Divine Word Radio is not the same as EWTN. It is owned by a gentleman named Gene Church, whom I believe is local to Pensacola. Divine Word is LMA'ing WCVC-AM 1330 in Tallahassee and programming it with EWTN. I believe they have an option to buy WCVC. That would be another Protestant-owned station being purchased by a Catholic organization.
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Shocker: WABB 97.5 sold to EMF
- Thread starter Nate Wesley
- Start date
Nate Wesley said:That 'insight' website posted an interesting update: WABB's intellectual property was not included in the sale.
That's how I interpreted the story a few days back. I already posted this in one of the dozen other WABB threads but wouldn't it be cool if Clear Channel or Cumulus bought the intellectual property and WABB call letters and placed them on 107.3, 104.1, or 100.7 (the only 3 unstable frequencies covering Mobile and Pensacola)? Those calls must be worth something in this market, even if it's just a few grand... why wouldn't the Ditman family cash out on them? Then we could have 5 years of "The New WABB"! Hopefully someone's already working on getting a deal done before March 1st so they can make it appear WABB is just changing frequencies.
There seems to be quite a bit more synergy between Protestants and Catholics these days as they finally realize that the real threat lies outside and not within
their own Christian family. Salem just completed the sale of WBZS Providence (Road Island as Joe Biden the scholar spells it) to a Catholic broadcaster. CBN
advised and helped EWTN in its early years.
their own Christian family. Salem just completed the sale of WBZS Providence (Road Island as Joe Biden the scholar spells it) to a Catholic broadcaster. CBN
advised and helped EWTN in its early years.
M
Mario500
Guest
It would be best to just retire the call letters WABB from FM broadcasting (and AM radio broadcasting after WABB-AM is sold in the future) instead of replacing the call letters of another station and attempting to give folks the idea of WABB-FM changing frequencies. No one should be fooled by such an idea.
Mario-500 said:It would be best to just retire the call letters WABB from FM broadcasting (and AM radio broadcasting after WABB-AM is sold in the future) instead of replacing the call letters of another station and attempting to give folks the idea of WABB-FM changing frequencies. No one should be fooled by such an idea.
Gotta disagree. Most people would be fooled--and it happens more often than you think. (We've reached a point now when if it doesn't happen in a major market, nobody pays attention). In this particular case, the Dittmans are apparently holding onto the WABB calls via 1480--which presumably would give them some degree of control over use of the call-letters, at least in the immediate market. But you might be shocked to learn how creative broadcasters can be in using "flips" regardless of calls. You know--"The New 100.7 ABB"... if they think it's worthwhile.
Then again, 97.5 hasn't seen double-digit shares in about 20 years. Not sure the "intellectual property" is worth anything, anymore.
The FCC does not "retire" call letters. Once no longer in use, they can be applied for by anyone. K-love isn't interested in WABB's intellectual property but someone else might be in the future.
Look's WABB is dead after February 29th. No return, here. The Dittman family are done. It's all to move on and wait to see what 107.3 Hit Music Now can bring that will hopefully bring what WABB had but it really can't replace WABB because of the history it brought to the airwaves in the Mobile market but so far, it's just looks like you will have morning's live & local. All the other dj's are simulcast feeds which is unfortunate.poledo said:Nate Wesley said:That 'insight' website posted an interesting update: WABB's intellectual property was not included in the sale.
That's how I interpreted the story a few days back. I already posted this in one of the dozen other WABB threads but wouldn't it be cool if Clear Channel or Cumulus bought the intellectual property and WABB call letters and placed them on 107.3, 104.1, or 100.7 (the only 3 unstable frequencies covering Mobile and Pensacola)? Those calls must be worth something in this market, even if it's just a few grand... why wouldn't the Ditman family cash out on them? Then we could have 5 years of "The New WABB"! Hopefully someone's already working on getting a deal done before March 1st so they can make it appear WABB is just changing frequencies.
borderblaster said:The FCC does not "retire" call letters. Once no longer in use, they can be applied for by anyone. K-love isn't interested in WABB's intellectual property but someone else might be in the future.
