Trevecca to sell WNAZ after more than 40 years

[w9wi]

They could offer 103.9 after dark to WENO... Might help them...

FCC wouldn't let them do that.

103.9 was authorized under Special Temporary Authority (over 20 years ago...) specifically to relay AM 1160 to alleviate interference from Cuba. Unless they can make a case for Cuban interference to WENO they won't be able to use 103.9 to relay anything else.

 

[anotherguyTN]

It's the preachers that decide how many stations they want to be on. Focus on the Family will go on several stations in an area, while others will possibly go to only one station. When someone like Bott or Salem are in an area some preachers will go exclusively there.

As far as the stations themselves, Bott usually has the best major programs, and from what I've seen of their schedule WENO seems to be the same way. WNAH and especially WNQM will let any crackpot on who flashes enough monry on their faces. I may not agree with every precher Bott has, but they don't let nuts like R.G. Stair on.

 

[firepoint525]

I'll admit it could have been worse though. It could have been BBN or worst of all, the owners of WNQM/WWCR that bought WNAZ.

WNQM/WWCR will never buy an FM frequency, because that would mean that they would have too much "visibility" in the community. In other words, too many people would know that they exist. They seem to enjoy their status as a "stealth" station, unknown to the average Nashvillian. A former sales manager there tried to get them to increase their visibility in the community, but as far as I know, management didn't listen to him. :

 

[anotherguyTN]

According to an article in The Tennessean today at http://www.tennessean.com/article/2...revecca-in-talks-to-sell-campus-radio-station , the potential buyer plans to keep the CCM format. If that's the case then they buyer may be someone else instead of Bott. This article does goive more details that were left out in any earlier articles I've seen or on the resistance website. If this does turn out to be the case, then hopefully it won't be as bad if WNAZ is sold, although I still wonder if the music will still be the same.

If it turns out that Bott isn't the buyer, then I apologize for my part in spreading that rumor.

 

[skippertthomas]

If it's not Bott... Then it would be a K-Love/Air-1 or Way may have some north metro ideas...

 

[soundsandsports]

If it's not Bott... Then it would be a K-Love/Air-1 or Way may have some north metro ideas...

WAY-FM already has this market well covered. Here's what I wish would happen when the deal is official: EMF buys everything, moves 91.5 closer to Nashville and makes it Air-1, then convert 89.1 and the translators to K-Love. If that doesn't happen, maybe the end of NAZ could be Radio Free Nashville's gain at some point...

 

[NashvilleNative]

What a shame - 89.1 is the only Christian station that will come in at work in Berry Hill near fairgrounds (Layers of concrete and interference - NAZ next door, Way and Fish non-existent). Granted the music is 3rd pick of the bunch (No streaming allowed). Fisk is hurting financially so I doubt it'll upgrade. Lipscomb or Belmont have the pockets or interest? (doubt to see either of those). WayFM's Old Hickory and Sumner County signal is near non-existent and the 94.5 translator in Hville is nothing but a distorted sounding WGSQ blocker. Too bad NAZ barely reaches the Davidson County border :/

 

[anotherguyTN]

I hadn't thought about Belmont or Lipscomb before as potential buyers. Belmont could possibly buy the station and keep the format the same. But Lipscomb is probably not a potential buyer since they're a Church of Christ college. They'd be more likely to go secular before they'd do any kind of CCM format. But who knows if either is interested?

 

[skippertthomas]

They could offer 103.9 after dark to WENO... Might help them...

FCC wouldn't let them do that.

103.9 was authorized under Special Temporary Authority (over 20 years ago...) specifically to relay AM 1160 to alleviate interference from Cuba. Unless they can make a case for Cuban interference to WENO they won't be able to use 103.9 to relay anything else.

True in the CURRENT reference to FCC rules, but with the Federal Courts overturning FCC rule and policy, don't put it past a few pro-bono boys trying.. Seems the courts and congress have stripped the M-Street Patrol of a load of their god with the little 'g' status.. Looking more to be a K-Love/EMF thing.. I question why they, with NO LOCAL PROGRAMMING or LISTENER involvement, think it's a wise move in a metro with a STRONG Salem AC that is involved with the Church Community.. Overkill.... A generic box of cereal or a local flavor of lunch meat? Radio is making less sense, every day? Don't you think?

