Shocker: WABB 97.5 sold to EMF

[tomservo]

The truth of the matter is that none of these changes are likely to happen. I took a gander at the ratings for Pensacola and Cat Country, owned by ADX who also does 1620 AM, is the highest rated country outlet. It ain't going nowhere. I doubt Cumulus is going to touch either of their FMs at this point and if they did it wouldn't be an i100 or Q100 but The Vibe like in Birmingham.

I wish the ratings for Mobile weren't client exclusive. There's no way for us peons to see how well WABB does. It beat Z 96 and WRGV handily in Pensacola but was down-down-down each quarter and was on the verge of being passed by WRGV.

And my thought about a switcharoo between WRGV and WRKH may also be pointless. I had no idea how well Classic Rock plays in both P'cola and Mobile ratings. It may do too well for CC to mess with it.

 

[Tibbs4]

I don't know if anyone notices this but, there's a lot of noise on WABB, I checked on all of my receivers and it's there. Wonder if there pissed off and in protest. Sounds like another station bleeding in.

I will let Charlie TRY to explain this noise....

 

[macab4490]

NO ONE SHOULD REPLACE THE WABB-FM CALL LETTERS! They should retire those calls and not allow another station to use them. THAT'S A MOCKERY, YA'LL.

 

[R.D.P.]

Now For a New Shocker:

You can have K-Love. 

I have no like for them anyway. 

Their presentation is too chessy, for me.

So glad that West Central Alabama doesn't have their broadcast on the dial.

If we did, I wouldn't tune in at all.

My musical tastes are very eclectic.

Love to listen to those songs and singers that don't get much time on the radio anyway.

Glad I'm like this.

Have no plans of changing that anytime soon.

R.D.P. <><

 

[Rob]

Just to let everyone know, I hear a carrier on 99.1, could be a testing for a new station and it's not Mississippi, it's faint and can hear channel three over it on the background.. stay tuned.

 

[tomservo]

Just to let everyone know, I hear a carrier on 99.1, could be a testing for a new station and it's not Mississippi, it's faint and can hear channel three over it on the background.. stay tuned.

I can't find any listings for anything on 99.1 for 200 miles other than K-99 in Pascagoula and WDGM way up in the Tuscaloosa market.

Either you're hearing a pirate, or K-99. I posted a tongue in cheek thread to the Mississippi forum about K-99's technical troubles yesterday. Are you sure you didn't hear that?

 

[cceng1]

Rob Rob Rob......how many times do I have to remind you that a company can just buy or upgrade a station on a whim...even if they have money running out of their butt to do so.........there is this thing (a quote from the past) called the FCC and the FCC has regulations about how many stations a group can own and how much power they run, and what frequency they operate on.....etc. etc.....Clear Channel can't simply buy Cat Country in Pensacola.....they already own the limit in that market.

cceng

 

[amfmxm]

So, how many times have we watched car dealerships, restaurants, retail stores and the like pass from one generation to another--from the brilliant business leader to idiot kid (even when "the kid" is 50) and immediately go to hell in a handbasket. Thus, WABB.

Sure, we've seen it happen in radio before, but rarely to this degree. Bernie Dittman fought off the mega-companies as successfully as any individual broadcaster in the biz (Jerry Lee of B-101 in Philly is the only other who comes to mind). But, though his heirs may be fine human beings--I don't know them--they sure dropped the ball quickly. Anybody see the price tag? Sure hope they got a bundle, though that would be out of character for EMF--generally bottom-fishers.

Yeah, life will go on. WRGV should zoom to the top tier in both markets pretty quickly. Good operators--they know how to do CHR.

As for WABB? Hey, it's probably not a bad market for Christian Contemp (see Orlando). They could do alright, as well. It's a good stick. And EMF will get its money back real fast. God provides...

 

[Poledo]

Most people think this area is over saturated with Country stations. I think the Christian stations own the radio dial around here (including the non-com band of course). I'm under the impression that the new Christian station on 97.5 will be competing mainly with the station on 88.5? Or is this going to be a preaching station?

 

[radioboy]

poledo,

Most likely contemporary Christian, either K-Love or Air1. I don't think EMF does any preaching/teaching formats.

 

[tomservo]

Most people think this area is over saturated with Country stations. I think the Christian stations own the radio dial around here (including the non-com band of course). I'm under the impression that the new Christian station on 97.5 will be competing mainly with the station on 88.5? Or is this going to be a preaching station?

Here's the breakdown, as far stations within WABB's current coverage goes:

CCM:

• WBHY - GoForth Media - Mobile
• WPSM - Fort Walton Beach
• WASG - Daphne

Catholic:

• WOLM - Radio Maria - Ocean Springs
• WDWR - Divine Word - Pensacola
• WNGL - Archangel Radio - Mobile

Gospel, preaching or variety:

• WPAS - AFR - Pascagoula
• WPCS - Pensacola Christian College - Pensacola
• WTJT - Baker
• WTGF - Truth Radio - Milton
• WOWB - Wow 90.9 - Brewton (this one has a CP to put it close to the Pensacola market)
• WEGS - Moody Radio - Milton
• WAOY - AFR - Gulfport
• WKFP - K-Love - Navarre
• WQUA - SonLife Radio - Citronelle
• WOSM - Ocean Springs
• W214BN - CSN - Malbis/Spanish Fort
• W278AP/WBHY-AM - GoForth Media - Spanish Fort/Mobile
• WVTJ - Pensacola
• WXQW/WGOK - Fairhope/Mobile
• WLPR - Pritchard
• WNVT - Pensacola
• WTOF - Bay Minette
• WIJD - Pritchard
• WMOB - Buddy Tucker Assoc. - Mobile

Country stations:

• WKSJ - 95 KSJ - Mobile
• WHWY - Highway Country - FWB
• WYCT - Cat Country - Pensacola
• WKNN - K-99 - Biloxi
• WXBM - Milton
• WAAZ - Good Country - Crestview
• WPFL - Legends 105.1 - Century
• WYZB - The Wolf - FWB
• WBZR-AM/FM - Country Legends - Robertsdale/Atmore
• WZKX - Kicker 108 - Bay St. Louis

The ones in bold span multiple markets. No one's gonna say we're underserved as far as religious programming goes. Compare that to what… 3 CHRs along the coast, or just one olides station. The closest I can come up with is we have 11 talk stations scattered about. But most of those are around Pensacola and on AM.

