"Please change your radio dial now to 98.7 FM"

[jetfli]

Sad but true, but with radio being a bussiness, and with 100.3 being a proven format leader with talk, If I was John and wanted to make money, I would do the same, as much as I want I-100 to come back, their really isnt room for another chr,,, you got 102.1 for the pop, 104.5 for the hip hop, and 106.1 for Adult top 40, and then several country stations, and then Jack FM for Classic Hits, B-97.5 for AC and Classc hits... Its really the only format hole unless he went with Rhythmic AC or Urban AC, which wouldnt make any sense given the heavily rural conservative areas the signal covers.

You have a 100,000 watt beam, and you can program anything you want, regardless of what anyone else is doing. Do it halfway right, and you can rule a much weaker-signaled station. The decision to stay Talk isn't about how to rule, but how to rule best.

Going Country only makes you a competitor, since there's already a Country 100,000 watter in town. Staying Talk gives you the potential to be a ruler.

 

[MN Maniac]

100.3 going up directly against WIVK would certainly carry more risk, but would also have the greatest potential payoff if they were successful. WIVK's billing is huge. Absolutely huge. Several others have tried to get a piece of it. But they fail because they do not have a competitive signal and/or competitive talent. With 100,000 watts at 2,001 feet and Ed Brantley's team in the house, 100.3 has both. I believe they would have had a very good chance at cooking the Frog.

So, we have 100.3 vs 98.7 in the News/Talk arena. 100.3 has the signal advantage by a ratio of 12.5x ERP. But 98.7 has the overall talent advantage, both local and syndicated. Whether that talent roster on 98.7 stays intact remains to be seen. I would assume most of the local talent is under contract with non-compete clauses (?) How or if contractural obligations are affected by a company's bankruptcy status, I have no idea. As far as the syndicated shows, I'd be curious to know when Rush and Hannity's contracts are up for renewal. Especially Rush. Terms of contracts with regards to the key players, both local and syndicated, may have a lot to do with the future success of 100.3.

 

[gr8oldies]

Heritage Country stations like WIVK are extremely difficult to dislodge, to the point of being close to impossible; even with equal signals and a ton of money. Those listeners are very loyal, and really don't care about the behind the scenes politics of radio or who has a score to settle with whom. News/Talk is the best possible move.
It is interesting that Pirkle was able to dislodge Coast to Coast immediately, but not Rush. I had heard that it is a 90-day out for Rush, but that is old info.

 

[Mid West Clubber]

I hope Pirkle gets Glenn Beck and Phil,,, They are really the only reasons I tune into 100.3, other than for DX purposes. I wont lie, Im not an Obama fan at all,, dont take this out of context, You can have your opinions and I will have mine, their is no reason for adults to argue. But I will continue to support Pirkle, JP is a smart man, he is a nice man, and thank him greatfully for the years of Entertainment. I was born in 1980, so I dont have those real early memories of the old WOKI, but I remember it from 86 on up and have supported it ever since. I dont remember BRO JOHN, I dont remember Lazer 100 or Stereo 100, but I do remember hits 100 and I-100,,, I first learned of WOKI from our School Bus Driver in Dandridge,, she has passed away now sadly,, but back in School, WOKI was THEE station to listen to,,, their were two crews of kids that either Supported WIMZ or WOKI, My Crew ran with WOKI,,, You werent cool if you didnt listen to WOKI,, It was blasted at every pool party, and birthday party, now days kids just listen to their Ipods, they dont listen to radio anymore.. Would you say that as a 30 yr old male, im out of todays chr demo, and that the chr demo wouldnt listen to WOKI for nostalgia reasons.

 

[pedro1]

No one in Lexington, Ky. thought 98.1 The Bull or any other station for that matter could dislodge 'SUPER K93'. K93 had a lock for years. The Bull unlocked them with his horns. It can be done.

 

[jetfli]

100.3 going up directly against WIVK would certainly carry more risk, but would also have the greatest potential payoff if they were successful. WIVK's billing is huge. Absolutely huge. Several others have tried to get a piece of it. But they fail because they do not have a competitive signal and/or competitive talent.

They fail because they do not have the Vol Network, or the billing that surrounds it. WIVK is assured of remaining king as long as they have it.

I dont remember BRO JOHN, I dont remember Lazer 100 or Stereo 100, but I do remember hits 100 and I-100,,, I first learned of WOKI from our School Bus Driver in Dandridge,, she has passed away now sadly,, but back in School, WOKI was THEE station to listen to,,, their were two crews of kids that either Supported WIMZ or WOKI, My Crew ran with WOKI,,, You werent cool if you didnt listen to WOKI,, It was blasted at every pool party, and birthday party

I mostly remember Mike Beverly... and WOKI was cool wherever you could get it — Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Cookeville, Chattanooga, etc. Wouldn't surprise me if during its heyday it wasn't one of the most listened to FM stations outside its own market, ever.

 

[SchlitzBeer]

Just a side thought, will this affect the EAS system in the area? Is 100.3 a “primary” or originator station?

