Official: BAS and CC close the deal

[Just Wondering]

kentuckymedia, you have a private message.

 

[sunset77]

Voice-of-Reason, finally someone who gets it!

 

[nightfly61]

Hmmm...here's a concept: DON'T BUY STATIONS IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD THEM! Sure CC pilfered everything these clusters had but changing everything to satellite's just gonna be the nail in the coffin. Why start out getting in over your head, meanwhile canning Sandusky & Findlay area employees & giving more to Big Brother? Keep your nose OUT of big business if you can't hang/afford them! I believe the "good ole boys" need to take Business Math over again.

 

[RF Man]

With voice tracking did they record boil alerts and fires ahead of time and save them for the future in case one happened? At this moment they have local news delivered by a dedicated and professional newsman who's only full-time job is local news. He has been doing this several years at BAS.

Your posts do nothing but tear apart something that has not even happened and not once have you stated anything positive as to what you would do if these were your stations. I will take locally owned and operated over CC any day. At least they will listen.

it is funny though how all of the satellite bashers on here never mention that most of the CC stations were voicetracked or off the bird like Bob and Tom and Big D and Bubba...

They may have been tracked, but at least when there was a boil alert or late breaking local news story or fire or cancellation those jocks were on it. You could tell the announcers were local. You'll never hear dish crap talking about the new rides up at Cedar Point or "this one's going out to Battery Park". When every other dished out area station was unmanned people could at least call & get a real human being on the other end or call in to win contests. Bland And Stagnating(BAS) will do away with all that & not bat an eye. I wouldn't be surprised if they sold one of their station vans like down here in Cinci.

 

[RF Man]

Which person are you talking about here? Or could you generalize some more? As I recall you worked there once right? Is this all your influence? In order to able to put together a multi million deal and purchase multiple stations they must have made more than fool's gold already from their four station operation. Vacationland having a sad day? On the contrary, it will be a fine new day when CC no longer exists and stations go back to local ownership the way it used to be.

I gotta agree with you. Its going to be a very sad day in Vacationland once Bas takes over on a programming stand point. What makes me extremely sad is they dont care about programming. They hire Ops Managers who have only worked in News. They wouldnt know what a OM/PD if it bit them in the ass.

On the other hand, they do market stations well and they do make money. The problem with that is WCPZ is a 2.2 million dollar station. Bas wont make that, they might turn it into a 800k station. Lets hope for the future of radio they get a hair brained idea to hire a consultant who will take programming under their wing and actually make atleast some fools gold out of their heap of metal and satellite dishes!

 

[Rusty Muck]

A bit of what is to come:

The Tiffin Advertiser-Tribute just wrote about the sale of WTTF, among the other stations.

Here's a few bites:

http://www.advertiser-tribune.com/page/content.detail/id/503087.html

Decisions regarding operations of these stations have not been completed.

Klein said they do not have as big a budget as Clear Channel and have to operate their business differently.

“We’ll have to live within our sales so we can bring the radio station in line, sales with expenses,” Klein said.

“There will be changes. No one likes to make changes, but we have to live within our budget.”

...

While change is to come, Klein said a lot of the elements still will remain.

One of the elements, Frank Barber, will not remain. Klein said Barber decided to stay on with Clear Channel.

Local news still can be heard but, it will come from the staff at the Fremont and Sandusky stations. Local sports and the morning show is to be read by Jason Aldrich, local director for WTTF.

“Music, a lot of elements will stay the same,” Klein said.

Two things: Aldrich WILL be retained from the sale, and I'm presuming that Steve Schnoffer will have a LOT of work on his plate now. He might just get "the keys" to the bulk of the BAS stations. And then you'd hope that Dave Wiedenheft is retained as a news anchor. Don't know if they are retaining Russ Snyder or Stan Lee, however.

But... BAS trying to keep WTTF local is a no-brainer. Let's see if it extends over to The Hut at all...

- nate81 -


[Link added as a courtesy by Radio Info]

 

[kentuckymedia]

Sorry to inform you RF Man, I never have worked in the Vacationland market. I do have quite a few association with people in the Vacationland market however.

BAS will do good things (sales initiatives, marketing, etc.). But coming with that are bad things (terrible programming, satellite dishes). So you get both the good and the bad.

 

[kentuckymedia]

So your thoughts on the names. Mix wont be Mix anymore, because Bas wont pay the naming rights to Clear Channel on that. Anymore thoughts?

 

[sunset77]

Kentucky...no need to guess on the Mix name...there are no name rights to it...it will remain Mix 102.7

 

[kentuckymedia]

Just figured since they took off heritage 93Q thats been around since the 1970's to call it "The Eagle"

 

[sunset77]

I still like "The Point" for CPZ

While we're at it...why not change 'The Coast" what does MJK and the Coast have in common

They changed the old WNRR to WOHF and The Wolf...they work great together...

 

[kentuckymedia]

They would be smart to re-brand the station as 102-7 The Point, The Best of the 80's, 90's and Now.

