• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Rumor: CBS interested in IQ; CBS Philly ownership limit?

R

radiophiler

Radioinfo.com (the new site owned by the folks at Talkers) is reporting that CBS is interested in 106.9 for an FM signal for KYW.

So, that brings up a question. I think it's been stated that CBS is at its ownership limit in Philadelphia. It has 2 TV stations (3 and 57) and five radio stations (KYW WPHT WIP am, WIP fm, WOGL).

On the FCC's webpage, it says in a market with at least 20 independent media voices, a company may own up to two TV stations and six radio stations (if only one TV station it may own seven radio stations).

That would seem to infer that CBS could buy 106.9 without selling off another AM.

Can anyone shed light on CBS' ownership limit in Philadelphia? If not 106.9, it's possible CBS might look for an FM elsewhere, maybe one of the struggling Radio One properties, so this question could apply to other CBS purchases as well.
 
The question is whether Philadelphia has 20 independent media voices anymore. IIRC, a "media voice" is defined as a radio station, a TV station, "major" newspaper, or "the" cable company. I think "20 independent" means 20 different owners in the market.

Here are the ones I count in Philly, if I'm excluding Merlin (which would cease to be in the market if it sells 106.9 to CBS).
Salem (WFIL, WNTP)
CBS (WIP, KYW, WPHT, WIP-FM, WOGL, KYW-TV, WPSG)
Disney (WWJZ, WPVI)
Beasley (WWDB, WXTU, WRDW, WJBR)
WURD
Family Radio (WPEN)
Clear Channel (WWTX, WDAS, WUSL, WIOQ, WRFF, WDAS-FM, WISX)
WHAT
WNWR
University of Pennsylvania (WXPN)
Temple University (WRTI)
WHYY Foundation (WHYY, WHYY-TV)
Drexel University (WKDU)
Greater Media (WMMR, WBEN, WPEN, WMGK)
Radio One (WRNB, WPPZ, WPHI)
WBEB
Fox (WXTF)
Comcast (WCAU, Comcast Cable)
Tribune (WPHL)
Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. (Inquirer, Daily News)

Not sure if they count:
Salvation (WPHE 690 AM)
WVCH
WTMR
WNAP
Delmarva (WDEL, WSTW)
WEMG
WTTM
Educational Media Foundation (WKVP)
Nassau (WPST)

So, if none of the ones I wasn't sure of count, then we're at 20. That only because Family Radio just announced its intention to re-enter the market. Without them we'd be at 19. If some of the others (such as Delmarva and/or Nassau) count, then obviously we're over 20.

So, I think CBS is fine in Philadelphia if they act soon (i.e., before someone else merges).

As the article at Radio-Info points out, they *are* maxed out in NYC, where they have 2 TVs, 3 AMs and 3 FMs). They'd have to either sell an AMer (1010 WINS?) or the second TV station they just bought out on Long Island.
 
Why didn't CBS make a play for 106.9 before Merlin snatched it up?

Eventually, KYW will have to go to FM. The only FM left is 98.1 WOGL, and I don't think CBS would be too happy to blow it up given how successful it is.
 
carolinaradio said:
Why didn't CBS make a play for 106.9 before Merlin snatched it up?
Click to expand...

How do you know they didn't?

carolinaradio said:
Eventually, KYW will have to go to FM. The only FM left is 98.1 WOGL, and I don't think CBS would be too happy to blow it up given how successful it is.
Click to expand...

"Eventually" being the key. I'm not so sure CBS puts KYW on 106.9 right away even if it acquires it now.
 
carolinaradio said:
Why didn't CBS make a play for 106.9 before Merlin snatched it up?

Eventually, KYW will have to go to FM.  The only FM left is 98.1 WOGL, and I don't think CBS would be too happy to blow it up given how successful it is.
Click to expand...
They won't, trust me. I will be upset if they take WOGL off the air. I think that KYW will not be on FM. They should have brought 106.9 when the had the chance.
 
I wonder how long the contracts are that Merlin signed for the Premiere/CC talk product on 106.9, and if a new owner would have to honor them. If so, it may be a bit before 1060 is simulcast.

Back in the day, there were three-month cancellation clauses in the contracts ... you could break the contract with 90 days notice.

Would CBS consider a partial simulcast: just take Rush on 106.9 but KYW the rest of the day?

If CBS is able to buy 106.9 and doesn't have to sell an AM AND they don't have to honor the Merlin-Premiere contracts, Clear Channel might be forced to do something creative in Philly.

In NYC they bought an AM (WOR). They just missed out on 950. If CBS has to sell a station to get another FM, CC could buy 1210 and put Beck-Rush-Hannity back on the AM.

In Boston, CC blew up its AM talk station and placed only Rush back on WRKO.

Might CC blow up WDAS-AM and put a talker on that signal?
 
If Clear Channel had an FM station that wasn't getting ratings, maybe. But as things are now, they're not blowing up one of their FMs for conservative talk. And they are maxed out of FMs in Philly. They can own 8 stations, but only 5 FMs, and they have 5.

But yeah, I think CBS might be happy to sell them 610 for political talk, and put the Sports Network and the Phillies simulcast on 1210.
 
radiophiler said:
Might CC blow up WDAS-AM and put a talker on that signal?
Click to expand...

For what? Sadly, what has become one of the most minimal coverage areas of any transmitting device licenced to Phila. Begging the question, is their any functioning ground system left there at all? I have a portable modulator (slghtly modified,...Ok slightly linear,...Ok.,Ok more than slightly, but still) that practically puts out a better signal coverage area.
 
aindik said:
The question is whether Philadelphia has 20 independent media voices anymore. IIRC, a "media voice" is defined as a radio station, a TV station, "major" newspaper, or "the" cable company. I think "20 independent" means 20 different owners in the market.

