Peg Broadcasting buys out Small town Clear Channels

[ARDONAVINDA]

Anyone know the low down on the Peg buy out of the McMinnville & Sparta TN, Clear Channels?
Word that I have heard is They purchased the McMinnville TN stations that were Clear Channels, they have aquired 3 FMs & 2 AMs I do believe. They are broadcasting The former CC country format The Bull on all 3 FMs over there. They also have Sparta's FM 105.5 plus the two AMs. The other day the local morning jock on Sparta's Rock Dog 105.5 signed off forever. Said it has been nice to be back in the hometown he grew up in and was moving on to different direction in his life, and yesterday the 105.5 frequency signed off the air sometime after the mid day. Transmitter off.

So there was always the rumour that when CC had the stations that it was moving closer to Chattanooga, but were never sure whith CC sale being up in the air. So could this be happening, or is new Owners Peg Broadcasting trying a stunt to rid off the old Classic Rock listeners so they can clone 1of their two big successes in Crossville which are 102 WOW Country & Mix 99?

Now in my personal oppinion I think out of the 3 FMs that Peg now has in Mac Town, They will yank The Bull format simply because it's a CC format and not their own. I believe they will carbon copy WOW county in McMinnville on the 103.9 freq and carbon copy the Mix 99 format on the 107.3 freq. They would be fools not to. Keeps Country Giant from invading Mac Town anymore and they can achieve the same local success in Mac town as they did with Crossville and they can keep Lite rock 95.9 from gaining any McMinnville listeners by doing their Mix format.

Now as for the 3rd frequency 107.7 other than simulcasting one of the two formats I don't know what they'll do with that one? Seems like a waist to just simulcast though, but Peg isn't made of money, however it could be a chance for another friendly fun local format to invaid McMinnville, but again Peg isn't a fortune 500 so my guess is also that they will utilize many of their Crossville personalities to VT down the line like CC's Cookeville bunch did. After all they now have the Profit System and that's a money saving tool right there! So we shall see as we get closer to Summer. Feel free to correct me or add any info.

 

[scottwmro]

Anyone know the low down on the Peg buy out of the McMinnville & Sparta TN, Clear Channels?
Word that I have heard is They purchased the McMinnville TN stations that were Clear Channels, they have aquired 3 FMs & 2 AMs I do believe. They are broadcasting The former CC country format The Bull on all 3 FMs over there. They also have Sparta's FM 105.5 plus the two AMs. The other day the local morning jock on Sparta's Rock Dog 105.5 signed off forever. Said it has been nice to be back in the hometown he grew up in and was moving on to different direction in his life, and yesterday the 105.5 frequency signed off the air sometime after the mid day. Transmitter off.

So there was always the rumour that when CC had the stations that it was moving closer to Chattanooga, but were never sure whith CC sale being up in the air. So could this be happening, or is new Owners Peg Broadcasting trying a stunt to rid off the old Classic Rock listeners so they can clone 1of their two big successes in Crossville which are 102 WOW Country & Mix 99?

Now in my personal oppinion I think out of the 3 FMs that Peg now has in Mac Town, They will yank The Bull format simply because it's a CC format and not their own. I believe they will carbon copy WOW county in McMinnville on the 103.9 freq and carbon copy the Mix 99 format on the 107.3 freq. They would be fools not to. Keeps Country Giant from invading Mac Town anymore and they can achieve the same local success in Mac town as they did with Crossville and they can keep Lite rock 95.9 from gaining any McMinnville listeners by doing their Mix format.

Now as for the 3rd frequency 107.7 other than simulcasting one of the two formats I don't know what they'll do with that one? Seems like a waist to just simulcast though, but Peg isn't made of money, however it could be a chance for another friendly fun local format to invaid McMinnville, but again Peg isn't a fortune 500 so my guess is also that they will utilize many of their Crossville personalities to VT down the line like CC's Cookeville bunch did. After all they now have the Profit System and that's a money saving tool right there! So we shall see as we get closer to Summer. Feel free to correct me or add any info.

Back in 2000, Jeff Shaw's (part owner of Peg Broadcasting) father stopped by my station, asking me if I would sell WMRO to his son. I told him the station is very "setimental" to me, since I rebuilt it from nothing, and I didn't want to sell it at all, and it would never be for sale, period. I told him I'm not in to this selling and buying stations (broker) business like Bill Buntin is into, that comes around and hangs around my station.

Mr. Shaw was disappointed, but understood my feelings. He was just trying to help his son, just like my dad help me obtain WMRO when I was 27. My dad put up half of the money and I put up the other half. My father passed away February 7 of last year, so his part automatically rolled over to me. My father didn't have that much interest in the station, he just helped me buy it from a promise he made to me when I was a young child. My cousin, Johnny Bailey, owned part of 1400 WJZM for many years into the early 90's, and that's what gave me the idea of having my own, licensed, station.

As I said on this board, and I told Jeff's father, "the old saying is anything is for sale", BUT it is in my Will when I die the station will sign off and the license turned in to the FCC. The property, equipement, assets, etc will be sold separately after the station is dark. I have another friend whom owns one station that feels the same way I do about his station.

The good part of it is that it's just one more little AM station gone, to clean up the AM band. Lots of AM allocations were "shoehorned" in during the 50's and 60's, that really junked up the AM band. My father and I bought the old WAMG studio and tower site, and it is not to be taken out of the family. I turn 44 this coming Wednesday, May 7th, so unless God has other plans for me, WMRO, Magic 1560 will stay put under my ownership.

I wished radio had more people like me in it. I not for these "small groups" owning hometown, small, low powered AM's in the typical small towns you drive in, but there are not enough people that can not afford to buy a small AM hometown station. I wish Mr. Shaw the best of luck, but I guess if there is not enough people that have the capitol to buy a small AM and keep it afloat like I can, then it's best that a small group owner has it to keep the facility on the air.

I know some of you may have a major problem on the way I feel, but it's mine, but I paid for the station, and that's the way that it is. I plan on keeping it small town, home town radio with music, news, and entertainment that gears to the people in my age group, 35-54, being the primary target audience. Most of us my age are parents and we like the new "AAA" stuff, mixed in with the pop stuff of the 80's & 90's. I'm doing something group owners are afraid to do on AM, but I'm having fun doing it, and that is all that matters to me. I'm not looking to make money with the station, it's just an investment. My main income to pay my bills comes from somewhere else.

That's why I changed the format of playing 60's & 70's Oldies. I'm finding other lower powered AM's in our area are doing that format now. Example: 1270, WQKR in Portland, TN