Re: KYW-1060, Free FM moving
eatspaste said:
Julius May said:
chuckydoll said:
Confirmed this week in NERW. CBS should have used the move to add studios for WOGL-98.1, which is currently in Bala Cynwyd.
Why?
Why? It would save CBS tons of money. If KYW-TV, WPSG, KYW, WIP, WPHT, WOGL, and WYSP were all under one roof, they wouldn't have to pay rent at 4th & Market and in Bala Cynwyd.
If a big newsmaker was in town, (s)he could do an interview on KYW-TV, walk down the hall and be on WPHT, then cut a soundbite for 1060. Big sports stories would be even better between the KYW's and WIP.
In the age of high speed internet, and even good ol' fashioned ISDN, it's not really a huge deal to pass audio files between stations - across town and across the country. (And there's also satellite, I suppose....)
Seems to me that the majority of most news makers prefer to have press conferences, or a scheduled stop, in a central location (or two) rather than trying to run all over town - that way they get ALL the media outlets (Comcast, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, Metro, the print media, etc.) to come to THEM. Then no one can cry that they're playing favorites with one company / network. That is, of course, unless they're in town to promote something - a movie, a product, whatever - and feel it's necessary to give extended air-time to stations they feel will better reach their intended audience ... and of course, they can always get on a cell phone and do an interview that way. I mean, they're probably in town for SOME reason - not just a random "Hey, I woke up this morning and felt like coming to Philadelphia to get one of those steak and cheese things ... what is it called? a cheese steak?" thing.
And correct me if I'm wrong - don't most companies write off a (large) percentage of rented space as a business or operating expense on their taxes? I know people who have home offices who do so ... probably a safe assumption that corporations do the same.
Also, it's not uncommon for station clusters to be in separate buildings. Say you needed 75,000 square feet of space for your stations, in total. If it's all pretty much the same cost (plus or minus a few bucks) per square foot, then what's the difference if you write one rent check as opposed to three or four for nearly same amount? An extra few cents for the checks? A longer commute for your employees? Neither are really deal breakers ...
But if it's all
just about cost cutting, then a company (of any kind) should just rent space in another "cheaper rent district." I don't know that much about real estate, but I can't imagine office space costs the same in Woodlyn, Morton, Chester, Prospect Park or even Northeast or West Philadelphia as it does in Center City or Bala Cynwyd.
