WMRN one step closer to moving to Dublin

[columbus radio fan]

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1407A1.pdf

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1407A1.doc

The "committee" petition for reconsideration for the WMRN move has been denied again, so WMRN is one step closer to the move.

 

[CBusDave]

Determining whether a multiple ownership issue can be raised at the allocation or application stage is the type of procedural matter that is within the Commission’s discretion. Nothing in the record of this proceeding demonstrates that this policy is arbitrary or capricious or that the Commission abused its discretion. 17

...

17: To the extent the Committee contends that the proposed reallotment to Dublin cannot be made because Clear Channel has not made a commitment to divest itself of any of its stations in the Columbus, Ohio, radio market, we disagree. There is no requirement that Clear Channel make a divestiture commitment before it files an application implementing this rulemaking. In any event, we take official notice that Clear Channel divested itself of Station WQIO(FM), Mt. Vernon, Ohio, which is located in the Columbus radio market.

That's some good lawyerin' Isn't WQIO as much in the Columbus market as WMRN is currently?

 

[radiogeek07]

Didn't WQIO say Mount Vernan/Newark? May be they specifically did that since a couple of stations that are a part of the Columbus ratings come out of there? That's my thought.

 

[techie2]

Next stop is probably DC Circuit Court if the opposition wishes to continue.

The allotment process is definitely a crock these days. Pretty soon the area bounded by Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati-Portsmouth will be nothing but AM daytimers.

 

[Dirty_Harry]

Next stop is probably DC Circuit Court if the opposition wishes to continue.

The allotment process is definitely a crock these days. Pretty soon the area bounded by Columbus-Dayton-Cincinnati-Portsmouth will be nothing but AM daytimers.

Why shouldn't it be? I think it's pretty much a crock that a large market like Columbus has so few big-time signals, both AM and FM. Why waste 50,000 watts on Chillicothe or Mansfield while having a bunch of crummy 6,000 watt stations in a large city like Columbus.

Really, the FCC's current allocation scheme is out of date. Given the growth of most metro areas over the last 40 years, I think a case could be made for reallocating stations to make room for Class-C stations in large markets in the north. It's pretty pathetic that the stereo fades out on a 50,000 watt FM signal the minute you hit the subdivisions in Powell. I think a case could be made for 100,000 watt stations (on 1,000 foot sticks) in the major metro areas, with 6,000 watt stations everywhere else.

 

[Nu_Roo_2]

While I'm not thrilled about seeing small towns lose some local service, I agree with Dirty_Harry that Columbus really got the shaft on big-signal allocations and that some sort of adjustment is justified. Yes, the move-in process may be something of a sham, but the original allocations were also a joke -- compounded by the fact that no correction was forthcoming as Columbus grew. Let's just hope CC/Columbus doesn't waste this signal the way they're wasting 93.3. (Just look at how CC's Class A -- 105.7 the Brew -- beat full-power 93.3 in the latest trend. Pretty sad. If the Brew were on 93.3, it might have topped QFM and all the other rock stations.)

 

[CBusDave]

Maybe the FCC realizes that Columbus has outgrown it's original allotments and that's why they allow all these "questionable" move-ins without having to go through the bigger process of readjusting allotments?

Great point about 93.3 though. I am no fan of The Brew but even less a fan of LiteFM. Then again, I am not part of the target demos of either station so it doesn't really matter what I like. So CC goes after Sunny listeners with 93.3, goes after Q-FM listeners with The Brew... where is the most money to be made (and hence preferential treatment with a stronger signal)? My *guess* is Sunny female listeners but I could be wrong.

Still though, Cinco de Christmas? Ugh.

 

[Dirty_Harry]

Maybe the FCC realizes that Columbus has outgrown it's original allotments and that's why they allow all these "questionable" move-ins without having to go through the bigger process of readjusting allotments?

There's also another point people are missing here. Just like any business, if you can't keep up with the competition, they will run rings around you. Saga, CBS, Nationwide, Great Trails, Taft and Radio One are/were all big enough players. They just didn't have enough creativity, innovation or maybe were simply too cheap to do what Clear Channel is doing. It's no different than Polaris taking business away from Northland ... CC figured out how to build a better mousetrap. North American or the Dispatch could have bought 93.3 or 102.5 just as easily as CC did. If they are too cheap or too flat-footed to do what CC did, then that's their own fault.

 

[Nu_Roo_2]

Maybe the FCC realizes that Columbus has outgrown it's original allotments and that's why they allow all these "questionable" move-ins without having to go through the bigger process of readjusting allotments?

I suppose that *could* be a factor, but I tend to doubt it. I think these same big-signal move-in (or upgrade) games have been played out in other markets just as often -- and sooner than it started happening here. It's less noticeable when you're adding one big signal to eight or ten (as in most markets Columbus's size or even 33% smaller) than when one you add one big signal to six (as was the case with 93.3).

 

[Nu_Roo_2]

North American or the Dispatch could have bought 93.3 or 102.5 just as easily as CC did. If they are too cheap or too flat-footed to do what CC did, then that's their own fault.

Under longstanding newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rules, Dispatch can't purchase any more radio or TV stations in Columbus. Chairman Martin and some others at the FCC would like to remove that restriction.

 

[Dirty_Harry]

North American or the Dispatch could have bought 93.3 or 102.5 just as easily as CC did. If they are too cheap or too flat-footed to do what CC did, then that's their own fault.

Under longstanding newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rules, Dispatch can't purchase any more radio or TV stations in Columbus. Chairman Martin and some others at the FCC would like to remove that restriction.

True, but they could have purchased 93.3 or 102.5 as rimshot signals ... and then later moved them in? WHIO has a couple of rimshots in Xenia and Piqua in their cluster. The FCC can stop purchases, but can they stop move-ins? I bet they couldn't.

 

[Nu_Roo_2]

North American or the Dispatch could have bought 93.3 or 102.5 just as easily as CC did. If they are too cheap or too flat-footed to do what CC did, then that's their own fault.

Under longstanding newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rules, Dispatch can't purchase any more radio or TV stations in Columbus. Chairman Martin and some others at the FCC would like to remove that restriction.

True, but they could have purchased 93.3 or 102.5 as rimshot signals ... and then later moved them in? WHIO has a couple of rimshots in Xenia and Piqua in their cluster. The FCC can stop purchases, but can they stop move-ins? I bet they couldn't.

That's an interesting thought. I wonder if there *is* some kind of loophole there. I'm guessing that if Dispatch had purchased 93.3 when it was in Chillicothe, it would've been prohibited from moving to "Ashville" as CC did, since Ashville is in the Columbus market. But that's just a guess. Anyone else have any thoughts on whether Dispatch could have pulled this off if they had tried? I do know that temporary newspaper-broadcasting cross-ownership waivers have only been granted in very large markets to-date.

 

[Dirty_Harry]

That's an interesting thought. I wonder if there *is* some kind of loophole there. I'm guessing that if Dispatch had purchased 93.3 when it was in Chillicothe, it would've been prohibited from moving to "Ashville" as CC did, since Ashville is in the Columbus market. But that's just a guess.

That's still beside the point. You have to give CC and its predecessor Jacor all the credit in the world for stepping up to the plate and doing what it takes to upgrade their signals. Most other broadcasters don't seem to be innovative enough and don't want to make the financial commitment to do what CC has done. Thanks to CC, we have 4 additional signals in this market that are of pretty decent quality (93.3, 105.7 and 106.5) ... CC also set the precedent for the 102.5 move-in. Does anybody remember how crappy 105.7 used to sound from Marysville? CC also did it in Cincy, upgrading 107.1 from a Class A to a B1, and Dayton, moving 94.5 to the center of Montgomery County. CC still is a purveyor of very boring radio ... but at least their sound quality is bearable!

 

[gr8oldies]

Cox's loophole in Dayton is that Cox Radio has been spun off to a separate company from Cox Newpapers and Television. Even though WHIO, WHKO, WDPT, WZLR and WHIO-TV are in the same building, radio and TV are separate legally. 95.7 and 95.3 never really moved in, 95.7's tower is still in southern Shelby County and 95.3's is still southeast of Xenia. I don't knowe that because town A had a station (especially a high powered one) in the past, it neccesarily means they should have one from then until the end of time.

 

[Dirty_Harry]

Cox's loophole in Dayton is that Cox Radio has been spun off to a separate company from Cox Newpapers and Television. Even though WHIO, WHKO, WDPT, WZLR and WHIO-TV are in the same building, radio and TV are separate legally. 95.7 and 95.3 never really moved in, 95.7's tower is still in southern Shelby County and 95.3's is still southeast of Xenia. I don't knowe that because town A had a station (especially a high powered one) in the past, it neccesarily means they should have one from then until the end of time.

Is Cox as aggressive as CC when it comes to moving signals around? Maybe they can't (or won't) move them in? Remember, CC signed a consent decree with the Justice Department saying they wouldn't buy any more stations in Columbus when they bought Jacor (or was it when Jacor bought Nationwide?) There must have been some kind of loophole that allowed them to move in a signal they already owned, because they are in the process of moving two signals in. I willing to bet the Dispatch could have pulled off the same thing, if they had any creativity.

 

[techie2]

Is Cox as aggressive as CC when it comes to moving signals around? Maybe they can't (or won't) move them in? Remember, CC signed a consent decree with the Justice Department saying they wouldn't buy any more stations in Columbus when they bought Jacor (or was it when Jacor bought Nationwide?) There must have been some kind of loophole that allowed them to move in a signal they already owned, because they are in the process of moving two signals in. I willing to bet the Dispatch could have pulled off the same thing, if they had any creativity.

Cox isn't as aggressive as CC. CC buys down into the smaller markets in order to get them moved out of the way (i.e. buying 105.5 in Washington CH to move it south in order to accomplish the 105.7 move-in.) I haven't really noticed Cox doing this.

As far as the consent degree is concerned, I don't know what happened to it...but the application for construction permit for the new 106.7 site is still currently on the blocked list with reason of "$ competition analysis pending". This means that the latest appeal against allowing the city-of-license change was denied (that's what happened in the document that started this thread) but the actual permit to construct the new facility is still being held up.

I think the Justice Department rules involved the percentage of market share controlled by a single owner, though I'm not sure how it was defined (ad revenue?). Seems like someone could get around that one by sandbagging sales while running on the cheap to keep a profit.

 

[CBusDave]

I think the Justice Department rules involved the percentage of market share controlled by a single owner, though I'm not sure how it was defined (ad revenue?). Seems like someone could get around that one by sandbagging sales while running on the cheap to keep a profit.

All in the name of protecting other signals I gather. Shrewd business practice indeed but it hurts the listener when you run a station on the cheap. Can't really fault CC for running their business however the heck they want though.

 

[Dirty_Harry]

Cox isn't as aggressive as CC. CC buys down into the smaller markets in order to get them moved out of the way (i.e. buying 105.5 in Washington CH to move it south in order to accomplish the 105.7 move-in.) I haven't really noticed Cox doing this.

That's still my point. Don't blame CC for being innovative and aggressive enough to figure out how to get good signals into this market. Other broadcasters wanted to stand pat and milk the Columbus cash cow while CC ran rings around them. If anything, the folks at Jacor and CC should be admired for their creativity.

 

[pbf1]

While I'm not thrilled about seeing small towns lose some local service, I agree with Dirty_Harry that Columbus really got the shaft on big-signal allocations and that some sort of adjustment is justified.

Ironically, there was once a full-signal Columbus FM on 98.7 (50's, maybe 60's...I remember reading it in some old Broadcasting Yearbooks at OSU)!

 

[KevinFodor]

Cox's loophole in Dayton is that Cox Radio has been spun off to a separate company from Cox Newpapers and Television. Even though WHIO, WHKO, WDPT, WZLR and WHIO-TV are in the same building, radio and TV are separate legally. 95.7 and 95.3 never really moved in, 95.7's tower is still in southern Shelby County and 95.3's is still southeast of Xenia. I don't knowe that because town A had a station (especially a high powered one) in the past, it neccesarily means they should have one from then until the end of time.

Is Cox as aggressive as CC when it comes to moving signals around? Maybe they can't (or won't) move them in? Remember, CC signed a consent decree with the Justice Department saying they wouldn't buy any more stations in Columbus when they bought Jacor (or was it when Jacor bought Nationwide?) There must have been some kind of loophole that allowed them to move in a signal they already owned, because they are in the process of moving two signals in. I willing to bet the Dispatch could have pulled off the same thing, if they had any creativity.

My understanding from an engineer-friend is that Cox cannot move either 95-7 or 95-3, (at least not demonstrably far) without creating additional interference with those two stations. Adding additional interference problems to 2 rimshots is not exactly the way to try and gain audience.