Ratings

[MikefromDelaware]

According to Radio Locator's site, WTOP-AM 1050 Silversprings MD, and WTOP-FM Washington both do news and WFED 1500-AM does Federal Radio News. Interestingly, all three are owned by the Bonneville Holding Company Salt Lake City, UT.

The idea of low powered FM translators is a great way to extend coverage ( it's not just religious and non-comm NPR stations that use that technique now), pretty cool Baltimore to Richmond.

 

[Bill_W]

As far as KYW is concerned. Maybe down the road, CBS could work out a deal with Family Radio and get 106.9 and make that the new KYW-FM simulcasting on both AM/FM. However, I believe WTOP offers something different in news coverage with their AM station that isn't what their main station on FM offers. Maybe more business news - long form interviews,etc. I'm not sure as I've not heard it, but read somewhere that they are not simulcasting all of the FM's programming.

Someone here probably has better info on this and can enlighten all of us on this.

I believe CBS would have to get rid of a station to aquire another station. They had to get rid of WMMR and sold it to GM when they aquired Infinity. Does anyone know that the FCC specified that they had to get rid of an FM station. Could have they moved either of WIP's or KYW's programming to 93.3 and they sold one of the AM stations instead? WMMR's programming on AM?

 

[radioguy39nj]

According to Radio Locator's site, WTOP-AM 1050 Silversprings MD, and WTOP-FM Washington both do news and WFED 1500-AM does Federal Radio News. Interestingly, all three are owned by the Bonneville Holding Company Salt Lake City, UT.

The idea of low powered FM translators is a great way to extend coverage ( it's not just religious and non-comm NPR stations that use that technique now), pretty cool Baltimore to Richmond.

Bonneville not only migrated WTOP to FM, they did likewise with heritage news/talk stations KIRO Seattle and KTAR Phoenix. They also simulcast news/talk KSL Salt Lake City on AM & FM. News/Talk on FM is what Bonneville does very well.

Bonneville once owned 105.1 in NYC first as easy listening WRFM, then later as AC WNSR (Soft Rock 105) and hot AC WMXV (Mix 105). Today the station is urban WWPR (Power 105.1), owned by CC. If Bonneville still owned the station, it might've been News Talk 105.1.

 

[aindik]

WTOP is a different situation than KYW. WTOP (AM) on 1500 had trouble covering the market. The population in DC has shifted to the south and west after AM allocations were made in DC (which didn't get any 50 kw non-directional channels like the cities to its north did). 103.5 FM covers much, much more of the market than 1500 does.

That's not the case with 1060. It still covers the whole market.

 

[aindik]

I think radio and TV ownership are counted separately. The current rule for major markets (markets with more than 45 stations on the air) is that a company can own 8 stations, no more than 5 in one band. CBS owns 2 FMs and 3 AMs. They could acquire more.

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-10-92A1.pdf (page 8).

The rule on TV is, you can own up to 2 stations, but you cannot own more than 1 of the top 4 rated stations in the market.

 

[aindik]

Ah. There are also radio-TV cross ownership rules. In a city where there are 20 or more independent media voices, a company can own 2 TV stations and 6 radio stations. In a city where there are between 10 and 19 independent media voices, a company can own 2 TV stations and 4 radio stations.

I am not sure who does and doesn't count as a media voice in the Philadelphia market. Obviously we have ABC, Beasley, CBS, Clear Channel, Greater Media, Fox, NBC, Radio One, Salem, Temple U, U of Penn, and the owners of WBEB and WHYY. But I don't know who else counts.

But if Philadelphia were at fewer than 20, then CBS would already be over the limit. So, assuming Philadelphia is over 20, CBS is still not over its limit. It can acquire 1 more radio station in either band.

 

[Bill_W]

Ah. There are also radio-TV cross ownership rules. In a city where there are 20 or more independent media voices, a company can own 2 TV stations and 6 radio stations. In a city where there are between 10 and 19 independent media voices, a company can own 2 TV stations and 4 radio stations.

I am not sure who does and doesn't count as a media voice in the Philadelphia market. Obviously we have ABC, Beasley, CBS, Clear Channel, Greater Media, Fox, NBC, Radio One, Salem, Temple U, U of Penn, and the owners of WBEB and WHYY. But I don't know who else counts.

But if Philadelphia were at fewer than 20, then CBS would already be over the limit. So, assuming Philadelphia is over 20, CBS is still not over its limit. It can acquire 1 more radio station in either band.

Is market share involved too? Why did CBS have to get rid of WMMR? CBS owned one more FM station, 93.3.

 

[HGN2001]

I seem to recall another caveat about not reaching more than 25% of the market with your radio stations. That was one of the reasons, IIRC, that CBS had to sell of WMMR when it acquired WYSP.

 

[aindik]

Ah. There are also radio-TV cross ownership rules. In a city where there are 20 or more independent media voices, a company can own 2 TV stations and 6 radio stations. In a city where there are between 10 and 19 independent media voices, a company can own 2 TV stations and 4 radio stations.

I am not sure who does and doesn't count as a media voice in the Philadelphia market. Obviously we have ABC, Beasley, CBS, Clear Channel, Greater Media, Fox, NBC, Radio One, Salem, Temple U, U of Penn, and the owners of WBEB and WHYY. But I don't know who else counts.

But if Philadelphia were at fewer than 20, then CBS would already be over the limit. So, assuming Philadelphia is over 20, CBS is still not over its limit. It can acquire 1 more radio station in either band.

Is market share involved too? Why did CBS have to get rid of WMMR? CBS owned one more FM station, 93.3.

In 1994, there were three companies: CBS, Westinghouse, and Infinity. At this time, I think Infinity owned 610 and 94.1, Westinghouse owned 93.3 and 1060, and CBS owned 98.1. and 1210.

In 1995, Westinghouse bought CBS. That was before the ownership rules changed in 1996. The merged Westinghouse/CBS in 1995 owned 2 AMs and 2 FMs. IIRC, the pre-1996 rules required them to sell off one of the FMs. (How they got to keep the 2 AMs, I'm not sure).

In 1997, Westinghouse sold off all the non-broadcasting businesses and changed its name to CBS. The new CBS then bought Infinity that same year. CBS then owned the same 2 FMs and 3 AMs it owns now. Had the 1996 rules been in place in 1995, they could have kept WMMR.

 

[aindik]

Reading more on this, it looks like the sale of WMMR by CBS didn't happen until after the Infinity merger. All I can come up with is that the rules changed at some point between then and now. Because under today's rules, it looks like CBS can own 2 TV stations and 6 radio stations (no more than 5 in a single band) in Philly, assuming Philly still has 20 media voices. If Philly doesn't have 20 media voices, CBS can own 2 TV stations and 4 radio stations (all of which can be in the same band). Since CBS already owns 2 TV stations and 5 radio stations, we have to assume the 20+ voices rule applies.

 

[ccuphl]

I wonder if CBS has ever considered making an offer for that 97.1 translator in Center City (certainly easier than unloading station and buying another one)... 10 watts at almost 500 feet gives you +/- all the building penetration you need for Center City.

 

[HGN2001]

Lost in the CBS/MMR shuffle is the fact that it was really a swap. Greater Media got WMMR from CBS, and CBS got an AM/FM combo in Los Angeles, KRLA/KLSX.