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WBAI applies to go commercial
- Thread starter nd2023
- Start date
Wow, here we have another busy year probable on our hands! Here are some things that I think might happen:
1) Let Emmis get a second (WEPN LMA'ed to ESPN) station, because of their slight ownage with Merlin loss of 101.9. Emmis is good at several formats, formats we currently see in the market.
2) Let Cumulus get another signal, and become another established 'giant', like CC and CBS.
3) Maybe NYC Radio swaps 105.9 WQXR for WBAI, and revert 99.5 back to non-comm?
4) Bring any format that had some boost, but lost something to end in to the market: Smooth Jazz, Alt, Jammin Oldies (to compete somewhat to WCBS), Dance, Modern Rock??
5) CBS sells one of their AM'ers (likely WINS) and buy 99.5???
Tell me anything of what might work, or not (probably most things of what I said, especially 3+4+5 are probably not to happen compared to 1 and 2), and add onto this list!
1) Let Emmis get a second (WEPN LMA'ed to ESPN) station, because of their slight ownage with Merlin loss of 101.9. Emmis is good at several formats, formats we currently see in the market.
2) Let Cumulus get another signal, and become another established 'giant', like CC and CBS.
3) Maybe NYC Radio swaps 105.9 WQXR for WBAI, and revert 99.5 back to non-comm?
4) Bring any format that had some boost, but lost something to end in to the market: Smooth Jazz, Alt, Jammin Oldies (to compete somewhat to WCBS), Dance, Modern Rock??
5) CBS sells one of their AM'ers (likely WINS) and buy 99.5???
Tell me anything of what might work, or not (probably most things of what I said, especially 3+4+5 are probably not to happen compared to 1 and 2), and add onto this list!
F
FredLeonard
Guest
It's not a non-commercial license to begin with.
Pacifica is non-profit organization but the station is operated as non-commercial by choice. Same applies to WNYC-FM or AM, and WQXR or any station outside the non-commercial band or on the AM band.
Pacifica is non-profit organization but the station is operated as non-commercial by choice. Same applies to WNYC-FM or AM, and WQXR or any station outside the non-commercial band or on the AM band.
Talk about end of an era. Ranks right up there with WINS announcing its programming change to all news. Seriously, I am that old.
B
Bob1370
Guest
"Has anyone applied to go non-commercial.
THAT is the big matching question."
It happens all the time on the AM band, occasionally on FM, and even occasionally on TV. Rochester, NY's main NPR affiliate is an AM station that went non-profit, same with Buffalo's noncomm classical FM (which was once a commercial station under a prior ownership) and even Buffalo's longtime PBS TV station was once commercial in the 1950s as an NBC O&O.
If WBAI goes commercial it's not that difficult, any more than WNSH, the onetime religious noncomm which is now Cukmulus' country FM in the NYC market. The 99.5 channel, like 94.7, is essentially a commercial FM frequency and was a commercial station from 1948 to 1960 before Pacifica owned it, both under the WBAI callsign and earlier as WABF. If they change hands and go from nonprofit to for-profit all they need to do is make sure it sells to a qualified commercial licensee without any serious financial or legal issues against it.
The interesting questions are;
1)Who is WBAI going to be sold to, and when? It'll fetch a pretty penny for Pacifica, because just the stick value of a full market class B transmitting from ESB has to be $75 million+. But it probably won't be any of the maret's current major players since they're not in the buying mood right now. Maybe some new player in the market may be looking for an entry point. Maybe that's the station that could replace WCBS as the Yankee flagship, assuming the Steinbrenners have a clue as to what to program when the ball club isn't playing.
2)What will the new owner do with it, especially if it isn't the Steinbrenner family? Now that country's taken, all-news staged a recent and expensive flop on FM, and conservative talk, sports talk and various flavors of AC and UC are in a state of surplus in the market, only local personality-driven talk like WMCA and WABC used to be is left among the obvious wide-appeal formats. The only other niche formats that are missing are pop standards (doubtful) and maybe a show business talker along the lines of a radio version of the E! channel, something which Blink 102.7 and that brief faux format "Chocolate 101.9" sort of danced around but never turned into a full-fledged format.
3)Will Pacifica find either a rimshot FM, a noncomm license like WNYE that the current operator finds more trouble than it's worth, or a struggling AM signal above 1130 and below 1560, to call home (presumably at a deep discount over what it collects for WBAI)?
