So - if the "98.5 The Sports Hub" brand is NOT built around the WBZ-FM call sign, and if said call letters are only "whispered" in the TOH ID, then Beasley should have no problem with giving them up. I also don't see anything in the agreement between CBS and Entercom which even mention the WBZ-FM call letters, and I don't know why that was the case. But does it imply that the WBZ-FM call sign could not belong to the same owner/operator as the WBZ-AM call sign? Could iHeart make a move now to acquire the WBZ-FM call sign even if it has to "park" it somewhere for a while?
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WBZ 1030
- Thread starter DavidZ
- Start date
Could iHeart make a move now to acquire the WBZ-FM call sign?
No. The FCC controls that, and the calls are legally assigned to Beasley.
The agreement only controls trademarks. The FCC assigns radio call letters. Two separate things.
I remember several decades ago Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) donated big bucks to MIT for the former to get the call letters WTBS for their on-air outlet in Atlanta.No. The FCC controls that, and the calls are legally assigned to Beasley.
The agreement only controls trademarks. The FCC assigns radio call letters. Two separate things.
What I'm saying is that call letters, while assigned by the FCC, can be bought/sold if the buying/selling entities are in full agreement and the price is right.
Would you mind explaining how/why radio/TV call signs are not, in many cases, "trademarks"?
Would you mind explaining how/why radio/TV call signs are not, in many cases, "trademarks"?
They are BRANDS, and that was covered in the Audacy agreement. They can also be trademarked, if that process is done. That's why the Audacy agreement doesn't specify AM or FM. The part CBS controls is the brand of WBZ. But the assignment of call letters is done by the FCC and they control who gets WBZ-FM.
Sure, iHeart could "buy" the use of the FM call letters if it meant something. In Seattle, they controlled the KJR-AM/FM call letters. When KJR AM decided to simulcast on FM, they simply transferred the FM calls to that station. Simple. However, Cox didn't do that in Atlanta with WSB, even though they could. Audacy didn't do that with WBBM in Chicago.
But still, as we've said, there is no need to blow up an FM for a WBZ simulcast. It won't make more money. It won't help demographics. And it won't improve the product. The best thing iHeart can do with WBZ is better merchandise the content digitally. That's where the younger audiences are, and that's how they can make more money. iHeart doesn't own an FM that they're willing to blow up, so it won't happen. Talking about call letters is putting the cart before the horse.
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If you recall, the WBZ-FM call sign had disappeared from the airwaves in late 1981 / early 1982 when Group W gave up on FM in Boston, and WMJX signed on on 106.7. The next appearance of the WBZ-FM call sign was in 2009 when The Sports Hub debuted on 98.5. How was it possible for that call sign to lie dormant those 27+ years?They are BRANDS, and that was covered in the Audacy agreement. They can also be trademarked, if that process is done. That's why the Audacy agreement doesn't specify AM or FM. The part CBS controls is the brand of WBZ. But the assignment of call letters is done by the FCC and they control who gets WBZ-FM.
Sure, iHeart could "buy" the use of the FM call letters if it meant something. In Seattle, they controlled the KJR-AM/FM call letters. When KJR AM decided to simulcast on FM, they simply transferred the FM calls to that station. Simple. However, Cox didn't do that in Atlanta with WSB, even though they could. Audacy didn't do that with WBBM in Chicago.
But still, as we've said, there is no need to blow up an FM for a WBZ simulcast. It won't make more money. It won't help demographics. And it won't improve the product. The best thing iHeart can do with WBZ is better merchandise the content digitally. That's where the younger audiences are, and that's how they can make more money. iHeart doesn't own an FM that they're willing to blow up, so it won't happen. Talking about call letters is putting the cart before the horse.
How was it possible for that call sign to lie dormant those 27+ years?
The only company that could apply for them was either Westinghouse, or its successor CBS.
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