If I had to venture a guess to what happens with 95.9, it'll be Air1 with K-Love on a powerful signal that covers most of the L.A. market including most of Orange Countu which the Fish focused on. Salem Media Group Sells Seven Stations To EMF; Repay All Debt With New Investor
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Salem sells KFSH 95.9 as part of it's sale of all CCM stations to EMF creating an L.A. duopoly with 100.3 KKLQ
- Thread starter NYAZSporty
- Start date
What about radio nueva vida since there’s no full power station in the LA market.
Wow. I think you buried the lead. Salem has the nation's two most successful commercially-supported Christian Contemporary stations, KLTY Dallas (currently #8 in Market #4) and WFSH Atlanta (currently #5 in Market #8).
Salem must be hurting to off-load these very successful and profitable stations. How much did EMF pay for all these prime properties?
Will EMF fire all the local hosts? Even though these stations are far more successful than they'd be if they were carrying the national K-Love or Air 1 networks.
Salem must be hurting to off-load these very successful and profitable stations. How much did EMF pay for all these prime properties?
Will EMF fire all the local hosts? Even though these stations are far more successful than they'd be if they were carrying the national K-Love or Air 1 networks.
According to the linked article in the OP:
It appears they don't have the cash on hand, so they need a couple years to put it together with donations and asset sales.
Of course. They'll also flip the stations from commercial to non-commercial.
They have been saving up money "big time" during 2024 by not making many station purchases. You can look at the 2023 report online at their own site and see that they had huge cash reserves even then.
Yes, they will make them part of their national format (note that I do not say "network" as EMF operates under the European model of one format nationally delivered on lots of signals).
And they will likely be just as highly rated as the predecessor. There is little "localization" that really matters today.
Yes, but KFSH reaches further into LA.
Yeah, Air 1 is already on 92.7 in Orange County. Maybe they'll put K-Love 2000s or one of their other stations? Can they move KFSH closer to downtown LA?
But they also have a translator on 92.7 in downtown LA, which is supposed to be synchronized with KYLA
That they do.
As mentioned on the DFW board, I would think that anyone working at a Salem CCM station would have been well aware they were living on borrowed time.
If you read the Salem press release, EMF loaned Salem the $72 million. The note will terminate upon closing of the radio station sale. They essentially prepaid for the stations.
According to their 12/31/23 audited financials, EMF had $28 million in cash and $194 million in marketable securities. 2023 operating expenses before amortization and depreciation was $146 million. They generated $92 million in cash from operations for the year. They are solid.
You're right. The Salem release says they gave EMF a promissory note. Not the other way around.
I guess the prepayment was to carry out the LMA.
And there is also Nueva Vida, which fills in coverage holes from KMRO in Ventura County.
Actually they're pretty much stuck where they are. They could move towards the west, but that would also necessitate power reduction in order to protect KCAQ.
Well, IF I had known, I would have ki k☆Started $$$ for the station
Thinking
100.3 could be sold off
????.
100.3 could be sold off
????.
Don't overthink this.
There's no reason EMF would give up a full-market class B FM in market #2 just because it's acquiring a class A that only serves Orange County.
With EMF, the most obvious answer is almost always the right one. KLove will stay on 100.3, 95.9 will get Air 1, and the Orange County 92.7 will probably become Nueva Vida.
There's no reason EMF would give up a full-market class B FM in market #2 just because it's acquiring a class A that only serves Orange County.
With EMF, the most obvious answer is almost always the right one. KLove will stay on 100.3, 95.9 will get Air 1, and the Orange County 92.7 will probably become Nueva Vida.
You're analysis is good. EMF is not hard to understand.
I would point out though that KFSH covers a lot more of the Hispanic population than KYLA. For example, KFSH has very decent coverage of the deeply Hispanic areas of densly populated SE Los Angeles County such as Downey, Whittier, etc. Where as KYLA has really no useful coverage outside of Orange County. KYLA does have substantial coverage in Southern Orange County where KFSH does not, but that is not very Hispanic at all.
Whether they can justify the price tag attached to KFSH for their new Nueva Vida brand along with losing the long time brand equity of English CCM on 95.9 is another question though.
But from a purely which-ears-do-the-signals-cover analysis, 95.9 should go Nueva Vida.
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