No 100.3 is not. 107.7 is. At some point 990 AM is/was. 97.5 also originates alerts.

 

[MurvleJumpUp]

WOKI was THEE station to listen to,,, their were two crews of kids that either Supported WIMZ or WOKI, My Crew ran with WOKI,,, You werent cool if you didnt listen to WOKI,,

We were working something at a high school the night WOKI switched over to country. We were sure the children would be upset so we ANNOUNCED it in the auditorium and there was no reaction? Ya never know do you.

 

[boogiecheck]

We were working something at a high school the night WOKI switched over to country. We were sure the children would be upset so we ANNOUNCED it in the auditorium and there was no reaction? Ya never know do you.

Well, if you had been at Central rather than TSD you might have gotten a response!

(c'mon, that's classic CP & Walker punny!)

 

[jmtillery]

The agreement is public record. It's even on the internet and in the "Public File" on Old Kingston Pike. I've read it and I know several other posters have read it too. There were no provisions for Citadel to purchase the station other than the right to first refusal if someone else came forward with a big old bag of money. Like I've said, we're not dealing with smart people here when we talk about Citadel.

I understand completely what you are saying. Maybe Citadel's executive management team isn't the brightest and the best, but somehow I serious doubt that is case.

As a media broker myself, I have bought and sold countless stations over the course of the past 20-years, so I understand about Asset Purchase Agreements, Local Marketing Agreements, Time Brokerage Agreements, Escrow Agreements, clauses, options, stipulations, license transfers and you name it.

The point I was making is, even with the documentation of the deal made public through the FCC and the station Public Inspection File, there are still things about the Citadel/Pirkle deal I'm sure none of us have the real answer because we are not privy to that information. There are many "behind the scenes" activities that takes place in major corporations that is never made public.

Furthermore, and I'm not sticking up for Citadel nor anyone else. However, although Knoxville is a great radio market, it should be noted that not having 100.3 will not make very much difference on the Citadel Balance Sheet and Statement of Income. Citadel's "Creme of the Crop" stations are in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Washington and Detroit.

 

[MurvleJumpUp]

[EDIT] that was really funny! But we were at S. Doyle and they could really give a rats ass..we asked those back stage about it and again when we announced it to an auditorium FULL of kids it was like so whats your point?

I kinda think High Schoolers were a tad old for OKI and at that point in time moving toward WIMZ and yep god help us all...some of the new country stuff.

Say [EDIT], did you ever check OKI's numbers after they went Country? Must have been rather good cause they scared James A. into renting them for a lot of years.


[EDIT-disruption]

 

[Tibbs4]

Mark - good and valid info. Citadel looked at a no win situation. The rent was to high for the ROR.
Sadly, its actually much smarter to just be done with all the headaches and look at what was paid over the past years to have no piece of the pie. It's like paying a huge house note and yet never having ownership. You're better off moving. I think it's good business for a change.

Looking at the triple-play of Country in Nashville, I think Citadull is wasting their time pissing away potential easy revenue by having WKDF in the fight, when it was the heritage rocker. Now, a 100kw fringe rock signal at 102.9 out performs it. And, a rock station is a perfect comp for Citadumbs Sports Talker. They need to clue in on that one while they are fixing TN.

As for 100.3 going up against WIVK, I just don't think with the nature of the business today, even if you have the "old school" fight in you, justifies throwing $500,000 down the drain to try to get a piece of the Country format, that would at best be pretty close to the current talk numbers. Up the quality and play real radio with Talk. Using the old OKI calls would be just great. Wonder how much money Mr. P. has saved from the past checks that actually cleared. That saved cash may very well be just the thing that makes the fight worth taking the country $$$worth getting even over. Still, it's not overly wise.

I'd also like to say that Mark is spot on on how little the TN market means to Farhad. As long as it doesn't show the negatives on the line of credit, things will really never change,and just bounce along on the road to nowhere. Knoxville made someone look bad. Now that this bleeding is stopped, TN will fall into oblivion without the 100.3 headaches. No one will even know how many stations are owned in Knoxville in six months.
Business as always...

Mark, I like those list of lease to own options you mentioned on here. Wouldn't wanna use em in Knoxville these days, but may they make sense in your neck of the woods ;D

 

[jmtillery]

Tibbs2, thank you for the kind words and the compliment.

Although I don't know the exact details relating to 100.3, my best guess is Citadel may be using the 100.3 loss as a trade-off of some sort. In any high finance, or even in smaller situations, it isn't necessarily how many pluses and minuses you have on the Balance Sheet that determines success or failure, but rather how you play the pluses and the minuses. In other words, a minus isn't always a loss. Played correctly, a minus can actually be a plus.

 

[BillBattle]

Tibbs2, thank you for the kind words and the compliment.

Although I don't know the exact details relating to 100.3, my best guess is Citadel may be using the 100.3 loss as a trade-off of some sort. In any high finance, or even in smaller situations, it isn't necessarily how many pluses and minuses you have on the Balance Sheet that determines success or failure, but rather how you play the pluses and the minuses. In other words, a minus isn't always a loss. Played correctly, a minus can actually be a plus.