 

[onetake]

Couple of points: Colorado Christian University in Denver sold their station to Klove a few years ago.Great signal. But bottom line, college execs don't know what to do with a radio station most of the time. And with fewer students finding real opportunities in broadcasting the classes are smaller. Look at the WNAz staff size. It's just not what they do well.
(2 Bott is a good operator out of Kansas City. But it's not a non commercial operation. I don't get the broadcast of paid for programs on a non com. But I sure did notice how they've got 1160 AM
bumped up full and loud. They don't carry wild eyed programs. 1300 and 980Am seem to put on whoever has $50 and walks in the door.
(3 Klove is a non com operation and might be a candidate to pickup WNAZ...they've gone to many markets. But Christian music is a small segment of the music pie. (the latest Amy Grant CD has barely sold 40,000 copies for example...not exactly a growth market here). FISH does a good job on and WAY has the teens. But Klove could (I don't know for sure) justify a move here to be more on the radar of the local labels based here and consider their signal and visibility part of the effort for record company support on their network. Klove participated in a race here last year and flew in winners.
(4 but who knows. Other than WPLN the "educational" band has little sampling but has quietly picked up some quality signals. WMOT and WPLN have restored my faith in quality audio as the other signals have loudness wars and compression games that make one wonder if they listen to their own product. Sorry to ramble on so long.

 

[jetfli]

Bott is a good operator out of Kansas City. But it's not a non commercial operation.

Uh, yes... Bott has both commercial and non-commercial stations. For example, there's

ARKANSAS
Fayetteville 89.3 FM

KANSAS
Abilene/Junction City 90.5 FM
Atchison 89.7 FM
Independence 91.5 FM

MISSOURI
Columbia 89.9 FM
Independence 88.9 FM
Jefferson City 89.9 FM
Oran 90.5 FM
Poplar Bluff 91.7 FM
St Joseph 89.7 FM
St Louis 91.5 FM
Springfield 90.1 FM
Sunrise Beach 90.3 FM

NEBRASKA
Lincoln/Omaha 88.5 FM

OKLAHOMA
Bartlesville 91.5 FM

TENNESSEE
Memphis (Downtown) 90.5 FM

TEXAS
Longview/Tyler/East Texas 90.7 FM

 

[anotherguyTN]

(2 Bott is a good operator out of Kansas City. But it's not a non commercial operation. I don't get the broadcast of paid for programs on a non com. But I sure did notice how they've got 1160 AM
bumped up full and loud.  They don't carry wild eyed programs. 1300 and 980Am seem to put on whoever has $50 and walks in the door.   

I wouldn't be against Bott getting an FM frequency in Nashville, just not WNAZ. But thankfully, that looks like it won't be happening.

(3 Klove is a non com operation and might be a candidate to pickup WNAZ...they've gone to many markets. But Christian music is a small segment of the music pie. (the latest Amy Grant CD has barely sold 40,000 copies for example...not exactly a growth market here). FISH does a good job on and WAY has the teens.  But Klove could (I don't know for sure) justify a move here to be more on the radar of the local labels based here and consider their signal and visibility part of the effort for record company support on their network.  Klove participated in a race here last year and flew in winners.
       

Here's another thought: K-LOVE and Air 1 just recently moved their morning shows to  Indianapolis. If they had a presence in Nashville, could they possibly move the morning shows here?

 

[onetake]

I'm confused on the Bott non commercial product.
Do they get some kind of waiver since the fm is a duplicating frequency?

I understand the Moody Broadcasting thing. They don't "charge" for air time and do solicit listener donations plus they charge a fee to the ministries in exchange for their running those shows...more a bookeeping game.
Non coms fasinate me. I've heard many over the years get real close to the line of what's legal.
They can do their contests and giveaways but technically aren't supposed to be running say "concert spots" as it's a for profit event. Yet some "christian formatted" stations do. They write the contracts where the "client" makes a "donation" instead of buying airtime.

Any idea why all the mystery of who the buyer is. WNAZ is getting more attention in 1 week than they've gotten in 10 years.

 

[skippertthomas]

(2 Bott is a good operator out of Kansas City. But it's not a non commercial operation. I don't get the broadcast of paid for programs on a non com. But I sure did notice how they've got 1160 AM
bumped up full and loud. They don't carry wild eyed programs. 1300 and 980Am seem to put on whoever has $50 and walks in the door.

