| Newsweb is selling WCPY 92.7 to an entity called Rhythm Enterprises LLC for 3 million dollars. |
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WCPY Arlington Heights Sold.
- Thread starter JJSPC
- Start date
With WCPT, WSBC and the WMVP lease agreement going from the News Web left hand of Fred Eychner to the right hand as Heart Land Signal, I'm assuming News Web will no longer exist by the end of 2025 assuming he can sell off WNDZ to anyone that would be interested in taking it.
Newsweb is selling WCPY 92.7 to an entity called Rhythm Enterprises LLC for 3 million dollars.
Heartland Signal exists to get the progressive political message out since larger corporate media has no interest in it and consistently puts out a conservative political message even though the demographic is of no interest to advertisers being 60 +. This is really no different than Salem on a larger scale with religious and ultra conservative talk. All about getting the message out and not solely a profit making venture.
Believe Heartland Signal is structured to carry on even if Fred is essentially retired or passes. News Web will cease to exist once WNDZ is sold off or the license is turned in. Maybe an alternate antenna site for WLS if vertical bridge sells the existing Tinley Park Site.
And the principles in the buyer are simply the people who run Polski FM
Newsweb is selling WCPY 92.7 to an entity called Rhythm Enterprises LLC for 3 million dollars.
I wonder what they would put on the signal.
From what I have been able to tell, they've been operating the station under a time brokerage agreement since June. The programming (for now) is the same. I would assume Polski FM would go 24 hours as a result.
Polski FM began leasing the daytime hours 10 years ago, so I figure the lease might have been that long and instead of renewing, they decided to buy the station.
On an unrelated note, WSFI is no longer leasing airtime on WNDZ. They are running the Gold AC filler music most of the day, except for the two Catholic shows that were already on WNDZ during the week, and the Ethnic programming on the weekends.
Polski FM began leasing the daytime hours 10 years ago, so I figure the lease might have been that long and instead of renewing, they decided to buy the station.
On an unrelated note, WSFI is no longer leasing airtime on WNDZ. They are running the Gold AC filler music most of the day, except for the two Catholic shows that were already on WNDZ during the week, and the Ethnic programming on the weekends.
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That's just the newest brokerage agreement. Quite a few LMA's include options to buy after a certain period of time.
Judging by the buyer's name, I'm thinking they'll put some sort of rhythmic format on the frequency.
Lance mentioned above that several of them are involved in the current Polski FM, which is on the air from 5AM-7PM.
I would assume Polski FM will go 24 hours unless they decide to continue leasing evenings to Dance Factory.
My prediction is that they will be having a HD Subchannel of Dance Factory 24/7 and another one for Heartland Signal
Those operators of conservative formats on lesser signals do make money and the sell to mostly local direct accounts WHO DO BUY 60 AND OVER and national direct accounts that find those format useful for sales.
Salem is a públicly traded company and is driven to make increased profits. They just deal with predominantly one kind of audience, such as Univision or Urban One also do.
The Access Radio Chicago website appears to be gone. Is WNDZ listed with a broker?
I remember when they dismantled the former WMPP 1470. What a shame too, that was a fairly recently reconstructed DA system. The last time I drove through Ford Heights, the old WMPP studio building was still standing.
I remember when they dismantled the former WMPP 1470. What a shame too, that was a fairly recently reconstructed DA system. The last time I drove through Ford Heights, the old WMPP studio building was still standing.
WNDZ had been leasing most of the airtime during the week to WSFI (88.5) which runs EWTN Radio. That ended at some point in the summer and they shifted to the filler AC music they run during non brokered hours.
The brokered Catholic shows that were on WNDZ before WSFI are still there. There are also Ethnic shows and filler music on the weekend.
There's a lot of airtime to fill on there since the WSFI simulcast ran pretty much all day during the week. Prior to that it was the Spanish Catholic broadcaster that bought 1110 AM. El Sembrador. That ran beginning at 8AM during the week with the English Catholic shows at 9 and Noon. WSFI was simulcasting sign on to sign off during the week. WSFI picked up the brokered English Catholic shows during the simulcast.
I'm guessing they'll be looking for a new programmer or a buyer for the station. Maybe both. I'm surprised WSFI didn't buy the station. They wanted coverage in Chicago and they have deep pockets. The McCaskey family (Bears) runs Sports Faith International, Pat McCaskey in specific.
Brokered programming was Newsweb's main business model for radio. Even WCPT has a ton of brokered shows that just happen to fit the format. That was how they made their money with radio. WNDZ and WSBC were always big with Ethnic broadcasters. Nine FM was completely different but they started leasing nights when they added Dance Factory almost 20 years ago. They slowly started shutting stations off (1470, 850) or selling them off (99.9, 92.5) in the last several years. I'm guessing brokered programming isn't as profitable as it once was.
The brokered Catholic shows that were on WNDZ before WSFI are still there. There are also Ethnic shows and filler music on the weekend.
There's a lot of airtime to fill on there since the WSFI simulcast ran pretty much all day during the week. Prior to that it was the Spanish Catholic broadcaster that bought 1110 AM. El Sembrador. That ran beginning at 8AM during the week with the English Catholic shows at 9 and Noon. WSFI was simulcasting sign on to sign off during the week. WSFI picked up the brokered English Catholic shows during the simulcast.
I'm guessing they'll be looking for a new programmer or a buyer for the station. Maybe both. I'm surprised WSFI didn't buy the station. They wanted coverage in Chicago and they have deep pockets. The McCaskey family (Bears) runs Sports Faith International, Pat McCaskey in specific.
Brokered programming was Newsweb's main business model for radio. Even WCPT has a ton of brokered shows that just happen to fit the format. That was how they made their money with radio. WNDZ and WSBC were always big with Ethnic broadcasters. Nine FM was completely different but they started leasing nights when they added Dance Factory almost 20 years ago. They slowly started shutting stations off (1470, 850) or selling them off (99.9, 92.5) in the last several years. I'm guessing brokered programming isn't as profitable as it once was.
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Thanks for the backstory on all of that. I used to be in Chicagoland a lot, especially the south suburbs. I assume the original 1470 (WMPP) transmitter site was dismantled? Or is it still there, rusting away? I know it wasn't very far from the studio on Lincoln Highway, in Ford Heights, but I can't remember the exact location. I've often wondered if any remnants of WMPP remain in the old boarded up studios. The little building with the big parking lot was supposedly a used car lot before WMPP was there.
Under Newsweb, 1470 simply simulcast WSBC most of the time. I believe the site was taken down
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