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WNIR To Pick Up ABC News, WKSU Wants Second Station?

O

OldAkronite

I hate to keep sounding like a promotion for OMW, but...

I'd like to open up two Akron market items for discussion.

* Talk WNIR/100.1 is apparently heading for ABC News Radio's Information Network, as soon as Clear Channel's WTAM/1100 Cleveland and Akron's WHLO/640 drop it in favor of FOX News Radio early next month (in the previously announced CC/FNR deal). As far as I know, WNIR has run CBS Radio News for its entire 25-plus year run as a talk station...does anyone have better memory of that than I do? I can't remember any other network news service on WNIR.

* WKSU/89.7 is said to be looking to buy a second station, likely WZIP/88.1 Akron. Such a move would nudge "Z88" to on-campus and Internet listening, and give WKSU an outlet for, say, NPR news/talk programming...opening up 89.7 for more classical.

Yes, this stuff has been on the blog for a while, but I'd like some discussion about it, and the comments on the blog aren't exactly conducive to it the way this board is...

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>
 
> * WKSU/89.7 is said to be looking to buy a second station,
> likely WZIP/88.1 Akron. Such a move would nudge "Z88" to
> on-campus and Internet listening, and give WKSU an outlet
> for, say, NPR news/talk programming...opening up 89.7 for
> more classical.


Hmmm...now that is interesting. But, I find it hard to believe that the University of Akron would give up WZIP. Especially to it's arch rival, Kent State. That would cause some commotion on the campus, I'd bet
 
> * WKSU/89.7 is said to be looking to buy a second station,
> likely WZIP/88.1 Akron. Such a move would nudge "Z88" to
> on-campus and Internet listening, and give WKSU an outlet
> for, say, NPR news/talk programming...opening up 89.7 for
> more classical.
>

I'd hate to see a college student program station be sold and have automated NPR put on it. There is already ENOUGH all things considered on the Non Com FM dial for everyone to enjoy.

<P ID="signature">______________
Lenks
Program Director/Music Director
X Music Online
The X
Today's Best Music
http://www.xmusiconline.com/</P>
 
>
> * Talk WNIR/100.1 is apparently heading for ABC News Radio's
> Information Network, as soon as Clear Channel's WTAM/1100
> Cleveland and Akron's WHLO/640 drop it in favor of FOX News
> Radio early next month (in the previously announced CC/FNR
> deal). As far as I know, WNIR has run CBS Radio News for
> its entire 25-plus year run as a talk station...does anyone
> have better memory of that than I do? I can't remember any
> other network news service on WNIR.

They used ABC in the 70's when they were WKNT.
 
> > * WKSU/89.7 is said to be looking to buy a second station,

> Hmmm...now that is interesting. But, I find it hard to
> believe that the University of Akron would give up WZIP.
> Especially to it's arch rival, Kent State. That would cause
> some commotion on the campus, I'd bet
>

I may be mistaken, but I do not believe non-commercial radio stations can be sold like commercial stations.
 
> > > * WKSU/89.7 is said to be looking to buy a second
> station,
>
> > Hmmm...now that is interesting. But, I find it hard to
> > believe that the University of Akron would give up WZIP.
> > Especially to it's arch rival, Kent State. That would
> cause
> > some commotion on the campus, I'd bet
> >
>
> I may be mistaken, but I do not believe non-commercial radio
> stations can be sold like commercial stations.

Non coms can be sold just like regular stations. It happens all of the time. Various groups (mostly church groups)sell them to other non profit groups.
 
Yes, WKSU Can Buy 88.1 or 91.3

> Non coms can be sold just like regular stations. It happens
> all of the time. Various groups (mostly church groups)sell
> them to other non profit groups.

Indeed, one of the examples I gave on the blog was an example of this.

WFFC/89.9 Ferrum VA (south of Roanoke) was owned by Ferrum College, and programmed by students.

