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Revenue for brokered programming

As we all know, we've seen a lot of stations switch to time brokering lately. Does anyone have any idea how much the operators charge for this? I find it hard to believe that someone is willing to pay KSJO enough to service the debt they've incurred, but apparently so. Does anyone know what the charges are for an hour on KSJO? How about KEST or KSFN (the former KPIG)? Obviously, the dayparts make a difference, but I've heard that brokered shortwave is something like $50.00/hr. How much is brokered local AM/FM worth?

Anybody have any idea?

Dave B.
 
Are they getting at least 5000.00 per hour? 672 hours per month average? If so that's 3,360000 per month! That's like 40 million per year! Print that money baby! Simple math for free money after paying someone minimum wage to play the programming and pay the electric bill and other small costs, along with servicing the debt incurred for the purchase price and interest!
 
Maybe Live 105 should have paid Channel 104.9 ( At the time ) the One Million Dollars KCNL Advertised, for them to not be an Alternative Station. Then we wouldn't be in this situation. Oh well, I didn't listen to 92.3 anyway.
 
SFStatic said:
It depends on station, time of day, day of week. Could be from $50 an hour to $6000 and hour.
I agree. If the station has a strong signal, you would pay big bucks but on a lesser signal like KSFN-1510, maybe they are $50 an hour.
 
I worked at KEST from 1990-1997. It was $400 for an hour block and $250 for 1/2 hour and $150 for 15 minutes. I am looking at a 1992 rate card now from KEST. KSJX in San Jose was a little cheaper for blocks.
 
@Radio star- Why would you make such a silly figure up? Best brokered hours on a real SF station = $6000. Cheapest hours = $50. Some stations are only brokered part of the time, and have other programming that provides good ratings, so can charge a premium for the best hours they offer as brokered or hourly time. $50 per hour is pretty cheap radio. For example, if a format station runs 12 minutes per hour and makes $50, they are getting $4.16 per 60 second spot. A brokered station may only get $50 per hour in the evenings, and may have to bonus hours overnight (in other words, free.)
 
The figures that I quoted came directly from a 1992 program rate card. KEST is only 1000 watts with a terrible signal. The old transmitter was located where home plate is now at AT&T Park.
 
KEST is weak, but not that weak in San Francisco proper. There's easily over 2,000,000 people in their 2.5mV/m coverage area, and a good concentration of people in SF, where the field strength is way higher than that. I don't live in the city, but I can get them at night in Newark, which is pretty good for a graveyard channel - I can't get 1400. But it's AM. Based on the info from jprg I'm guessing KSJO, in FM stereo, is significantly more than that. Also, that was 1992 prices. I'm sort of surprised these owners can find customers, but it must work.

Dave B.
 
Yeah Dave the KEST signal during day hours was pretty decent in the car all the way to San Jose. I also worked at KSJX 1500 AM in SJ with the 10,000 watt signal. I think I have the rate card for KSJX in 1995. Just need to dig for it!
 
jprg said:
The figures that I quoted came directly from a 1992 program rate card. KEST is only 1000 watts with a terrible signal. The old transmitter was located where home plate is now at AT&T Park.

WHOA! That's right. I'd forgotten about that. It used to be on the roof of a building that had a parking lot on it or something. I never went up there, but yeah, it was next to or across the street from 185 Berry.

Now it's in an interesting place down by the water. I have visited the tower, but not the transmitter. I can't figure out what building it's in. There's no indication of patched concrete to indicate where the transmission line might run.
 
RadioStarOne said:
Are they getting at least 5000.00 per hour? 672 hours per month average? If so that's 3,360000 per month! That's like 40 million per year! Print that money baby! Simple math for free money after paying someone minimum wage to play the programming and pay the electric bill and other small costs, along with servicing the debt incurred for the purchase price and interest!

Time of day makes a big difference in rates, but $5000 an hour is not unheard of. Back in the day when KFAX was owned by Sturdevant, Krisik, et al, (pre-Salem), the board ops were very well paid. They had so much money from brokered religion that nobody ever left jobs there. And that was even in the day when they were 50kw from 6am to sunset and 1kw from 10pm to 3am. Even their 1kw schedule was sold out.
 
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