Not Buffalo news, but Regent sold their Watertown cluster. The details are in today's Radio-Info update. I wonder, are they just shedding their smallest market or is there more to come?
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Regent news
- Thread starter ThePickleReport
- Start date
Sounds like they're spinning off the smaller properties to support their investment in Buffalo and make the shareholders believe. Makes sense. I'm just wondering who "the greater fool" was who bought the Watertown cluster.
Watertown?
If you wait long enough, cut expenses (read, "staff") there's always somebody who comes around to buy the store.
It's like the lottery, "Hey, you never know." Watertown could have been a sales machine!
-9-
Watertown?
If you wait long enough, cut expenses (read, "staff") there's always somebody who comes around to buy the store.
It's like the lottery, "Hey, you never know." Watertown could have been a sales machine!
-9-
Element9 said:I'm just wondering who "the greater fool" was who bought the Watertown cluster.
Watertown?
Evidently, the new owner runs a bunch of Christian formatted stations in Kansas and Oklahoma.
B
Bob1370
Guest
"Evidently, the new owner runs a bunch of Christian formatted stations in Kansas and Oklahoma."
The stations Regent's dumping are by and large the format-dominant stations in Watertown. So if the new owner does change them to reflect its usual business plan, we might get an interesting case study in what happens when a market of any size loses all of its main non-sectarian radio voices and most of its listeners are left with nothing in town to tune in to.
Probably good news for the Syracuse and Kingston stations that reach into that market. There could be a hell of a lot of out-of-market listening in Watertown soon, not to mention really, really low TSL.
The stations Regent's dumping are by and large the format-dominant stations in Watertown. So if the new owner does change them to reflect its usual business plan, we might get an interesting case study in what happens when a market of any size loses all of its main non-sectarian radio voices and most of its listeners are left with nothing in town to tune in to.
Probably good news for the Syracuse and Kingston stations that reach into that market. There could be a hell of a lot of out-of-market listening in Watertown soon, not to mention really, really low TSL.
Watered Down
Ouch. You have to feel for the folks in Watertown if their local news/talker, Classic Rock, and Country stations are suddenly reprogrammed to the "Christian" version of the above - or worse (brokered junk).
Is there such a thing as Christian Sports Talk? I shudder to think about it...
Yet another example of why there should be limits on media concentration - even in small markets. One voice in NOT enough.
Ouch. You have to feel for the folks in Watertown if their local news/talker, Classic Rock, and Country stations are suddenly reprogrammed to the "Christian" version of the above - or worse (brokered junk).
Is there such a thing as Christian Sports Talk? I shudder to think about it...
Yet another example of why there should be limits on media concentration - even in small markets. One voice in NOT enough.
It will be interesting to watch. The same group today also just purchased a group six stations just north of Watertown. There has to be some other strategy---can you flip that many signals to religious programming and still make money? Maybe they dabble in other formats as well?
ThePickleReport said:It will be interesting to watch. The same group today also just purchased a group six stations just north of Watertown. There has to be some other strategy---can you flip that many signals to religious programming and still make money? Maybe they dabble in other formats as well?
I think their plan is to get in there and make their religious programming a permanent fixture, using the sale of other radio stations in that cluster to give them a short term revenue boost.
(I could be wrong...?)
There's a lot more about this on the Syracuse/Utica board.
Apparently, the new owners are not committed to religious content on all their stations. They're into making money, which means that they're likely to continue successful formats, and put paid religion on the losers that they get in the bargain.
That doesn't mean that there won't be changes. They have to pay back the purchase price. Prepare to "tighten, lighten, and brighten" - and that includes staff.
Regent, meanwhile, will likely reduce debt in an attempt to pump up stock prices.
Apparently, the new owners are not committed to religious content on all their stations. They're into making money, which means that they're likely to continue successful formats, and put paid religion on the losers that they get in the bargain.
That doesn't mean that there won't be changes. They have to pay back the purchase price. Prepare to "tighten, lighten, and brighten" - and that includes staff.
Regent, meanwhile, will likely reduce debt in an attempt to pump up stock prices.
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