WDUQ

[Novare]

Duquesne just (finally) announced selling WDUQ-FM to Essential Public Media for $6 million.

 

[Talk_Dude]

Duquesne just (finally) announced selling WDUQ-FM to Essential Public Media for $6 million.

Here's some actual information.

 

[Whiplash]

Nice commission on this one for the broker!

 

[kenhawk1160]

So this is a duopoly with WYEP then? We haven't seen anything like this since WQED-TV acquired the former WENS-TV. Hope it works out!

 

[Talk_Dude]

So this is a duopoly with WYEP then? We haven't seen anything like this since WQED-TV acquired the former WENS-TV. Hope it works out!

If I was working at WQED-FM, I might be a tad bit concerned. Maybe my fears would prove groundless, but I'd be afraid first.

 

[apostate]

There is no reason for anyone at QED-FM to be concerned. DUQ, yes. YEP, maybe, but probably not. QED, if anything, gets to do more in contributing content. If, that is, they want to play with Essential Public Media. If they don't, 90.5 will find someone else to provide that content.

QED already has whatever efficiencies it can achieve in the back office, by sharing services with TV, FM, online, and production.

 

[Talk_Dude]

There is no reason for anyone at QED-FM to be concerned. DUQ, yes. YEP, maybe, but probably not. QED, if anything, gets to do more in contributing content. If, that is, they want to play with Essential Public Media. If they don't, 90.5 will find someone else to provide that content.

QED already has whatever efficiencies it can achieve in the back office, by sharing services with TV, FM, online, and production.

I was thinking in terms of becoming the #3 ranked recipient of "listener-member" dollars.

Does QED still use their facilities to compete with private enterprise companies for things like making corporate videos?

 

[apostate]

DUQ has more than 15,000 members. YEP has around 6,500 members. QED-FM has fewer than 5,000 members. People who pledge to Channel 13, however, often consider themselves to be supporting FM, too. That's always been a problem.

QED is a private enterprise that offers facility rentals and other production services to a variety of clients, from other public and commercial broadcasting program producers, to non-profit and commercial businesses of all sorts.

 

[KeyTimes950]

Consider one of the following analogies ...

(1) It is 1992. The Post-Gazette swallows the larger Press, leaving Pittsburgh as, at worst, a one-and-a-half paper market (with the Tribune-Review's Pittsburgh edition).

(2) It is the 1960s. The Post-Gazette swallows the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, leaving the city a two-paper market (with the Press).

 

[Novare]

People who pledge to Channel 13, however, often consider themselves to be supporting FM, too. That's always been a problem.

I think that has also been a problem going the other way as well ... People pledging to FM (like me) have worried their money goes upstairs to TV sometimes.

-D

 

[KeyTimes950]

Ultimately, folks, unless there is a dedicated line item in WQED's budget for incoming FM donations, figure your FM dollars may help Channel 13 as well.

 

[apostate]

People who pledge to Channel 13, however, often consider themselves to be supporting FM, too. That's always been a problem.

I think that has also been a problem going the other way as well ... People pledging to FM (like me) have worried their money goes upstairs to TV sometimes.

-D

What I meant is that some people pledge to TV and figure that covers the whole deal.

Pledges to FM are dedicated to FM.

 

[MattParker]

Pittsburgh has public AAA, public jazz and public classical stations. It still is without a full time public radio news and information station. Maybe this re-alignment will change that. Music stations don't get pledges and don't get sponsors like talk stations do. And new media are superior to terrestrial radio for music and the music audiences are discovering that.

 

[Talk_Dude]

Pittsburgh has public AAA, public jazz and public classical stations. It still is without a full time public radio news and information station. Maybe this re-alignment will change that. Music stations don't get pledges and don't get sponsors like talk stations do. And new media are superior to terrestrial radio for music and the music audiences are discovering that.

Pittsburgh has a full-time news and information station. It is available free to any member of the public that tunes in 1410 AM. It is funded by commercials, but it is free to the public.

WDUQ is also "full time" at presenting radio news and information during the hours when such programmings is most needed, morning and evening drive time. During the rest of the day, all but a tiny segment of the audience who seeks news and information can find that content on the internet.

 

[MattParker]

Pittsburgh has a full-time news and information station. It is available free to any member of the public that tunes in 1410 AM. It is funded by commercials, but it is free to the public.

WDUQ is also "full time" at presenting radio news and information during the hours when such programmings is most needed, morning and evening drive time. During the rest of the day, all but a tiny segment of the audience who seeks news and information can find that content on the internet.

KQV is an all news station with headlines in a continuous cycle. It is nothing like a public radio news and information station (WBUR, WAMU, WNYC, WHYY, KPCC among others). As a result Pittsburgh public radio does not have Diane Rehm, On Point, Talk of the Nation, Here and Now, As It Happens among others - nor any intelligent and topical local talk. You may be content with Rush Radio but many thinking people are not.

CPB should deny funding to music stations and NPR should limit them to associate, non-voting membership.

 

[DaveBayArea]

KQV is an all news station with headlines in a continuous cycle. It is nothing like a public radio news and information station (WBUR, WAMU, WNYC, WHYY, KPCC among others). As a result Pittsburgh public radio does not have Diane Rehm, On Point, Talk of the Nation, Here and Now, As It Happens among others - nor any intelligent and topical local talk. You may be content with Rush Radio but many thinking people are not.

CPB should deny funding to music stations and NPR should limit them to associate, non-voting membership.

I guess maybe this is "Grass is Greener" syndrome, but I think you folks in Pittsburgh are lucky. I live in California where we have our choice of THREE public news-and-information stations (including KQED, which is one of the best in the US) and no triple-A station. We listen to WYEP and WNCW a lot when we can get the web streams - and even subscribe. You get WYEP with a twist of the dial. There is something about having music played by an intelligent human who plans and hosts a show (vs. Pandora or a pre-programmed web stream). That's part of what public radio is all about, and I'm sure CPB is still aware of that.

Dave B.

 

[PT]

"thinking people" ? Would you care to extrapolate on that obviously arrogant comment?

 

[hypwr]

Initially, I thought the powers at Duquesne Univ. were very short-sighted for wanting to sell WDUQ. After all, many people are more aware of the station than the school. However, perhaps they are more atuned to the future than we give them credit for. They get 6 mil today. In 5 years they would be lucky to get 500K as the value of stations will continue to drop. Keep in mind that the Ipod generation will have even more choices during that time frame.

 

[FreddyE1977]

CPB should deny funding to music stations and NPR should limit them to associate, non-voting membership.

There are an awful lot of local and indie musicians who would take issue with that statement.

 

[Parttimer]

"thinking people" ? Would you care to extrapolate on that obviously arrogant comment?

I could go off on a rant about the free enterprise system and market forces making conservative radio a successful business, while "thinking people" need government support and donations, but I'll save that. It would make a lot of people mad....