 

[Poledo]

so how can there be enough "donations" to keep all these christian stations on the air? And if EMF takes 97.5 to Non-com status as suggested in another post... and relies on donations instead of straight up advertising dollars that will take a big chunk of cash out of the pie. I wonder if this could lead to some of the non-com religious stations selling off on the cheap to the local colleges or even a community radio station (ala WRFG Atlanta) getting a hold of a signal? WUWF seems like they could handle a second FM signal (especially one that could blanket Baldwin county and possibly Mobile too.. I'm thinking 88.5 of course). Something along the lines of FSU's two stations (+ student run WVFS) in Tallahassee.

 

[Tibbs4]

I wish Rob would do a channel thingy update list like Zach just did, but only from his home I. Navarre. Rob could you include the numbers, the name and or format way it sounds AND most importantly either guess at the power strength signal from the way u see it but don't do it if you have to look it up to be right because that's A lot of homework. I am unsure who does what with each station now that everyone has moved all over and CCENG.

 

[amfmxm]

so how can there be enough "donations" to keep all these christian stations on the air? And if EMF takes 97.5 to Non-com status as suggested in another post... and relies on donations instead of straight up advertising dollars that will take a big chunk of cash out of the pie. I wonder if this could lead to some of the non-com religious stations selling off on the cheap...

Keep in mind that there are hundreds of Christian sects (sects, not sex!)--each with a slightly different view. That's why we've got all these church buildings, and not just one huge arena. Part of CCM's charm is that they can cross denominational lines and take a slice of the donation pie from all of them. FWIW, EMF seems to be a different animal, as I believe that they're backed by a billionaire believer.

But, yeah, you're right. There have been many cases over the years where one too many Christian radio stations flooded a market and somebody bit the dust. Then again, the immediate future would seem to portend more Catholic stations hitting the air. They may be 50 years behind the fundamentalists in discovering radio, but it's still the biggest church (Christian sect) by far, with about a quarter of the American population. So the schools might have to fight the Catholics for any stray frequencies...

 

[macab4490]

In the Ohio Valley where I am currently located, I've heard from people and myself that there are several EMF stations "K-Love". Like there is 3 in the area. One is enough. I hope they don't get ahead of themselves when they buy....BLX....hehe. Now that would be rude for the African American community in the Mobile/P'cola area. However, I am a Christian so I don't have an opinion on EMF coming to Mobile but it's just shocking to me they would pick the most legendary radio station if not on the Gulf Coast but in the U.S.A! Peace and tidings for WABB..It's ganna hit hard on March 1st when they turn on their radio's to 97.5.

 

[borderblaster]

WABB was the one that was for sale and the others weren't.

 

[Poledo]

...the immediate future would seem to portend more Catholic stations hitting the air. They may be 50 years behind the fundamentalists in discovering radio, but it's still the biggest church (Christian sect) by far, with about a quarter of the American population. So the schools might have to fight the Catholics for any stray frequencies...

Something I hadn't thought about. At least here in Pensacola, Catholic High School is just about the best place to get an education. I'm sure Mobile has a very good Catholic High school also so this should apply there also. It would be interesting for Pensacola Catholic High to get one of the smaller 25-50kw Pensacola-Milton non-com FM frequencies and run it as a student station. The funding should be available... it would just take the right person to get it going and keep it on track. No NPR crap, no state school issues to deal with (which I assume had something to do with the University of Florida loosing Rock 104 to country).
Those kids at Pensacola Catholic High were pretty crazy back in the 80s-90s... I know they would carry a Catholic mass and Catholic High sports but to fill the rest of the air time I bet they'd play some pretty good music, ala WSOU, Seton Hall University, New York City. That would be really cool!

I bet the Protestant owners of the existing Non-com radio stations would just assume let them go dark than sell them off to Catholics though. 1230 AM in Pensacola was sold by a Baptist group to EWTN(?). That one was a shocker to me. Not as shocking as WABB signing off forever though!

 

[Poledo]

If EMF programs their stations with K-Love, what would happen to WKFP Navarre-Pensacola-Fort Walton Beach? They are currently airing K-Love, I think.

 

[tomservo]

I bet the Protestant owners of the existing Non-com radio stations would just assume let them go dark than sell them off to Catholics though. 1230 AM in Pensacola was sold by a Baptist group to EWTN(?). That one was a shocker to me. Not as shocking as WABB signing off forever though!

I think that 1230 station is a different organization than EWTN. Divine Word Radio or something like that. Or is that an offshoot of EWTN?

1410 in Mobile went from Protestant to Catholic hands if I remember correctly. 1480 in Birmingham sort of did as well, from religious to Mexican to Catholic. Or maybe that's a natural progression.

 

[Nate Wesley]

That 'insight' website posted an interesting update: WABB's intellectual property was not included in the sale.