WVTF/89.1 Roanoke, the market's NPR affiliate and owned by the Virginia Tech Foundation (a Virginia Tech offshoot), approached Ferrum and wanted to program WFFC's signal as the "primary" signal for a network of translators to run the NPR/BBC news/talk service "Radio IQ". WVTF already had WWVT/1260 Christiansburg for the format, but you can't use an AM as primary for an FM translator. Not only that, 1260 was a daytimer.

They started running "Radio IQ" on WFFC, after moving the students to Internet-only status. WFFC fed translators in Roanoke and Charlottesville that used to rebroadcast the primary WVTF signal (terrain issues).

WVTF's lawyers suddenly panicked, and dropped "Radio IQ" from all but WWVT/1260. It turns out they believed they couldn't run WFFC under that agreement, so they went and bought it instead.

WFFC is now owned by the Virginia Tech Foundation, is still physically located on Ferrum's campus, and is once again the nominal primary for "Radio IQ" (run out of the WVTF studios in Roanoke County).

So, yes, there's no problem with Kent State/WKSU buying either WZIP or WAPS.

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>
 
>
> Hmmm...now that is interesting. But, I find it hard to
> believe that the University of Akron would give up WZIP.
> Especially to it's arch rival, Kent State. That would cause
> some commotion on the campus, I'd bet
>

$$$ talks<P ID="signature">______________
Chris
Energy X - Modern & Alternative Rock
energyradio.fm</P>
 
Re: Yes, WKSU Can Buy 88.1 or 91.3

>
> So, yes, there's no problem with Kent State/WKSU buying
> either WZIP or WAPS.


But would they want WAPS? How well does the 91.3 signal get out of Akron? I know they boosted a year or so ago, but I have never really listened to them.
 
Re: Yes, WKSU Can Buy 88.1 or 91.3

> But would they want WAPS? How well does the 91.3 signal get
> out of Akron? I know they boosted a year or so ago, but I
> have never really listened to them.

91.3 actually does pretty good now...it has pretty decent coverage of Akron and much of the Canton area since the signal upgrade.

But I'd be surprised if it wasn't WZIP involved. It's a better signal, and fits in better with what WKSU would likely want.

-OA <P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>
 
Re: Yes, WKSU Can Buy 88.1 or 91.3

>
> But I'd be surprised if it wasn't WZIP involved. It's a
> better signal, and fits in better with what WKSU would
> likely want.


Let's play "what if" here.
Suppose 88.1 goes to Kent State.
It could be possible then for The U of Akron to pick up 91.3 and move 'ZIP over there.

Thoughts?

(I have to think the Akron Schools un-loading WAPS would save them a nice chunk of change)
 
Re: Yes, WKSU Can Buy 88.1 or 91.3

> (I have to think the Akron Schools un-loading WAPS would
> save them a nice chunk of change)

This thought is hard to get out of my mind, too. I suppose it depends on how well they're doing selling underwriting for WAPS...

-OA <P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>
 
> * WKSU/89.7 is said to be looking to buy a second station,
> likely WZIP/88.1 Akron. Such a move would nudge "Z88" to
> on-campus and Internet listening, and give WKSU an outlet
> for, say, NPR news/talk programming...opening up 89.7 for
> more classical.
>

What, then, becomes of WKSU's translator signals throughout the region? Would they simulcast an all-NPR WKSU-2 (from either WAPS or WZIP), or an all-classical WKSU-1?

- nate81


<P ID="signature">______________
Nathan Obral
University Partership Representative
Student Senate
Lorain County Community College, Elyria, Ohio

LCCC Radio - The Duck</P>
 
Re: Yes, WKSU Can Buy 88.1 or 91.3

I haven't kept up with WKSU's schedule, but, as I remember, they run an extensive classical music schedule.

I'll bet they are going down the same path the WOUB stations went down last year when WOUB suddenly dropped all of their classical music programing (over spring break, no less) to run a dreary line-up of NPR talk programs during the day.