This doesn't look like an April Fool's joke, simply because Pacifica is really up against it financially and has been mentioned as a possible sale/downgrade candidate for the last three months. Of course it coukd be an April Fool's joke that turns into reality...
THAT is the big matching question."
It happens all the time on the AM band, occasionally on FM, and even occasionally on TV. Rochester, NY's main NPR affiliate is an AM station that went non-profit, same with Buffalo's noncomm classical FM (which was once a commercial station under a prior ownership) and even Buffalo's longtime PBS TV station was once commercial in the 1950s as an NBC O&O.
If WBAI goes commercial it's not that difficult, any more than WNSH, the onetime religious noncomm which is now Cukmulus' country FM in the NYC market. The 99.5 channel, like 94.7, is essentially a commercial FM frequency and was a commercial station from 1948 to 1960 before Pacifica owned it, both under the WBAI callsign and earlier as WABF. If they change hands and go from nonprofit to for-profit all they need to do is make sure it sells to a qualified commercial licensee without any serious financial or legal issues against it.
The interesting questions are;
1)Who is WBAI going to be sold to, and when? It'll fetch a pretty penny for Pacifica, because just the stick value of a full market class B transmitting from ESB has to be $75 million+. But it probably won't be any of the maret's current major players since they're not in the buying mood right now. Maybe some new player in the market may be looking for an entry point. Maybe that's the station that could replace WCBS as the Yankee flagship, assuming the Steinbrenners have a clue as to what to program when the ball club isn't playing.
2)What will the new owner do with it, especially if it isn't the Steinbrenner family? Now that country's taken, all-news staged a recent and expensive flop on FM, and conservative talk, sports talk and various flavors of AC and UC are in a state of surplus in the market, only local personality-driven talk like WMCA and WABC used to be is left among the obvious wide-appeal formats. The only other niche formats that are missing are pop standards (doubtful) and maybe a show business talker along the lines of a radio version of the E! channel, something which Blink 102.7 and that brief faux format "Chocolate 101.9" sort of danced around but never turned into a full-fledged format.
3)Will Pacifica find either a rimshot FM, a noncomm license like WNYE that the current operator finds more trouble than it's worth, or a struggling AM signal above 1130 and below 1560, to call home (presumably at a deep discount over what it collects for WBAI)?
This doesn't look like an April Fool's joke, simply because Pacifica is really up against it financially and has been mentioned as a possible sale/downgrade candidate for the last three months. Of course it coukd be an April Fool's joke that turns into reality...
They could be attempting to duplicate what WFMT has done in Chicago. It's a commercial classical station, owned by the non-profit group that also owns WTTW, the PBS station there. Very successful. They have a very unique policy of only doing live announced commercial copy. No pre-recorded commercials. WFMT is now managed by Steve Robinson, who was once with WBGO.
OTOH, this could also open the door to allowing WBAI to air info-mercials. A very easy way for them to make the money they need to stay afloat.
OTOH, this could also open the door to allowing WBAI to air info-mercials. A very easy way for them to make the money they need to stay afloat.
B
Bob1370
Guest
"OTOH, this could also open the door to allowing WBAI to air info-mercials. A very easy way for them to make the money they need to stay afloat"
Now that WOULD be an April Fool's joke! ;D
Now that WOULD be an April Fool's joke! ;D
Bob1370 said:
You don't think clients would line up down the street to have their infomercials air on an NYC FM with their signal?
Then again, the internal revolution it would create would be historic. But you'd get the same response if they sold the station. Lawsuits from staffers for the next five years.
I think this is a April Fools joke...
F
FredLeonard
Guest
Non-profits, like public radio stations, often have money left over. They don't have stock holders to pay dividends to. They may give bonuses to management. They may buy new equipment or buy a new building for themselves.
But often they buy or start for-profit subsidiaries.
But often they buy or start for-profit subsidiaries.
Can someone provide a source of this information? If a reliable source is not given, this is an April Fool's joke.
Bruce
Bruce
FredLeonard said:
The same also applies to WNET-TV 13 Newark, New Jersey. WNET operates with a commercial television license; however, WNET's licensee - WNET - chooses to operate channel 13 as a non-commercial "PBS" TV station. At one time WNET was the television counterpart to what is now WNSH 94.7.
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