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Merlin about to sell Chicago: What about Philly?

R

radiophiler

Reports say (see Chicago board) that Merlin is about to sell its Chicago cluster to Cumulus.

That would leave Merlin as a company owning only ... 106.9 Camden/Philadelphia.

Hm.

What is the likelihood that the company would continue with only one station, and that one being in Philadelphia?

Might we see a sale of 106.9 before the end of 2012?
 
Merlin Media's Chicago station is being sold because they aren't recovering well from the FM News debacle. IQ is doing well, they won't be sold.
 
IQ 106.9 is not an island, it's part of Merlin. 101.9 RXP was doing well, but Merlin sold it to CBS. Perhaps Merlin is exiting the radio business. It can sell 106.9 taking into account the increased value of the station.
 
What's the likelihood of Merlin bundling their Philly station into their deal to hand over their Chicago properties to Cumulus? If you think about it, the way WWIQ is set up now, it's more or less identical to stations Cumulus already runs in New York (WABC), Washington (WMAL), and Detroit (WJR), among others (of course, the glaring exception is Imus is not on WWIQ)...
 
It depends. Which stations in the Philly area does Cumulus already own? No one would buy a stand-alone station in today's world
 
Cumulus owns no stations at all in the Philadelphia area.

And here are a couple other reasons why Cumulus might not be all that interested in IQ.

True, right now the programming on IQ does look like Cumulus talkers in other markets. But those stations in other markets might be changing as soon as contracts for Limbaugh run out. Cumulus has its own stable of talk show hosts, Huckabee, Rivera, that it'd like to get on the air in more large markets. It's a reason why Clear Channel recently bought an AM station (!) in NYC, WOR: it will be where Limbaugh and other Premiere network talk show hosts land if and when Cumulus' WABC drops them.

Reason 2: Cumulus is trying to figure out what to do with some of its failing news/talk stations. There are stories online quoting Cumulus executives about low-performing stations that include the likes of N/T WMAL in Washington. Putting that station on FM did nothing for ratings. They didn't go up at all. In fact, there are rumors WMAL will revert back to an AM-only station as of the new year.

Let's look at current owners in the Philly market: CBS has the biggest incentive to buy 106.9 because for such a large TV/radio company, it only has two FMs in Philly. Clear Channel can't buy another FM in Philly because of FCC market ownership limits. Beasley might want another FM, but you can bet they would not keep the talk format. Beasley is the company that killed WWDB for a music station. Greater Media could also be interested, especially since it's getting some cash from selling its only AM in the market, 950. But under GM, IQ might not remain the exact way it is now. GM owns a talk FM in Boston that does not carry Limbaugh. It relies more on local hosts. Radio One might be interested to give one of its existing formats on 103.9 or 107.9 a better signal. You can bet conservative talk would not last if they bought it. That leave the stand-alone B-101. Conservative talk would not be a good pairing with AC that appeals to younger women. If they bought the station, they would probably change to a music format.

If the station is sold, the best bet for listeners who want the station to retain some semblance of its current lineup should probably hope for Greater Media. But even so, I'd bet there would be significant changes to the station compared with how it sounds now.

Side note: If Greater Media buys it, both Gardner brothers, Andre at WMGK and Al at IQ, would end up working for the same company in Philly.
 
First, both Gardners did work for Greater Media.
Second, the story came from a guy who hates Merlin and Randy Michaels, and consistently spreads rumors that have no basis or ever come to fruition.
He could just as easily have said Merlin was looking to expand by purchasing a small chain of stations.
 
crossmymind said:
First, both Gardners did work for Greater Media.
Second, the story came from a guy who hates Merlin and Randy Michaels, and consistently spreads rumors that have no basis or ever come to fruition.
He could just as easily have said Merlin was looking to expand by purchasing a small chain of stations.
Click to expand...

"coming to fruition" means time to develop. It's clear because of your constant salivating over this shit-show, that your opinions expressed are more than a little biased. Keep at it long enough maybe they will hire you. Is that the plan?
 
Since all you've done is crap on anything that this station does, I can only assume you have an axe to grind with Merlin Media, possibly a former employee.
Like the GOP, you seem to be having a tough time coming to terms with the facts.
Fact...Whether you find it to be a "shit show" or not, the numbers have the station ahead of its direct competition, in a very short time, with no marketing. They are finding their way, and the morning show has potential to be something other than the dull cookie cutter show.
Hate on....
 
crossmymind said:
Since all you've done is crap on anything that this station does, I can only assume you have an axe to grind with Merlin Media, possibly a former employee.
Like the GOP, you seem to be having a tough time coming to terms with the facts.
Fact...Whether you find it to be a "shit show" or not, the numbers have the station ahead of its direct competition, in a very short time, with no marketing. They are finding their way, and the morning show has potential to be something other than the dull cookie cutter show.
Hate on....
Click to expand...

