an embarrassing situation.
 
Blatherwatch said:
The Seattle area, being tech savvy, probably doesn't have the interest in saving a station whose format now has dozens or more options available thru streaming.
Click to expand...

For some reason, that doesn't apply to KEXP. KPLU only needs half of the money KEXP raised to build their new studio.
 
Blatherwatch said:
But then there is the argument of past donations and the scrutiny of public funds of station equipment, and the loss of perhaps a better NPR newsroom and a decent signal at 88.5 along with translators, which do reach into non-internet areas.
Click to expand...

It's not "perhaps a better NPR newsroom."

It is a better NPR newsroom.

Much of the 15 pages of discussion on the KPLU sale assumes that KPLU and KUOW news departments are mirror images of each other and redundant. Just like the P-I and Times a decade ago, the newsrooms are very very different. I believed that the Times had the stronger overall news coverage then, and it ended up as the survivor. In this case, KPLU's newsroom and editorial judgement is far superior.

Do the listeners value that newsroom?
We will find out.

Given that KUOW plans to run all-jazz on KPLU (for now), I suspect the jazz listernership isn't that worried.
 
KEXP is different for several reasons. Obviously, 90.3 has a younger audience that is probably a bit more geographically diverse than KPLU...even though as mentioned before, being the flagship of Jazz 24 means they have a larger 'audience' than one might imagine.

I also dare say even though KEXP has a younger audience, a lot of Seattle's under-30's are making very good money in tech and healthcare (I should point out I'm on the upper end of that demo, work two jobs, and barely keep a roof over my head/wine in my gut). Unlike their parents, most are unmarried and childless. Many are not from this area and are not tied down to the Puget Sound area beyond their job, which means they have no desire to buy a house or condo around here. Lots of these same folks don't even bother to get a car, choosing to use carshares, uber, and public transportation. That equals far more disposable income than the typical 45 year-old middle-class KPLU listener who has been hearing them from childhood in the back of their mom/dad's Volvo wagon in West Seattle since the early 80's.

Let's also not forget that KEXP was somewhat controversially taken from UW students and initially heavily bankrolled by Paul Allen's EMP. Would not be the least bit surprised if a chunk of the studio building was put up by him in some way.

The folks who want to save KPLU might talk a big talk, but I doubt they have the financial backing to make this work out by themselves. However, do not be surprised to see KPLU do something similar to 90.3 after it started as KEXP. The licensee and owner of the physical plant will be UW, but the management and hosts will be independent of the school. That way its a 'win-win' for all. UW looks like the classy benefactor keeping KPLU from being sold to a religious outfit. The 'save KPLU' folks keep the things they like about the station and will have a few million to bankroll it, while PLU avoids getting too much egg on its face by selling the station off lickity-split.

Radio-X
 
Radio-X said:
The licensee and owner of the physical plant will be UW, but the management and hosts will be independent of the school. That way its a 'win-win' for all. UW looks like the classy benefactor keeping KPLU from being sold to a religious outfit.
Click to expand...

That sounds very nice, but it's counter to the stated goals of UW. They didn't buy it to be seen as a "classy benefactor," but to shut down the competition. Your suggestion is a lot more expensive, because UW has to hire a lot more people. And there's no guarantee that the investment will be able to support itself the way KEXP has.
 
I wonder what would happen if they raise 6 mil but fall short of the needed 7? My guess is some billionaire will make up the difference.

On the the subject of KEXP, the data that I've seen (albeit from several years ago) is that their P1 most loyal listener is 44 years old and male.
 
The biggest expense isn't buying the station...it's running the station. Once they get the license, it's going to take a pile of money to move the facility, transfer the operations, and start paying the staff. They'll need at least a million as a buffer to do that. Hopefully they have a plan.
 
And... I suggest is a big reason PLU wanted out of the radio biz. If PLU struggled to keep the station funded with arguably a shrinking-donating listener base, imagine how difficult it will be for a start-up organization without a college to act as a financial safety net? I'm not sure this group comprehends what they're trying to buy.
 
Still, the people of Houston and Miami didn't raise a penny for their public stations, and instead sat by and watched them become religious.

The people of Atlanta loved their alternative radio station run by a small college. One day, the college sold the station to the big NPR station, and they flipped the format to news/talk. No one in Atlanta thought about mounting a movement to make a competing offer. So this is very unique.
 
FMSteve said:
I wonder what would happen if they raise 6 mil but fall short of the needed 7? My guess is some billionaire will make up the difference.

On the the subject of KEXP, the data that I've seen (albeit from several years ago) is that their P1 most loyal listener is 44 years old and male.
Click to expand...

Stands to reason, as they made their fame as the first grunge station in the world, 1987-1991 -- Gen X territory.
 
TheBigA said:
If this actually comes to pass, I will be very impressed, because Seattle was able to do something that residents of Houston and Miami couldn't do.
Click to expand...


And Pittsburgh, vis a vis WESA. That situation is probably more similar to KPLU than Houston or Miami, because there was fundraising and a competing offer.
 
PTBoardOp94 said:
And Pittsburgh, vis a vis WESA. That situation is probably more similar to KPLU than Houston or Miami, because there was fundraising and a competing offer.
Click to expand...

I guess...except that the Pitt group was in a far stronger position than this group in Seattle. The Pitt folks already had a station and a place for WESA studios.

The fact that no local group even attempted to make an offer in Houston or Miami says a lot about those two communities. And a lot about Seattle.
 
TheBigA said:
The fact that no local group even attempted to make an offer in Houston or Miami says a lot about those two communities. And a lot about Seattle.
Click to expand...

The other side to that is how parties in Houston and Miami may have done their due diligence and determined they couldn't sustain the stations, and that the Seattle folks are making to what is tantamount to a supermarket impulse buy.
 
I can say that in Houston, assuming we are talking about 91.7, the former KTRU, time has shown that the University of Houston could not sustain the station and put it up for sale. KTRU had been student oriented and not a contender financially, so the price would have been considered 'stick value' and at that a glorious gold stick at that.

We can go back and forth on dollars demanded for these frequencies in question but it is more about how good the plan is to operate the station in question in a way that makes the sale price good for the buying party. I doubt any board would let mere emotions dictate a decision but rather hard cold facts and plans to make it work. So, in that regard, I think the interested parties know what they can do and how to do it. There will always be winners and loosers when two or more parties are after one station. I doubt we can call either offer as an impulse buy but one that is well thought out. To become qualified to 'buy', you really have to line up your ducks.
 
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