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Salem Promise Sale

C

CONSultant

Guest
Does anyone know the reasoning behind Salem's sale of Jacksonville's The Promise? I know money, but, anything more specific? Considered underperforming? No more potential for growth? To shim up Salem's falling stock price? Is this an isolated sale or are other Salem properties headed for the auction block? A rumor is floating about Cleveland. Any info anyone?
 
The only thing anyone knows on this board is how to argue.

You're barking up the wrong tree.
 
Ok, then. Can you direct me to the correct tree at which to bark? I'm just trying to get a little heads up if I'll be called into the conference room soon on a Friday and handed a box.
 
The right tree up which to bark?

I doubt you'll find it on the internet.

Probably in some board room.
 
The FCC shows absolutely NO records of applications filed for WFHM between today and September 2004. If it was being sold the only people who would know about it are the owners. The FCC's CDBS database is the first place any transaction like this would become public, before all the trade magazines report it.
 
Their conference call inferred that it was underperforming and didn't have any upside for them.
 
I think this is the tip of the iceberg. Salem's Corporate suits are getting older and probably are beginning the process of selling off the company a piece at a time. I am dumping my Salem stock and getting out of radio alltogether. Salem's overcharged the Christian community to do God's work and are trying to make a legitimate run at News-Talk. Now, there's a format that fails...MISERABLY! It's time the people at Salem woke up and got out before the empire is brought down. It will happen...the question is "how soon?" :mad:
 
CONSultant said:
Does anyone know the reasoning behind Salem's sale of Jacksonville's The Promise? I know money, but, anything more specific? Considered underperforming? No more potential for growth? To shim up Salem's falling stock price? Is this an isolated sale or are other Salem properties headed for the auction block? A rumor is floating about Cleveland. Any info anyone?
Click to expand...

The simple reason is underperformance. This would also encompass poor local management. The rest of the Jacksonville cluster is be shopped around and the sale(s) should be announced very soon. I haven't seen anything about Cleveland yet.

/O'Ryan/
 
Surfer said:
Salem's overcharged the Christian community to do God's work and are trying to make a legitimate run at News-Talk. Now, there's a format that fails...MISERABLY!
Click to expand...

While it is true that Salem has negotiating leverage against some of the ministries, I think you are oversimplifying.Salem bought stations in major and large markets as they became available.It is highly probably that if Salem had not made certain purchases along the way, there would not be full-market Christian stations in many of these cities.

Also consider that since all of these stations are in large markets and they were all purchased, there is a tremendous debt-load and they have to generate much cash flow to be able to service the notes.

I think Salem has proven many times again that they are an honorable company.They consistently reject ministries that don't hold to Biblical doctrine even if those ministries have the money to pay for the time.Salem's stations also are far better run than your run of the mill Christian talk station.

/O'Ryan/
 
My one problem with Salem that I've heard of, if it is true, is that they have infomercials for some products that might be questionable. Also, I know from hearing their CCM satellite feed, which is carried by the Dove 94 FM network in MIddle and West TN at night, that they have ads for some questionable products on there as well. This is one place where they could definitely improve in my view.
 
anotherguy said:
My one problem with Salem that I've heard of, if it is true, is that they have infomercials for some products that might be questionable. Also, I know from hearing their CCM satellite feed, which is carried by the Dove 94 FM network in MIddle and West TN at night, that they have ads for some questionable products on there as well. This is one place where they could definitely improve in my view.
Click to expand...

Why don't you give some examples of what you mean by "questionable products"?

/O'Ryan/
 
I can't say for sure about the infomercials on the talk stations, but I've seen it posted in other threads before. The two best best examples I can think of on the CCM network of questionable ads are for Folicare (sp?), a supposed hair growth treatment, and the Three Step Plan, which sounds like some sort of multilevel marketing scheme. I've also heard ads for nutritional supplements that may be questionable, although I couldn't pinpoint a name right now.

This is one place where even some Christian stations that try to keep a good lineup of programs fall short in. They won't allow ads for beer, gambling, etc. but then they will allow ads for products that they don't always check to make sure if the products are legitimate or not.
 
