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Nassau plans to liquidate

Do we think that means the end of the Bach Classical Network in Maine and New Hampshire? I've sort of become a fan of Classical Music on the network. I hear it on 101.5 Merideth NH.

As I've pointed out before, NH Public Radio is all news and talk now. And while Maine Public Radio has blocks of classical music, it isn't all day and it's more adventurous than the more familiar classical selections provided by the Bach Network. It's good that Vermont Public Radio has two networks, one News and Talk, one Classical. But Vermont is too far away.


Gregg
[email protected]
 
A former neighbor mentioned that he'd found and liked classical on 'NNH 99.1. I suggested that he not get attached to it.
 
Gregg said:
Do we think that means the end of the Bach Classical Network in Maine and New Hampshire? I've sort of become a fan of Classical Music on the network. I hear it on 101.5 Merideth NH.

As I've pointed out before, NH Public Radio is all news and talk now. And while Maine Public Radio has blocks of classical music, it isn't all day and it's more adventurous than the more familiar classical selections provided by the Bach Network. It's good that Vermont Public Radio has two networks, one News and Talk, one Classical. But Vermont is too far away.
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Your comment makes me wonder... could MPBN end up as the buyer of WBACH... or at least the 104.7 frequency? Or will Nassau be sold-off on a cluster-by-cluster, rather than station-by-station, basis?
 
This is sad for radio. Nassau brought some pretty damn good radio stations to Maine. (I don't know about the other markets they're in.)

My non-expert take on this is that Nassau bought up some decent properties, but at a high price, and right before the market crashed.

They are not much different from the otherwise smart people who took on home mortgages in the mid-2000's and now find themselves under water.

Here's fingers crossed for Nassau, and especially for the good folks they have working for them.
 
This will be messy. Between the "‘as is,’ ‘where is,’ and ‘with all faults’", the $2M in trade to be assumed, the ownership cap breakup of the Concord/Laconia market facilities, and "credit bidding" wherein GS can use the full value of the debt to either drive up the bids or "buy" the assets, don't expect to get a distress sale bargain. And remember that WWOD has to be moved to Keeseville, NY before the CP expires, or you end up with nada.
 
If I coulda edited my previous post I woulda to add an additional thought. A Pain!

IMHO, If GS truly has/had buyers lined up, even though is was stated there are no "stalking horse" bids, there really is a 'stalking horse' out there with purchase offers known to GS that auction bidders won't know, until GS lets their bid stand or out "credit bid"s it.
 
Gregg said:
Do we think that means the end of the Bach Classical Network in Maine and New Hampshire? I've sort of become a fan of Classical Music on the network. I hear it on 101.5 Merideth NH.
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A rumor I heard a few weeks ago had it that Louis Vitali, the former owner of the W-Bach stations in Maine, was interested in buying them back.
 
That would be awful. Blueberry is, without question, the worst operator in Maine....with no second place. Cheap beyond cheap.
 
adbuyer1 said:
That would be awful. Blueberry is, without question, the worst operator in Maine....with no second place. Cheap beyond cheap.
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Blueberry already owns several stations in Bangor Ellsworth DownEast area, I don't think they could add any more if they wanted to due to FCC limits.
 
rjoc said:
adbuyer1 said:
That would be awful. Blueberry is, without question, the worst operator in Maine....with no second place. Cheap beyond cheap.
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Blueberry already owns several stations in Bangor Ellsworth DownEast area, I don't think they could add any more if they wanted to due to FCC limits.
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The only place there might be red tape with buying Nassau properties would be the 106.9 & 107.7 legs of Wbach and 105.5 Frank FM, everything else is in the Portland market or south/west.


I doubt they buy much, Blueberry seems thin on cash and if they did buy anything I would bet they would be the next broadcasting company in Maine to go under.
 
Encarta95 suggests MPBN step in and buy the W-Bach Network. Maybe MPBN could join with NH Public Radio to keep the two New Hampshire simulcasts doing classical as well.

After all, WGBH stepped in to buy WCRB, a commercial Classical station in Boston. And New York Public Radio WNYC stepped in to buy WQXR, a commercial classical station in New York. Both stations continue to operate 24/7 as classical but non-commercial. Other commercial classical stations have been preserved in Chicago, Seattle and Cleveland when a non-profit bought them and made them listener-supported.

And as I said earlier, Vermont already has a public classical network. A few other states such as Minnesota and Iowa also operate two NPR networks, one news and talk, one classical. Maybe the public broadcasters in Maine and NH could do the same with the W-Bach network's three Maine stations and two NH stations.


Gregg
[email protected]
 
You mean as a joint venture, sharing expenses and revenue? Interesting. But...
I'd be afraid another NHPR network would lose money. The donor base is only so large.

Gregg said:
Maybe the public broadcasters in Maine and NH could do the same with the W-Bach network's three Maine stations and two NH stations.
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Gregg said:
After all, WGBH stepped in to buy WCRB, a commercial Classical station in Boston.
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And the seller of WCRB, of course, was Nassau. ;)

I wouldn't be surprised if Greater Media placed bids on a few stations. Cape Cod would be a perfect outgrowth of GM's Boston cluster, and the Portland cluster would fit well with Greater Media's format strengths. The only Nassau station that seems off-limits would be 106.3 WFNQ - with its Nashua COL, wouldn't it be in the Boston DMA?
 
ThatGuyOnTheRadio said:
...seems off-limits would be 106.3 WFNQ - with its Nashua COL, wouldn't it be in the Boston DMA?
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Yes it would...
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BIA lists WFNQ as being in the manchester, NH market, which, last I recall, gets the market definitons from Arbitron.
 
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