Say what?

 

[Tennessee Cowboy]

Tibbs2, thank you for the kind words and the compliment.

Although I don't know the exact details relating to 100.3, my best guess is Citadel may be using the 100.3 loss as a trade-off of some sort. In any high finance, or even in smaller situations, it isn't necessarily how many pluses and minuses you have on the Balance Sheet that determines success or failure, but rather how you play the pluses and the minuses. In other words, a minus isn't always a loss. Played correctly, a minus can actually be a plus.

Think about how big a plus it would be for them to swap 107.7 for 94.3. Betcha Johnny would consider an even trade. Think of the big plus for Citadel and the huge benefit to Knoxville.

Think of it this way: Knoxville minus Citadel equals big plus.

 

[boogiecheck]

[EDIT]that was really funny! But we were at S. Doyle and they could really give a rats ass..we asked those back stage about it and again when we announced it to an auditorium FULL of kids it was like so whats your point?

I kinda think High Schoolers were a tad old for OKI and at that point in time moving toward WIMZ and yep god help us all...some of the new country stuff.

Say [EDIT], did you ever check OKI's numbers after they went Country? Must have been rather good cause they scared James A. into renting them for a lot of years.

I can see that happening. Top-40 was DOA back then. Rock and country were generating the big numbers for that demo. If you had announced that 94.3 had gone country you might have had to call in the Nat'l Guard to get out of the place!

 

[MurvleJumpUp]

or WIMZ.

I remember the old WRJZ having a meeting saying the music was going to include some tunes from this new movie about some fool who rode a mechanical bull after falling off an oil rig and getting into a fist fight over a girl who had her name on the front license plate of his truck. The top 40 tunes were not dropped and that train wreck everyone thought was going to happen never materialized. We were soon Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places while we were Smoking In The Boys Room and not ONE person called to raise hell about the mix.

The meeting was not pretty but guess what the numbers sure were.

 

[jmtillery]

Tibbs2, thank you for the kind words and the compliment.

Although I don't know the exact details relating to 100.3, my best guess is Citadel may be using the 100.3 loss as a trade-off of some sort. In any high finance, or even in smaller situations, it isn't necessarily how many pluses and minuses you have on the Balance Sheet that determines success or failure, but rather how you play the pluses and the minuses. In other words, a minus isn't always a loss. Played correctly, a minus can actually be a plus.

Say what?

In accounting terms it is refered to as Debits and Credits. Using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) there are tradeoffs, mostly for tax purposes, but there can be other advantages. Any competent CPA will tell you the same thing.

Citadel is no slouch company when you consider all the facts. They may have lost the 100kw 100.3 in Knoxville, however, at the same time, Citadel also wiped out billions in debt while its executive team has maintained control of the company and kepted its prized ABC station portfolio. In Knoxville, Citadel is still a major player with its prized WIVK, even without 100.3.

 

[jmtillery]

or WIMZ.

I remember the old WRJZ having a meeting saying the music was going to include some tunes from this new movie about some fool who rode a mechanical bull after falling off an oil rig and getting into a fist fight over a girl who had her name on the front license plate of his truck. The top 40 tunes were not dropped and that train wreck everyone thought was going to happen never materialized. We were soon Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places while we were Smoking In The Boys Room and not ONE person called to raise hell about the mix.

The meeting was not pretty but guess what the numbers sure were.

It sounds as though you are describing a Town and Country mix, consisting of contemporary country mixed with contemporary hits/hot adult contemporary. The few stations I have heard with this format have sounded surprisingly good and garnered good ratings and revenue.

 

[BillBattle]

Tibbs2, thank you for the kind words and the compliment.

Although I don't know the exact details relating to 100.3, my best guess is Citadel may be using the 100.3 loss as a trade-off of some sort. In any high finance, or even in smaller situations, it isn't necessarily how many pluses and minuses you have on the Balance Sheet that determines success or failure, but rather how you play the pluses and the minuses. In other words, a minus isn't always a loss. Played correctly, a minus can actually be a plus.

Citadull CEO solicited a lot of investors including his employees to buy the stock. They got nothing and you praise him. The people he sold the debt too wanted to get a interest return and their money back. He paid too much for those ABC station 2.5 billion and had to write of his investment in the same year. He screwed a lot of people and will go down as the worst broadcast CEO in the industry. Somebody should ask his old boss Mel Karmazian what he thinks of Faried performance.
Say what?

In accounting terms it is refered to as Debits and Credits. Using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) there are tradeoffs, mostly for tax purposes, but there can be other advantages. Any competent CPA will tell you the same thing.

Citadel is no slouch company when you consider all the facts. They may have lost the 100kw 100.3 in Knoxville, however, at the same time, Citadel also wiped out billions in debt while its executive team has maintained control of the company and kepted its prized ABC station portfolio. In Knoxville, Citadel is still a major player with its prized WIVK, even without 100.3.