One thing that remains unclear is whether the sale agreement stipulates a change of call-letters for the FM (probable) and, if not, whether EMF has any interest in retaining the calls (not probable). But as long as the Dittmans own WABB-AM, the original, they'll have a say in the matter. The FCC rules on call-letter assignment among services (AM, FM, TV) are not as rigid as they used to be, but I believe that you still need the current holders' okay.
And with all due respect, there is very little real "intellectual property" involved in format radio, and nothing about WABB immediately comes to mind. Jocks and music? Nope. Jingles and imaging are the property of the providing companies (TM, et al)--and that stuff will be available for licensing to whoever wants it. Some flips are copyrighted ("Jack" and "Legends," for instance), but not stuff like "Today's Hit Music." Last time I looked, the feds don't let you copyright the English language.
BTW, radio-info's Tom Taylor this morning tagged the price for 97.5 at $3.1 million. For what it's worth, 10 years ago WABB-FM would have fetched around $10 million.
Gotta know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em.
Truth is, it demonstrates the state of the radio biz in 2012. For the Dittmans, this is probably $3.1 million free and clear. For companies that paid big bucks a decade ago, it would have been time to jump off the Mobile Bay Bridge...
Gotta know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em.
Truth is, it demonstrates the state of the radio biz in 2012. For the Dittmans, this is probably $3.1 million free and clear. For companies that paid big bucks a decade ago, it would have been time to jump off the Mobile Bay Bridge...
borderblaster said:The FCC does not "retire" call letters. Once no longer in use, they can be applied for by anyone. K-love isn't interested in WABB's intellectual property but someone else might be in the future.
Long long ago the FCC retired the "WKRP" call letters. Someone with an AM in the Atlanta area convinced them that they had no authority to do so and got the calls assigned to them. I believe there is now a WKRP-LPTV station in Cincinnati too.
Also, when WTBS TV channel 17 dropped the Superstation TBS simulcast and their heritage call letters to flip to "Peachtree TV" a LPTV in Atlanta quickly picked up the calls. Hell, even Mobile's own 92.1 snagged the WGCX calls and flipped to classic rock circa 1990 when 104.1 dropped the popular format after a sale to Clear Channel (WGCX was competing with The Rocket).
I'd be willing to bet that 107.3 would pick up the WABB calls immediately if they were abandoned, but with the Dittmans keeping them on the 1480 AM Clear Channel would have to work out some type of financial arrangement with them to use the calls on an FM.
WABB has always been known as WABB, not some other moniker involving some "cool" word and/or 97.5. Even the people who haven't listened to 97.5 in the last decade know that WABB is the station to tune to for Top 40 pop music. For that reason the intellectual property of "branding a radio station as WABB-FM" and playing similar music would be a very good idea, no matter what the frequency, just as long as it covers the Mobile (and hopefully Pensacola and Biloxi) market(s). A simple billboard/TV commercial campaign with "WABB, now at 107.3 (or 100.7)" would tell locals all they needed to know. It would work much better than "Your NEW home for the Hits 107.3 (or 100.7)."
poledo said:borderblaster said:The FCC does not "retire" call letters. Once no longer in use, they can be applied for by anyone. K-love isn't interested in WABB's intellectual property but someone else might be in the future.
Long long ago the FCC retired the "WKRP" call letters. Someone with an AM in the Atlanta area convinced them that they had no authority to do so and got the calls assigned to them. I believe there is now a WKRP-LPTV station in Cincinnati too.
Also, when WTBS TV channel 17 dropped the Superstation TBS simulcast and their heritage call letters to flip to "Peachtree TV" a LPTV in Atlanta quickly picked up the calls. Hell, even Mobile's own 92.1 snagged the WGCX calls and flipped to classic rock circa 1990 when 104.1 dropped the popular format after a sale to Clear Channel (WGCX was competing with The Rocket).