Here are the ones I count in Philly, if I'm excluding Merlin (which would cease to be in the market if it sells 106.9 to CBS). [truncated]
Click to expand...

Question,while small do the other college stations count? Ex, Villanova has WXVU on 89.1
 
EJM said:
There may be some "market concentration" issues that have cropped up before with CBS in Philadelphia: IIRC, the company had to sell off WMMR, even though I don't think it was over the actual station-cap (even for only FMs).

However, that was apparently a DoJ matter--and didn't involve the FCC; see http://www.wrti.com/wrti2/weekly.html.
Click to expand...

I for one am glad that CBS was forced to sell WMMR. That article says GM was destroying WMMR. If CBS was able to keep WMMR, it would have been blown up many years ago. WYSP would have been around longer than WMMR. CBS blew up WMMR former sister WNEW in NYC long before they touched K rock. I think GM has brought back a once great radio station that had lost its way. While Y-100 was on the air, it became "the" rock station in the city the way WMMR had been doing different station events around the greater Philadelphia area. Now, WMMR is back, and the ratings seem to show that.
 
thataveragejoe said:
aindik said:
The question is whether Philadelphia has 20 independent media voices anymore. IIRC, a "media voice" is defined as a radio station, a TV station, "major" newspaper, or "the" cable company. I think "20 independent" means 20 different owners in the market.

Here are the ones I count in Philly, if I'm excluding Merlin (which would cease to be in the market if it sells 106.9 to CBS). [truncated]
Click to expand...

Question,while small do the other college stations count? Ex, Villanova has WXVU on 89.1
Click to expand...


Does 1 Watt count?

WPEB-FM 88.1 MHz
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Vertical Effective Radiated Power 1 Watts
Vertical Height above Avg. Terrain 21 meters (69 feet)
Vertical Height above Ground Level 23 meters (75 feet)
Vertical Height above Sea Level 53 meters (174 feet)
 
Don't forget WFYL either. Also in the market.
 
Pretty sure the other daily papers that operate in the Philly market would also count, so at a bare minimum you'd add at least a few more voices there - the Courier-Post (Gannett) in Camden, the Daily Local News in Chester, the Intelligencer in Doylestown and its sister papers in Bucks and Burlington, the Daily Times in Delaware County, and so on.
 
aindik said:
Here are the ones I count in Philly, if I'm excluding Merlin (which would cease to be in the market if it sells 106.9 to CBS).
Salem (WFIL, WNTP)
CBS (WIP, KYW, WPHT, WIP-FM, WOGL, KYW-TV, WPSG)
Disney (WWJZ, WPVI)
Beasley (WWDB, WXTU, WRDW, WJBR)
WURD
Family Radio (WPEN)
Clear Channel (WWTX, WDAS, WUSL, WIOQ, WRFF, WDAS-FM, WISX)
WHAT
WNWR
University of Pennsylvania (WXPN)
Temple University (WRTI)
WHYY Foundation (WHYY, WHYY-TV)
Drexel University (WKDU)
Greater Media (WMMR, WBEN, WPEN, WMGK)
Radio One (WRNB, WPPZ, WPHI)
WBEB
Fox (WXTF)
Comcast (WCAU, Comcast Cable)
Tribune (WPHL)
Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. (Inquirer, Daily News)

Not sure if they count:
Salvation (WPHE 690 AM)
WVCH
WTMR
WNAP
Delmarva (WDEL, WSTW)
WEMG
WTTM
Educational Media Foundation (WKVP)
Nassau (WPST)
Click to expand...
WWTX is, technically, based in Wilmington, along with WILM. Both are owned by CC.
 
I was listing only stations that radio-locator said I could receive like a local from my location in South Philly. I thought that was as good an approximation as any.
 
Scott Fybush said:
Pretty sure the other daily papers that operate in the Philly market would also count, so at a bare minimum you'd add at least a few more voices there - the Courier-Post (Gannett) in Camden, the Daily Local News in Chester, the Intelligencer in Doylestown and its sister papers in Bucks and Burlington, the Daily Times in Delaware County, and so on.
Click to expand...

I think the rules require a newspaper to be a "major" newspaper in order to count.
 
How about CBS buys 106.9. Calls it, KYW-FM. Promotes "KYW All News on AM." Does news and talk on FM. Simulcast morning drive. Brand your FM top of the hour newscasts "KYW" or from the "KYW newsroom". Keep Rush. Tweek the talk programming. Local talk in PM drive so you can run more traffic reports (or simulcast the AM again) You already own the "news" franchise in town. They can also own the "talk" franchise in town. ;D
 
IF IQ was going to go to CBS it would have been announced Last week when CBS picked up 101.9 in NYC
Now im thinking 106.9 could go to Greater Media Hey they allready have the Former PD of WPHT in boston at 96.9 mabye she could come in and fix this mess on 106.9 if they brought the station
 
Ownership limits won't keep CBS from purchasing 106.9 from Merlin if they want it. Only price will. All CBS has to do is put one of the AM's in a trust with the idea of selling it eventually. Chances are that would be 1060, since the all news format seems to be the consensus pick to move there. By the time 1060 finds a buyer, the audience would have been transitioned over to 106.9. The other AM's could also be dealt as well, with the eventual CBS Sports programming moving to 1210 if 610 winds up being chosen.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom