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Why are there so many FM talk stations in Austin?

A

Anonymouse

Guest
I just moved up here to ATX and I'm amazed at all the talk up here.

There's KXBT 98.9, KTXX 104.9, 96.3 and 99.7. Those are all FM talk in one way or another. We've got 4 FM talks up here! That's way too many.
 
I'm not in the market, but isn't Austin rather lacking in full-market-coverage AM signals? Isn't 590 the only one?

Not counting NPR, we've got one each FM talk and FM sports operation here in Nashville. Had two FM sports operations for several years. With WSM the only full-market AM signal (and WSM not willing to drop the country to go talk) it had nowhere to go but FM. I think the AM coverage issue is probably worse in Austin.
 
96.3 and 99.7 are low power translators that duplicate AM stations. I wouldn't count those FMs as "stations" unless they're seperately programmed.

That leaves you with KXBT and KTXX as Austin's full-time spoken word FMs.

BTW-- In Mexico City, 1/4 of their full power FMs are talk formatted and most of them originate their own programming and do not duplicate an AM.
 
98.9 and 104.9 are owned by a fledgling, incompetent broadcast license "holder"--BMP. These stations had full service hispanic-targeted formats, but those formats were deemed too costly to operate in 2009 (read: too profitable ???) to continue. Look what Emmis did when BMP pulled the plug?! You can't tell me they haven't taken all of those dollars, along with Univision, and are seeing growth? What did BMP replace those dollars with?

Talk radio, especially stations that rely on syndicated and barter services, are relatively cheap to operate. Low overhead + dismal sales/brokered time/PI ads + $0 in music/ASCAP/BMI fees + automation = PROFIT! New owners (like Magic Johnson or Entercom) will surely blow them up and attempt to make them into something respectable, right?

The FM translators are simple experimental reactions to the "potential" impact that 98.9 might have affected upon their AM's--had the station gained ratings traction, grew in revenue, or had some sort of meaningful impact on the market. That's never happened. And won't.
 
speaking of talk radio

I read that a talk show that is "based in Austin, Texas" was getting picked up for national syndication.

Any guesses?
 
You boyz didn't do so well when you tried it from Dallas so we can assume it's an Entercom mandate?
 
Gotta be Kim Iverson. She's only been on Entercom stations thus far. National syndication would put her in many more markets where they don't have stations.
 
KevanGC said:
I just moved up here to ATX and I'm amazed at all the talk up here.

There's KXBT 98.9, KTXX 104.9, 96.3 and 99.7. Those are all FM talk in one way or another. We've got 4 FM talks up here! That's way too many.
Click to expand...

Don't forget about 98.5/99.3 Religious. And the College Stations as they have talk segments.
 
intx said:
Gotta be Kim Iverson. She's only been on Entercom stations thus far. National syndication would put her in many more markets where they don't have stations.
Click to expand...

Probally so. Was this a recent article? Because a while back JB and Sandy where on TV and Radio.
 
KevanGC said:
I just moved up here to ATX and I'm amazed at all the talk up here.

There's KXBT 98.9, KTXX 104.9, 96.3 and 99.7. Those are all FM talk in one way or another. We've got 4 FM talks up here! That's way too many.
Click to expand...

Because our radio market is crap, can't even get a good station on the FM dial...
 
BMP Austin cluster is under Bain Capital because BMP's financial troubles. Former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney was a former executive at Bain and Company. The format is pretty much dictated by them so there you have it. BMP usually programs Spanish on a majority of their stations, but they do not have 100 percent ownership of their Austin properties. Talk is cheap esp. when syndicated.
Every radio station Bain Capital under the name BMP Austin has 90 percent of more syndication in Austin with the exception of Sean Rima. It's BMP Radio but Bain Capital owns "the note" to the properties.
 
wilddav713 is wild wrong. Although Border Media (BMP) is controlled by its lenders, Bain Capital is not part of that consortium. The lenders/owners are the same for BMP stations in all markets, Austin's structure is no different. The company continues to program Spanish in Austin on 1 signal, and has maintained all of their Spanish formats in San Antonio, Laredo and the RGV. And in Austin, their KTXX (The Horn) is live and local all but two hours daily.
 
willdav713 said:
BMP Austin cluster is under Bain Capital because BMP's financial troubles. Former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney was a former executive at Bain and Company. The format is pretty much dictated by them so there you have it.
Click to expand...

The normal procedure for a station group in receivership is to appoint a receiver who works with the lien holders to administer the assets under a reorganization plan. The receiver is then the CEO of the company.

The lien holders are, in effect, the shareholders under reorganization. Some may take a payout while others may take percentages of the assets. The CEO, who in a "normal" company would report to a board who in turn represents the shareholders, reports to the lien holders who are somewhat like the board and the shareholders rolled into one.

A bunch of investment bankers... particularly generally successful ones... don't meddle in the day to day operations of stations. Operations are what a receiver oversees on behalf of the debtors in possession.
 
fredcantu said:
analog420 said:
The company continues to program Spanish in Austin on 1 signal
Click to expand...

That would be ESPN DEPORTES on the old 1kw daytimer in Taylor. And I believe it is local one hour a day.
Click to expand...

Yet another good, local, station serving its community of interest, turned into .... what? I can't imagine it having any numbers at all.
 
mmnassour said:
Yet another good, local, station serving its community of interest, turned into .... what? I can't imagine it having any numbers at all.
Click to expand...

We've been here long enough to see what really great local radio central Texas had.
Taylor, Georgetown, Lockhart and San Marcos all had great local stations with fulltime news people and strong community ties. And Austin had three radio newsrooms that were staffed better than most TV stations today. Everybody did hourly news... even the rockers. The HD Radio promo talked about listening to local radio to be connected. We know the real meaning of "being connected."
 
fredcantu said:
mmnassour said:
Yet another good, local, station serving its community of interest, turned into .... what? I can't imagine it having any numbers at all.
Click to expand...

We've been here long enough to see what really great local radio central Texas had.
Taylor, Georgetown, Lockhart and San Marcos all had great local stations with fulltime news people and strong community ties. And Austin had three radio newsrooms that were staffed better than most TV stations today. Everybody did hourly news... even the rockers. The HD Radio promo talked about listening to local radio to be connected. We know the real meaning of "being connected."
Click to expand...


ahhh.. the "good ol' days"... that's equal to the "Leave it to Beaver" era comparing to TV.. same era when families only had about one TV and would "gather around the radio" too for their favorite radio "program" too...
 
fredcantu said:
mmnassour said:
Yet another good, local, station serving its community of interest, turned into .... what? I can't imagine it having any numbers at all.
Click to expand...

We've been here long enough to see what really great local radio central Texas had.
Taylor, Georgetown, Lockhart and San Marcos all had great local stations with fulltime news people and strong community ties. And Austin had three radio newsrooms that were staffed better than most TV stations today. Everybody did hourly news... even the rockers. The HD Radio promo talked about listening to local radio to be connected. We know the real meaning of "being connected."
Click to expand...

that kind of "connection" isnt needed anymore. so why would stations waste money on it?

with smart phones, social media, internet.....people arent waiting around to hear the news on the radio. Especially when its instantly at their disposal on other mediums.

this isnt the 50s. time to progress, at least somewhat
 
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