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Preparation. Concentration. Termination.

re: What do you think the possibilty exists that WHP's News/Talk programming will soon occupy 97.3FM?

Slim and none - too much revenue from WHP that would only be diluted if they simulcast with an FM.
There's no "FM Talk" threat around here, although it's surprising that no one has ever tried (and it's expensive). Bruce Bond came close until they squelched him.
 
epmark said:
re: What do you think the possibilty exists that WHP's News/Talk programming will soon occupy 97.3FM?

Slim and none - too much revenue from WHP that would only be diluted if they simulcast with an FM.
There's no "FM Talk" threat around here, although it's surprising that no one has ever tried (and it's expensive). Bruce Bond came close until they squelched him.
Click to expand...
Why no threat? It's working in other cities, News Talk 104.7 is a top 5 station in Pittsburgh where I moved from recently. It wasn't supposed to last a year when it signed on.
 
Clear Channel has Rush and the other majors locked up in syndication, so naturally they're on WHP. Without them, no one else can mount a threat, even on FM. WHYL and WCMB (pre-CC) both had no traction with their talk line-ups (otherwise WQIC-FM would do a simulcast of WLVR). I know the argument that "I never turn on AM, and if there were an FM talker I'd give it a try. For this area, the profit goes with music on FM.
 
Some thoughts about WHP going to FM:

1. The AM bands days are numbered. The stations that flourish like WHP are few and far between. Just scan up and down the band if you don't believe me.

2. WHP is a very valuable asset for Clear Channel.

3. Based on those two statements, wouldn't it make sense to migrate WHP to FM while keeping the AM frequency for as long as it makes sense?

4. With Clear Channel's current FMs doing as well as they are, it would not make sense to blow them up at the present time.

5. Cumulus will be left with 4 FMs in the Harrisburg metro after the merger: 93.5, 104.1, 105.7 and 106.7. Wouldn't it then make sense for Clear Channel to buy 92.1 and 102.3 (if allowed to) and simulcast WHP, thus giving them an FM presence? Then, down the road,years from now, if it made sensey, to migrate WHP to one the the more powerful CC FMs? I thought at one point that CC was only allowed 3 FMs, but Cumulus will end up with 4.

Food for thought.......
 
Something else to think about regarding migration of talk radio to FM is
the possibility of increased royalty fees. It has been on the back burner in
congress for some time. If it happens and it probably will at some juncture
because music sales have declined so dramatically over the last decade therefore
the recording industry will keep pushing it to help them survive.
If traditional broadcast media is hit with increased fees there will be more FM
talk than you can shake a stick at. Stations are already paying additional fees
to sound exchange for internet broadcasting, and the traditional BMI / ASCAP / SESAC
fees. Rest assured increased fees of this nature will cause many operators to
evaluate programming.
 
All discussion on talk radio going to FM. For WHP, there's no need to move to FM until:
1) their #1 rating is threatened by a non-CC station
2) one of their FM's flounders and starts to bleed cash; stem the bleeding (can the staff) and dup WHP on FM at no additional cost
3) Cumulus does the unthinkable and converts one of their FM blowtorches to talk. This still wouldn't be a threat unless the Talk-FM station overtakes one of the CC FMs (not likely soon).
 
Can you remember a time when there was more turnover at 600 Corp Circle? New OM, relatively new GM, new traffic from Total, new jock on KISS at night. It seems especially odd for a cluster that's been relatively stable in the last few years in the ratings. Things happen in this business and budget cuts are an accepted risk that everyone deals with, but what's the mood like inside the building? Everyone has to be walking on eggshells. I've got friends who work in some of the other clusters in the region, and there's a lot of head-shaking going on.

With all the talk here of moving WHP to 97.3, why are we ignoring the more obvious choice of moving WHP to 99.3? That station can't be bringing in much in terms of revenue. It's a flanker, at best, and it's format is duplicated on several stations within the marketplace. Wouldn't that make more sense, if a move to FM is happening?
 
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