I'd be willing to bet that 107.3 would pick up the WABB calls immediately if they were abandoned, but with the Dittmans keeping them on the 1480 AM Clear Channel would have to work out some type of financial arrangement with them to use the calls on an FM.
WABB has always been known as WABB, not some other moniker involving some "cool" word and/or 97.5. Even the people who haven't listened to 97.5 in the last decade know that WABB is the station to tune to for Top 40 pop music. For that reason the intellectual property of "branding a radio station as WABB-FM" and playing similar music would be a very good idea, no matter what the frequency, just as long as it covers the Mobile (and hopefully Pensacola and Biloxi) market(s). A simple billboard/TV commercial campaign with "WABB, now at 107.3 (or 100.7)" would tell locals all they needed to know. It would work much better than "Your NEW home for the Hits 107.3 (or 100.7)."
Hmm, Matt McCoy works for mornings on 107.3 worked for WABB. He knows the history from there. I just don't think he would abandon the WABB call letters. I think if he, runs the station (who does anyways at 1073?) he respects the so-called retirement of the call letters "WABB." He is just going to gain, hopefully some form of an attraction from the listeners at WABB to Hit Music Now. I'd said, and I will say it again - WABB is history. R.I.P. I would be upset if someone else picked up those call letters and putting them on a public-owned station (CC/Cumulus).
macab4490 said:Hmm, Matt McCoy works for mornings on 107.3 worked for WABB. He knows the history from there. I just don't think he would abandon the WABB call letters. I think if he, runs the station (who does anyways at 1073?) he respects the so-called retirement of the call letters "WABB." He is just going to gain, hopefully some form of an attraction from the listeners at WABB to Hit Music Now. I'd said, and I will say it again - WABB is history. R.I.P. I would be upset if someone else picked up those call letters and putting them on a public-owned station (CC/Cumulus).
Sigh.
from this, Nate- I take it I must have been misinformed or rather illogical. However, I will respect and defend my latest comment regarding poledo's message prior mines. So, in response, I will say it to you as well: Sigh.Nate Wesley said:macab4490 said:Hmm, Matt McCoy works for mornings on 107.3 worked for WABB. He knows the history from there. I just don't think he would abandon the WABB call letters. I think if he, runs the station (who does anyways at 1073?) he respects the so-called retirement of the call letters "WABB." He is just going to gain, hopefully some form of an attraction from the listeners at WABB to Hit Music Now. I'd said, and I will say it again - WABB is history. R.I.P. I would be upset if someone else picked up those call letters and putting them on a public-owned station (CC/Cumulus).
Sigh.
Who has the right to take the same calls that a station used for 52+ years? That's just makes no sense one bit. But I'm sorry if your reasoning appears to be "better." I won't make anymore comments on the sale of WABB.
ABM said:Nate Wesley said:Sighmacab4490 said:Hmm, Matt McCoy works for mornings on 107.3 worked for WABB. He knows the history from there. I just don't think he would abandon the WABB call letters. I think if he, runs the station (who does anyways at 1073?) he respects the so-called retirement of the call letters "WABB." He is just going to gain, hopefully some form of an attraction from the listeners at WABB to Hit Music Now. I'd said, and I will say it again - WABB is history. R.I.P. I would be upset if someone else picked up those call letters and putting them on a public-owned station (CC/Cumulus).
ABM said:Nate Wesley said:macab4490 said:Hmm, Matt McCoy works for mornings on 107.3 worked for WABB. He knows the history from there. I just don't think he would abandon the WABB call letters. I think if he, runs the station (who does anyways at 1073?) he respects the so-called retirement of the call letters "WABB." He is just going to gain, hopefully some form of an attraction from the listeners at WABB to Hit Music Now. I'd said, and I will say it again - WABB is history. R.I.P. I would be upset if someone else picked up those call letters and putting them on a public-owned station (CC/Cumulus).
Y'all are more sentimental about call-letters than I am, and I'd guess most of us who do this for a living.