 

[sandybeachtheone]

Greg (Kentucky) ... wasn't CPZ the POINT or the FUN POINT in the 90's before CC days? My impression is that BAS wouldn't want to keep 102.7 as "The Mix" for that is a CC identifier....right?

 

[pbf1]

My impression is that BAS wouldn't want to keep 102.7 as "The Mix" for that is a CC identifier....right?

No, it's not.

 

[kentuckymedia]

CC tried a couple of times to buy the naming rights for MIX. However some fall out happened with CBS Radio (Infinity) and they sued eachother til they were blue in the face.

Bas could keep Mix. However, with the CC Karma not always being the greatest in Sandusky, BAS could make the logical move and change the name

 

[RF Man]

WQIO has only been around since 1987. Prior to this time it was WMVO FM and ran on automation via a 3 cart carousel and 4 Reel to reel machines for the music. The station was known at the time as WMVO FM.

Just figured since they took off heritage 93Q thats been around since the 1970's to call it "The Eagle"

 

[Rusty Muck]

Two things: Aldrich WILL be retained from the sale, and I'm presuming that Steve Schnoffer will have a LOT of work on his plate now. He might just get "the keys" to the bulk of the BAS stations. And then you'd hope that Dave Wiedenheft is retained as a news anchor. Don't know if they are retaining Russ Snyder or Stan Lee, however.

But... BAS trying to keep WTTF local is a no-brainer. Let's see if it extends over to The Hut at all...

- nate81 -

Well, quoting myself...

I since have been told some rather concerning items about the changeover. Pretty much firsthand stuff...

Frank Barber sticking with CC was not done under his own volition. BAS made Jason Aldrich deliver Frank the news that they wouldn't pick his contract up. Give CC-Findlay credit for picking him up (which, if I'm correct, will now include WCKY-FM until that issue is resolved)...

WLEC PMD host and former news anchor Dave Wiedenheft's contract was not picked up by BAS with the changeover, and his last on-air day will be on Thursday. (As WLEC will apparently be streaming for the very last day that same day, we should be able to hear it online.) He may be able to do some sports PBP for them under a talent fee, but that's about it.

The rumors of WLEC flipping back to standards/50's & 60's oldies have some real meat to it. Unfortunately, this may have come at the worse posssible time, as the high school basketball playoffs are upcoming. With their airstaff now in total flux and the scale of their local coverage now in the air, that's a really bad sign.

Remember, the local sports coverage IS their biggest selling point. And the move will take place two days before the Super Bowl.

- nate81 -

 

[voice-of-reason]

I agree, this is terrible timing for any changes on WLEC. HS Basketball just drew the sectional playoff pairings and Indians are just a couple weeks from heading to spring training. How would you like to be a Sandusky AE and try to sell Indians in the environment WLEC will be experiencing in the coming days. I know it's tough enough without all of the other distractions.

I agree with many of you that WLEC will go back to the sports/music/news format, but I think the music will be a little higher up the timeline, perhaps core artists including ol' blue eyes and Tony Bennett, mixed in with The Carpenters, Elton John, Neil Diamond, and maybe even some Elvis. Can't wait to hear the obits again!! WLEC is trading 'in-the-jungle' for 'in-the-ground'.

The PD at WTTF must feel like the ship just left port and he's the last one standing on the dock. Better than Sandusky I guess, where it sounds like most will end up cast into the water! Hope not.

Should be interesting to see/hear if there is any reaction from their competitors at Elyria-Lorain. The country(WKFM) has always been solid, but the Norwalk-FM(WLKR) has been a cluster you-know-what for quite a while. Could an all-sports format be sustained on it?? I know their AM is all-sports, but come on. They have to put Cleveland sports PBP on the FM anyway in order for people to hear it. The AM should broker blocks of time to Norwalk/Huron County organizations and air that stuff, with looped news/sports scores/weather announcements....oh, and don't forget the obits!!

 

[Rusty Muck]

WQIO has only been around since 1987. Prior to this time it was WMVO FM and ran on automation via a 3 cart carousel and 4 Reel to reel machines for the music. The station was known at the time as WMVO FM.

Just figured since they took off heritage 93Q thats been around since the 1970's to call it "The Eagle"

The WQIO calls are best known from being on the current WILB/1060 Canton during the late 70's. Supposedly, they were picked up by WMVO-FM as a nod to the previous incarnation, but Canton is kinda far away from Mount Vernon to make that connection...

- nate81 -

 

[Rusty Muck]

Here's a quote from Nick Vincent on WCPZ's soon-to-be-defunct website...

Good News????!!!!
Thursday 01-17-2008 3:54pm ET

Well, I'm getting to the end of my third week back here at the Mix, and THEN they tell you, "Surprise, we just got sold"! Hopefully all goes well with the new company, after all, having a family to support, not to mention a mortgage, I can't afford for it not to go well. As the group Asia says, "Only Time Willl Tell."

I admire the fact that they are all putting on brave faces right in front of adversity like this.

- nate81 -