It's not a sport genius. I don't care if they're number one in the friggin market. I'll type slow so you can follow along... Just because they have numbers, does not mean they can sell it. During Howard Stern's hey-day in terrestrial radio, he was number one in many markets, but too controversial for most advertisers, so they ended up with a number one morning show that was whoring out spots for ten bucks a shot. Most culturally aware, and smart listeners have no time for the non-sensical crap that is spewed from the fat face of Limbaugh and his ilk. Those clowns are part of the problem, not the solution. FYI, I never worked for Merlin or the drunk Randy Michaels, nor do I have the desire.
 
I think it is fairly obvious that Merlin is selling the Philadelphia station and probably to CBS. IQ 106.9 has never marketed itself, never hired a promotions director and recently fired its traffic person and business manager. These are not the actions of a company in it for the long haul. Merlin's investors are antsy and after the debacles in New York and Chicago with FM News they want out. I suspect Philly will be sold in the next few months. As for the Gardners both working for Greater Media, I don't think anyone will keep that disaster of a morning show that rarely gets a 1 in the ratings or the demo. The only thing that saves its overall number is Mendte from 8:30 -10 who gets a decent number and is the only local name they have.

It is a shame because IQ had the potential to be a great station with some tweaks. My guess is that CBS will buy it and either put KYW or WPHT on FM. I think KYW is the more obvious play, but with the syndicated contracts PHT is a possibility.

But I believe there is no question that it willl be sold and quickly.
 
Larry Mendte? A show of full of sound bites and goofy drops, used because Mendte can't or doesn't have the confidence to explain and voice his own opinions? His numbers come from the crazy Beck fans who begin to flock around the 9 am hour.
Who wants to listen to someone with Mendte's history try to tackle ethics and other moral issues. His show is dull, uninteresting, and just a poor attempt to rehash what actual broadcasters have done.
I wouldn't be surprised if at some point soon he quietly goes away, tail between his legs with the usual " I going to concentrate on ______. " ( fill-in blank youself).
His attempt to do radio is an epic fail. Nothing new to offer.
 
I agree with you about the sound and the drop ins. Some are too long and some don't work. But I never thought Mendte shyed away from an opinion. In fact, I was pleasently surprised at how strong his opinions were.

I looked at you past posts and it seems you are somehow affiliated with the morning show there. I did not mean to offend, it's just not my cup of tea and at a station that is getting numbers, it seems to be the only daypart lagging behind and it's lagging way behind. I wish you luck with the show.
 
Not affiliated, just a listener, but I just don't understand why there were so many haters from the second they turned on. Its annoying to read constant slams at any one station or company by people who clearly have axes to grind. It takes a while for a new station to get its footing. This station is no exception.
I love that they are trying to have some local day parts. It would be easy to just flip a switch and have all syndication. Instead of crapping all over it, I'm trying to give it a chance.
The morning show is clearly working hard at finding a formula that works. Parts are entertaining, and I like a show that shares several sides to an issue. Not a fan of all right or all left discussions. They seem senseless and go nowhere.
I want to be entertained and informed, and there are parts to the morning show I like, even with the changes they make as they work out their kinks.
I listen to music mostly, so I tune out when the syndicated nonsense comes on.
I think supporting local endeavors is important, and they are attempting to add something different On top of the same. There's room for more than one talk station, and more than one opinion.
 
That is fair and I am a talk radio fan and will continue to tune in as the morning show grows. I am a Mendte fan though. He is inconsistant, but there are some days when his show is the most compelling radio I have heard in along time. When those soundbites and drop ins you dislike work it is masterful. He has an excellent producer. His numbers are solid and the listeners seem to love him (and that does get a little sickening). But to your point about local fare, he was a good hire.

I get that the morning show is still finding its legs as they seem to keep changing it, so maybe I was being unfair. I do like Al Gardner's voice and style. Lionel can be a little hard to take sometimes. Maybe it's an acquired taste ;) Have a great holiday.
 
I'll take a shot at answering the "why so many haters?" question, although I think the word "haters" is a bit strong.

1. IQ programs most of its day with talk hosts who are unquestionably conservative. If that's not your own political point of view, there's a good chance you're not going to like the station very much. And these are not the "reasonable" conservatives who are syndicated by Salem. After the Sandy Beach shootings, Limbaugh said that liberals would "take advantage" of the situation by pushing gun control. That's harsh.

2. One of its local hosts is a former TV anchor who hacked into the email of a former co-worker because of jealousy issues and then tried to kinda blame the situation on his co-worker by basically saying, "I couldn't resist her charms, she was such a vixen." Unlike his former co-worker who has found lucrative employment as a weekday morning TV anchor in LA, Larry is doing commentaries for the bankrupt Tribune stations and a 90 minute talk show on a startup talk radio station. So, what do you think the opinion of employers is about Larry? If not for his Channel 3 debacle, his resume would certainly lead to gainful employment. Hard to listen to the guy and take him seriously.

That's why some of us don't like IQ. I'm hoping for CBS to buy it, fix the signal as much as possible, and put KYW there.
 
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