OUB's stated reason for the programing change was that their CPB funding is dependent upon the station's showing in the Arbitron markets they are in. They concluded that there was not enough audience to support the classical programing. (And I thought the purpose of the reserved band channels was to encourage stations to run programming that was not popular enough to enjoy commercial and ratings success?).

Perhaps Kent is following the same path? If so, they want the second station for the classical music programing as a sop for the classical fans; WKSU and the KSU network would then go talk and news.

In that context, the purchase of 88.1 makes sense. KSU's classical fans in Cleveland would migrate to WCLV, while 88.1 would be the bone tossed to the Akron listeners.
Anticipated questions:

1. Yes, non-coms show up in Arbitron. They are usually not listed because the commercial stations buying the book don't want them there.

2. Yes, non-coms can buy each other. Xavier recently sold its network of stations (the X-Star Network) to the other NPR station in Cincinnati, WGUC, for several millions. I bet you will see the same pattern, WGUC will stay mostly classical and will even expand the music shows, while the x-star net will probably beef up the news and info programing.
 
Re: Yes, WKSU Can Buy 88.1 or 91.3

The loss of CBS Radio News, a far better product than ABC by leaps and bounds, bothers me far more than what NPR does with its product..would 1350 pick it up?

I'd hate to see WZIP go the internet route, for the simple reason that the people who work where I do are trained well, and adapt to commercial radio far better than the product that local ''broadcast schools'' turn out..
 
WKSU Translators

> What, then, becomes of WKSU's translator signals throughout
> the region? Would they simulcast an all-NPR WKSU-2 (from
> either WAPS or WZIP), or an all-classical WKSU-1?

I was just thinking about that earlier today.

My guess: They run Morning Edition and All Things Considered on the other stations, and classical the rest of the time. That seems to be the pattern at other such operations, such as Capital Public Radio's far flung stations in Central California.

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>
 
Re: Yes, WKSU Can Buy 88.1 or 91.3

> In that context, the purchase of 88.1 makes sense. KSU's
> classical fans in Cleveland would migrate to WCLV, while
> 88.1 would be the bone tossed to the Akron listeners.

Except for one very big elephant in the room: WCLV basically does not serve the heart of the Cleveland arts community, on the east side.

If there's any money to be mined out of classical at all for WKSU, it's where WCLV's puny 104.9 signal no longer reaches. 88.1 doesn't get that for them. WKSU is probably already getting significant support from disenchanted WCLV listeners who used to listen to 95.5. There's a lot of money out there on the eastern fringes of the Cleveland market, and it's a larger classical music support base than in the heart of WCLV's current signal, or in Akron.

Without this factor, I'd agree with you, and I still don't know if it won't turn out that way.

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>
 
Re: Yes, WKSU Can Buy 88.1 or 91.3

> The loss of CBS Radio News, a far better product than ABC by
> leaps and bounds, bothers me far more than what NPR does
> with its product..would 1350 pick it up?

1350 is not picking up CBS. And I erred on the blog - right now, they're still running ABC Information, in tandem with sister WHLO/640. But when WHLO drops Info (and WNIR picks it up), I believe 1350 will move over to the ABC Entertainment cast. 1590 has ABC Direction.

CBS' radio news product has been losing affiliates right and left the past 5 years or so.

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>
 
> As far as I know, WNIR has run CBS Radio News for
> its entire 25-plus year run as a talk station...does anyone
> have better memory of that than I do? I can't remember any
> other network news service on WNIR.
>

ABC Entertainment, complete with the 5-minute cast at the bottom of the hour, back when all the ABC nets were on one telco line.
 
> ABC Entertainment, complete with the 5-minute cast at the
> bottom of the hour, back when all the ABC nets were on one
> telco line.

I'm wondering...when was this? Did WNIR ever run ABC in the talk format, or was this dating only back to the WKNT days?

I know they've run CBS for a long, long time, and the above description would certainly date the timing for ABC on 100.1...

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>
 
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