For a few years the engineer and I were trying to get them to let someone in the area run a few animals on the acreage so it could qualify as ag exempt. The difference in taxes was substantial. The owners didn't seem to like the idea. I know they had to argue with the county that three AM towers were different than cell towers and the property value, thus, was way too high. I suspect you heard that about the mowing and ag exempt from the engineer.
On the rumors the station had been leased and/or sold, it appears something would have happened by this point. I'm wondering if they'd take a very low rate to start if the rate escalated over time. I talked to one guy that had a few successful businesses dependent on advertising sales in other media who wanted to start at $5,000 a month but would have escalated over 18 months to the rate they wanted ($25,000). The owners were willing to do that about 7 or 8 months before I left the station. That told me they were willing to cut a break if that entity seemed to have all their ducks in a row.
Since it has been just over a year and a half since I left KYND, you'd think somebody on a lesser signal would have talked to them about leasing. Then again I had so many qualified and successful programmers I talked to who would never pay the rate they wanted (eventually). I think one thing they did not understand is that moving from an existing station to leasing a different station causes a substantial loss of listeners and some loss of business so the programmer needs a bit of a break for a few months to regain the traction they had. You can't just say 'you're doing $20k here, so for 25% more you can have us and 35% more coverage than where you are currently'. A programmer has to cultivate those new areas and build relationships to monetize those new spots.
Funniest waste of time at KYND: I drove about 40-45 miles to meet with a guy interested in leasing KYND. He wanted half a day while we were looking for somebody to take the whole day, but I figured perhaps the guy could add more hours in time or convince a few others to come over to KYND. I get halfway there and he calls to cancel and reschedule for the next day. I get that. Stuff happens.
The next day he's 30 minutes late and immediately wants to go eat a meal somewhere. He's wanting a certain type of food and wants me to take him to a restaurant. I tell him I don't know the area, so we see a barbeque place and he says this is fine. The meal was my treat (naturally as I'm the seller) and there will be no reimbursement from my owners.
The guy says he just wants to be treated right by a station. He says he is constantly threatened with losing his time at another station in town. As the conversation goes forward I learn he made a cash in advance deal and was running 2 to 4 weeks behind on payment (which was to be weekly). He explains the GM at that station says the owner is saying his rate will go to the rate card rate per hour if he doesn't catch up. He never did and 4 weeks in arrears, ownership said he had to have 2 weeks of payments by Wednesday or he was canceled. He couldn't jump that hurdle. That was a couple of months prior to talking to me.
At this point, I am thinking this guy is just wasting my time because he can't run his business right and his ego has him thinking he is much better in his mind than he is in reality. To use an old line, he was patting himself on the back so much, I thought he was choking. He says he likes me and likes KYND's signal and would be willing to start the next week. I'm thinking, great, at least it's something until he can't pay. I knew the guy would be a pain, but sometimes you just have to take it to get the billing. Then he proceeds to explain he will need a couple of months to get all his advertisers back on and he wants the first two months free. It left a mark when my jaw hit the floor because this guy was serious. By working with him, in his mind, I was to give him free time to build his business back before he paid a dime.
The worst part is this cute high school girl makes the rounds here and there offering a free roll right out of the oven. She has a heavy Texas drawl and this guy is loving the accent. He tells her he loves her accent and says, 'say something else'. Those words make for an awkward situation and the poor girl even blushes when she says 'I don't know what to say'. The guy is clueless as the poor girl looks at me as if to say what do I do. I end it with 'thank you'. Every time she comes by it's the same thing. I'm thinking if this guy is that clueless he must be the same way with potential advertisers.
Needless to say, I didn't sign the guy and chocked up the time as a couple of hours of wasted time.