FWIW, millions were pissed when ABC bought WLS around 1960 and scrapped "The Barn Dance Station" in favor of Top 40. Then 30 years later, millions were pissed when "The Big 89" aka "The Rock of Chicago" got replaced by Rush and Hannity--using those same calls.
To this day I just can't think of the station on 890 now as the real WLS. To me, WLS is Larry Lujack, not Rush Limbaugh.
But it's still a top 10 station in America's third largest market (and so is WLS-FM). The millions who listen to today's version of 890 don't care what WLS meant in 1975 or 1955.
And that's all that matters.
FWIW, millions were pissed when ABC bought WLS around 1960 and scrapped "The Barn Dance Station" in favor of Top 40. Then 30 years later, millions were pissed when "The Big 89" aka "The Rock of Chicago" got replaced by Rush and Hannity--using those same calls.
To this day I just can't think of the station on 890 now as the real WLS. To me, WLS is Larry Lujack, not Rush Limbaugh.
But it's still a top 10 station in America's third largest market (and so is WLS-FM). The millions who listen to today's version of 890 don't care what WLS meant in 1975 or 1955.
And that's all that matters.
AMFMXM, you don't believe Clear Channel made a major error to abandon the WOWW call letters and allow them to be picked up by some small AM in the mid-Atlantic region? Those call letters would have been perfect for any format! 107.3 has never been the same since they dropped the WOWW calls.
Right now, I believe, WABB and WXBM are the only Pensacola-Mobile stations that identify primarily with their call letters... therefore, WXBM could theoretically move to 94.1 and keep their listener base from getting confused. If WTKX moved to 96.1 they would have to completely rebrand... TK96 just doesn't sound right at all.
Clear Channel (and I assume others) have a history of parking Heritage Call Letters on insignificant stations they own in small markets just to keep the competition from picking them up and using them to start a competing station (ala WPCH Atlanta's switch from Peach to Lite with new call letters and no format change).
Clear Channel already has 107.3 ready to replace WABB 97.5 on March 1st. If Cumulus launched a new CHR on one of their 100kw red headed step children (both have better signals than 107.3) with the WABB branding and a promotional campaign similar to Hot 104's to go along with it, I really think they would win the Top-40 listeners in this market. On the other hand, I would think CC would want to get those call letters to KEEP Cumulus from having ANY advantage besides a stronger signal in competing with 107.3. On the third hand WABB AM might be worth more money to some other buyer just because they have knowledge of the heritage radio station WABB. 1480 might be worthless in its current state without the WABB call letters. Maybe Scott Shannon is interested in buying WABB AM for his Oldies radio network?
Can't debate whether it's "right" or not for another owner to run a Top 40 radio station in Mobile known as "WABB". Business is business.
Right now, I believe, WABB and WXBM are the only Pensacola-Mobile stations that identify primarily with their call letters... therefore, WXBM could theoretically move to 94.1 and keep their listener base from getting confused. If WTKX moved to 96.1 they would have to completely rebrand... TK96 just doesn't sound right at all.
Clear Channel (and I assume others) have a history of parking Heritage Call Letters on insignificant stations they own in small markets just to keep the competition from picking them up and using them to start a competing station (ala WPCH Atlanta's switch from Peach to Lite with new call letters and no format change).
Clear Channel already has 107.3 ready to replace WABB 97.5 on March 1st. If Cumulus launched a new CHR on one of their 100kw red headed step children (both have better signals than 107.3) with the WABB branding and a promotional campaign similar to Hot 104's to go along with it, I really think they would win the Top-40 listeners in this market. On the other hand, I would think CC would want to get those call letters to KEEP Cumulus from having ANY advantage besides a stronger signal in competing with 107.3. On the third hand WABB AM might be worth more money to some other buyer just because they have knowledge of the heritage radio station WABB. 1480 might be worthless in its current state without the WABB call letters. Maybe Scott Shannon is interested in buying WABB AM for his Oldies radio network?
Can't debate whether it's "right" or not for another owner to run a Top 40 radio station in Mobile known as "WABB". Business is business.
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