Salem and "biblical doctrine"..of course "biblical doctrine" as defined by Salem because, they are "the only ones that are right". Actually, the more I read, the less convinced I am of the "rightness" of these types. WRFD in Columbus runs Randall Terry..not a guy who exemplifies the love of Jesus to me..oh, wai a minute, we only have to follow Paul. Certainly,. Salem can air only programming that agrees with their point of view..but they are hardly the arbiters of who is "correct". Of course i don't believe evangelicals and fundamentalists are either, despite their screaming at the top of their lungs about it.
 
Salem is not bringing religion to "save the world". They are after the allmighty dollar and nothing else. Christianity is a marketing plan. I know. I worked for the company for several years and what I learned dramatically changed my perspective. If I had the chance to change they way Salem did business, I would. They are a wolf in sheeps clothing. It's sad. :(
 
You know what?

I have friends that work for Salem, I have friends that USED to work for Salem and I personally know some of the higher ups in the company. Everyone I know who used to work for them and those that I know of who still work for them have good reports about them.

The picture you have painted of them as 'wolves in sheeps clothing' is unfair and frankly, warped.

And even if it were, by some stretch of the imagination true that his company was 'evil'...who are you to hop onto a public forum and cast stones at them?

Feel free to judge the hearts of many when your own heart is flawless.

Sorry to be so blunt. But posts like this really make my blood boil.
 
I knew someone who worked in sales at the Louisville cluster. She recently left to take a sales job outside of radio-at the time, she had been at Salem Louisville longer than any of the sales force and IIRC she's younger than me (I'm 26).
 
In response to Gary...I also have many friends within the company including myself and I am speaking from PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. I have spoken with enough corporate suits and dealt with enough ridiculous "money-saving" or "cost-cutting" measures that have made it clear to me that Salem is using religion as a front. If they are not, why did they try to charge Dave Ramsey to play on all their stations when he operates under the standard barter agreement? Why do they spend NO money on the News/Talk side of the business and yet state it is one of their core objectives. More money is spent on the Teaching/Talk side than anything I've seen. OK, maybe you're right and I'm wrong. If so, I will publicly retract all I've said but having been a PD of two of their stations, I can honestly say that all they do is for the allmighty dollar FIRST. Then, if a few people get saved along the way, great.

Frankly, I have lost all respect for the company and hope Epperson and Atsinger sell off the whole darn thing immediately and let somebody else run it. Salem, in my opinion, is a Clear Channel operation with a cross for a cover and that just doesn't fly with me.

:mad:
 
I am sorry that you had a bad experience.

But going back to the second part of my post...

Even assuming that there are dysfunctions...is this really the place to air them?

The crux of my point is that it's really not professional nor is it even really scriptural to come to this forum with such comments.

I recently had a friend call me on the carpet on somthing that I said to her that I really had no business mentioning to her. And I appreciated her doing that. She set me on a better course of thinking. It was hard for me to swallow at first. But in the end, I see that she was doing me a favor.

This is kind of what I'm trying to do here.

Either way, thanks for listening.
 
Salem is BY FAR the best company I have worked for. Among others, my experience includes Westwood, Greater, Universal, Barnstable, Shamrock, Infinity, Islandwide, Holt, and Living Communications.

IMHO, commericial Christian-formatted radio ISN'T a ministry in and of itself, as much as a business in which ministry is entwined with programming. Feel free to disagree. In all broadcasting (any format), I have experienced a bottom-line mentality... every company wants to cut expenses. I have also worked for Christian companies that went out of business IMO, for a lack of balance between ethics and common sense. I do not endorse compromise, but I DO encourage leadership to find and receive good business counsel.

I don't know what market you're from, or what station was so bad to you. Neither do I claim that all of Salem's ways and management are perfect. But what I HAVE seen in the last six or seven years has been more professional than any other in my market, team-oriented, meticulously-planned but flexible, profitable, and one of the finest opportunities I have been blessed with in my career. I never said that I made the most money here. But I have personally witnessed compassion, integrity, and a passion for excellence.

I pray that your next opportunity, wherever it may be, gives you a similar good experience.
 
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