radionut925 said:
What's the link for the Coosa Valley News?
http://www.coosavalleynews.com
As for whether it was a waste or not, I don't think so. It was either GPB, Southern Broadcasting (WRGA, Q102, South 107), or someone else who would have done something much worse (religious preaching and teaching).
K98 ran (and continues to run until tomorrow) a 24/7 satellite-delivered format (hot AC) from Jones Networks outside of mornings and afternoons, but easily made up for that with trust and a more than active presence in the community (I don't see Clear Channel doing that). It sounds like to me that the Fitzner family would not have been able to continue the operation as-is, and thus he had to sell it.
Mr. Fitzner will serve on WGPB's advisory board. My understanding is that WGPB will operate seperately from the network (like the GPB stations in Athens, Augusta, Savannah, and Carrollton). Tom Barclay (former K98 morning show host and assistant GM) will be the chief of the Rome bureau (and I think GM of WGPB as well).
One last thing...Rome has three colleges (Berry, Shorter, and two-year Georgia Highlands) and a bustling economy thanks to new investment. While the station will not have as many listeners as K98 (they probably will only have a quarter of that), I think that it might succeed because of the area the station is located in. Of course, we will have to wait until pledge time to see how it does moneywise.
At least Mr. Fitzner put the station to good use. It could have been much worse.
A need is being filled and this is the free enterprise system at work. This isn't greed. What should the owner do, sell it for half the money to someone who promises to do local radio?
Mr. Fitzner would have never been able to sell this station for these dollars on the open market and GPB had few options to fill a hole in their coverage area. If anything, this gives the remaining stations in Rome an opportunity to better serve their communities as the advertising dollars being spent on K 98 will now be available to the remaining stations. It's important to remember that radio is a business first and foremost. I subscribe to the theory that radio does more business by better serving the community and doing local programming but there have many others who have made as much money as I, or more, doing something else.