I wouldn't be against Bott getting an FM frequency in Nashville, just not WNAZ. But thankfully, that looks like it won't be happening.

(3 Klove is a non com operation and might be a candidate to pickup WNAZ...they've gone to many markets. But Christian music is a small segment of the music pie. (the latest Amy Grant CD has barely sold 40,000 copies for example...not exactly a growth market here). FISH does a good job on and WAY has the teens. But Klove could (I don't know for sure) justify a move here to be more on the radar of the local labels based here and consider their signal and visibility part of the effort for record company support on their network. Klove participated in a race here last year and flew in winners.

Here's another thought: K-LOVE and Air 1 just recently moved their morning shows to Indianapolis. If they had a presence in Nashville, could they possibly move the morning shows here?

Amy is not the hot item in her 50's..... So, the market on her product is minimal... On the other note: Way's primary daytime demographic is not teens.. Females 18 to 34........ Teens are the icing.... K-Love/Air-1 would like to be in the mix, but Fish (Salem) and Way have strong local involvement. K-Love (unless they do local mornings) would be pressed with no local presence in most markets... And Nashville with Two CCM-AC's and a strong CCM-CHR.. Overkill?

 

[TheBigA]

There's a lot of this going on in the NCE world. I'd heard talk just a couple years ago that MTSU was looking to sell its station. Obviously they didn't, but I'm sure the budget was cut. Of course Belmont got out of the FM business a few years ago. Vanderbilt has been having trouble getting students involved in the station. Just last year they had a big meeting to control th number of non-students on the air. I hear WAY-FM is doing quite well in the area. Perhaps the K-Love folks would like a piece of that pie. There are several sub-formats within Contemporary Christian, so it's not out of the question that WAY could buy it for a different approach.

But aren't we all getting just a bit tired of these petitions and Facebook pages people start whenever things change? Life ain't a reality TV show. Casting your vote doesn't matter when it's a private transaction. Some people need to grow up.

 

[radiogeek07]

Some years back, I was at the helm of WUDR in Dayton "Flyer Radio." We reached 50,000 households, and according to my advisor, the license was valued at about $1 million. He pretty much told us that we can't screw around, because the university would more than likely sell the station if someone gave a nice offer.

 

[jetfli]

[K-Love/Air-1 would like to be in the mix, but Fish (Salem) and Way have strong local involvement. K-Love (unless they do local mornings) would be pressed with no local presence in most markets... And Nashville with Two CCM-AC's and a strong CCM-CHR.. Overkill?

Salem would like to have its talk network in this market...

 

[romer979fm]

Of course Belmont got out of the FM business a few years ago.

Belmont had an FM?

 

[TheBigA]

Of course Belmont got out of the FM business a few years ago.

Belmont had an FM?

Good point....it may have been a Part 15 carrier current. In any case, they don't have one any more.

 

[onetake]

Salem Talk Network is stubborn. I can't find a market where it's showing a lot of success but they stick with it.
Isn't the Salem Nashville Fish still a feed of their music network which originates from Nashville?
The two most successful Fish stations are Atlanta and Dallas which don't resemble Nashville. Nashville has more new product on, perhaps to impress the record company's.
But nationally Klove shows up well in some markets in part because they are careful with their music and research it heavily.
Christian music is hard to research because all numbers are tricky. Klove probably could get an audience here even in mornings. Not many local morning shows in Nashville are standouts. The Klove morning show, is very polished and would give Fish a real run for the money, I think.
Having a national morning show hasn't seemed to be a disadvantage for them.
Way fm's funding is interesting. I don't think the 18-34 women they "target" contribute heavily but rather parents of teens who believe in it's mission. Way has some loyal donors but funding is down, and places like WNAZ never had great listener revenue support. I understand why Trevecca would call it quits.
Way fm got into a real jam with Arbitron last year quoting greatly exaggered ratings claims. Based on other markets we're going to see some shakeout when PPM finally hits. I think we'll see some real surprises in this non com catergory. Nashville, having most of the Christian music business based, might have for years slightly overestimated some of the impact of the format. Other markets don't reflect great impact. It has some loyal listeners but hasn't changed the world all that much, anywhere.