Hello all-
First off, let me say WOW! The fact that you all have soooo much time to write on these boards surprises me. If I didn't know a number of you, I would assume you were all unemployed you have so much free time.
With that being said, I will put my two cents in with just one post.
First, Chris Popper (popman)- The official name for what you are calling the CC/Blueberry Curse is "The Curse of the Kings" We all know that Stephen King is one scary dude, so it is my belief that he and Tabby put a curse on the stations last year when they lost the UMaine contract. In true New England sports fashion the curse will not be lifted for 86 years. UMaine Hockey should win a National Championship again in 2093! Probably the Kariya's great grandchildren will be on the team.
As for whether or not another CHR station is needed in Bangor is not the issue. The issue is what would B97 have sounded like as a CHR with almost every night being interrupted by a basketball game, baseball game, softball, etc. As part of Blueberry's deal they need to sell two stations and it makes the most sense to sell WGUY and WFZX. Without WGUY to run all of those games on, the games need to be aired somewhere. WWBX made the most sense of the remaining 4 FM stations that cover the Bangor Metro. For Ben's question as to whether or not the market could support another CHR....Yes, it has and could again if someone started one. The issue is just whether a CHR station that airs a lot of sports games is more profitable than a sports station that does the same. The key is profit margins. B97 had very low costs, but I would assume WAEI has even lower costs. WEEI was very interested in adding stations to their network, and as the Bangor broadcast is very heavy with network avails. You can assume that barter was either all or a large part of this deal. If WEEI can sell a network commercial for a lot more than they can their regular avails, then that is where they will make the bulk of their money on small markets like Bangor.
WGUY and WFZX both being oldies stations. This was obviously not done to increase the ratings of either station, but to allow both stations to run as effortlessly as possible. As both of these stations are in a trust awaiting a buyer Blueberry is obviously just letting them run on autopiliot.
Now, for all of those individuals who are trying to say that Blueberry Broadcasting is cheap, let me just say I don't think they are being cheap I just think they are desperate to be able to turn a profit. While you can assume the purchase price of the stations 11million represents ten times the 2007 cash flow (an industry standard in selling stations) that means the stations made about 1.1 million in profits in 2007. While that may be good to some; it is not enough to pay a mortgage and make a good return on their investment. A big company like Clear Channel had probably already written off the cost of the stations years ago. Blueberry Broadcasting as a small operation doesn't have that luxury, and until assets are sold probably needs to clear close to 2 million dollars a year to stay afloat (pay the mortgage, etc). That means a lot of changes needed to be made, and I am sure we have yet to see them all.
As for a gmail account and the lack of websites. Yes, this is low class, and yes this is being noticed by the average listener, but NO this is not a big deal. Please both sides drop it.
In closing, whether you like the owners of Blueberry Broadcasting or not; whether you like the direction that the stations are going in or not; please remember that there is 40+ employees that like yourselves love radio and want to see local radio succeed. If for nothing else, please give BB a chance for those individuals.
First off, let me say WOW! The fact that you all have soooo much time to write on these boards surprises me. If I didn't know a number of you, I would assume you were all unemployed you have so much free time.
With that being said, I will put my two cents in with just one post.
First, Chris Popper (popman)- The official name for what you are calling the CC/Blueberry Curse is "The Curse of the Kings" We all know that Stephen King is one scary dude, so it is my belief that he and Tabby put a curse on the stations last year when they lost the UMaine contract. In true New England sports fashion the curse will not be lifted for 86 years. UMaine Hockey should win a National Championship again in 2093! Probably the Kariya's great grandchildren will be on the team.
As for whether or not another CHR station is needed in Bangor is not the issue. The issue is what would B97 have sounded like as a CHR with almost every night being interrupted by a basketball game, baseball game, softball, etc. As part of Blueberry's deal they need to sell two stations and it makes the most sense to sell WGUY and WFZX. Without WGUY to run all of those games on, the games need to be aired somewhere. WWBX made the most sense of the remaining 4 FM stations that cover the Bangor Metro. For Ben's question as to whether or not the market could support another CHR....Yes, it has and could again if someone started one. The issue is just whether a CHR station that airs a lot of sports games is more profitable than a sports station that does the same. The key is profit margins. B97 had very low costs, but I would assume WAEI has even lower costs. WEEI was very interested in adding stations to their network, and as the Bangor broadcast is very heavy with network avails. You can assume that barter was either all or a large part of this deal. If WEEI can sell a network commercial for a lot more than they can their regular avails, then that is where they will make the bulk of their money on small markets like Bangor.
WGUY and WFZX both being oldies stations. This was obviously not done to increase the ratings of either station, but to allow both stations to run as effortlessly as possible. As both of these stations are in a trust awaiting a buyer Blueberry is obviously just letting them run on autopiliot.
Now, for all of those individuals who are trying to say that Blueberry Broadcasting is cheap, let me just say I don't think they are being cheap I just think they are desperate to be able to turn a profit. While you can assume the purchase price of the stations 11million represents ten times the 2007 cash flow (an industry standard in selling stations) that means the stations made about 1.1 million in profits in 2007. While that may be good to some; it is not enough to pay a mortgage and make a good return on their investment. A big company like Clear Channel had probably already written off the cost of the stations years ago. Blueberry Broadcasting as a small operation doesn't have that luxury, and until assets are sold probably needs to clear close to 2 million dollars a year to stay afloat (pay the mortgage, etc). That means a lot of changes needed to be made, and I am sure we have yet to see them all.
As for a gmail account and the lack of websites. Yes, this is low class, and yes this is being noticed by the average listener, but NO this is not a big deal. Please both sides drop it.
In closing, whether you like the owners of Blueberry Broadcasting or not; whether you like the direction that the stations are going in or not; please remember that there is 40+ employees that like yourselves love radio and want to see local radio succeed. If for nothing else, please give BB a chance for those individuals.