WPKX CP for Hartford move issued

[reelyreal]

It took six months, but the CP for the WPKX move to Hartford has been issued. The contingent application for WMAS-FM's change in COL to Enfield was also approved.

Clear Channel will now have to construct the new facilities for WRNX, WKNL, and WPKX to facilitate all of their moves. It'll be interesting to see how quickly the whole process happens.

 

[progressivetalk]

I may be wrong, but shouldn't the moves for WRNX and WKNL be primarily new transmitters which shouldn't take that long but new facilities and a new transmitter for WPKX will take at least six months to build. I wonder if CC will save some time and just move the WPKX transmitter to Hartford as is?

 

[reelyreal]

The deal with WKNL includes a brand new Shively antenna, a new Nautel transmitter, and new transmission line.

 

[CTListener]

Refresh my memory. The end result of this is that 97.9 gets syndicated right-wing talk and puts a better signal into Hartford, 100.9 gets country and continues to serve Springfield primarily, and adult rock disappears completely? Or do we not know for sure what Clear Channel is going to put on 97.9?

 

[fybush]

We do not know for sure. The talk about talk was just...talk, at least so far. It's rather more certain that "Kix" will transition from 97.9 to 100.9, since it's a much more lucrative format for CC than retaining the adult rock that's now on RNX.

So what does CC really get in the end? It trades a signal in a fairly small market, Springfield, for one in the much bigger Hartford market, all for the price of some engineering work, a new transmitter and antenna for WKNL and the shared use of a generator in Albuquerque. (Really - that was what Citadel got from CC in exchange for WMAS-FM's COL change.)

 

[reelyreal]

Scott, you may have a better grasp on this than I do.. I understood every part of the whole deal except the incentive for CBS Radio to agree to the short-spacing to WRCH. I know it's going to cause minimal increased overlap down around the shoreline, but why agree to it?

 

[fybush]

The "interference area" isn't even along the shoreline. It's a tiny increase, mainly just to the east of the transmitter site, in the area that already gets interference on paper between WKNL's 94 dBu (blastingly strong) contour and WRCH's 54 dBu primary service contour, and because of the grandfathering rules involving class A stations, CBS Radio's consent wasn't even necessary in order to get approval. I assume CBS's voluntary consent will have a quid pro quo somewhere down the line where Clear Channel (or, less likely, Hall) will sign off on something similarly non-controversial somewhere else to smooth the regulatory flow.

It's not a big deal for CBS, anyway; whatever tiny little bit of new interference is created to WKNL will be outside the Hartford Arbitron market and thus largely irrelevant to WRCH.

 

[Bill-in-CT]

I am betting CC's new Hartford station will be ESPN 97.9. For the Yankees and other major sporting events, WPOP and WAVZ do not cover Meriden/Wallingford well at night, and it's difficult to listen to post season football and baseball on those two stations in the car here. Does anyone know what 97.9's coverage area will be and how it will compare with WPOP's?

 

[CTListener]

I am betting CC's new Hartford station will be ESPN 97.9. For the Yankees and other major sporting events, WPOP and WAVZ do not cover Meriden/Wallingford well at night, and it's difficult to listen to post season football and baseball on those two stations in the car here. Does anyone know what 97.9's coverage area will be and how it will compare with WPOP's?

I believe it will be pretty weak to the south of Hartford, as it has to protect WALK at 97.5, so Meriden/Wallingford will still have to make do with WPOP and whatever blowtorch New York AMs carry play-by-play.

 

[KML0224]

The Yankees on FM would be nice. However, what happens to WPOP-AM 1410? Become a dreaded Fox Sports Radio affiliate?

 

[reelyreal]

The "interference area" isn't even along the shoreline. It's a tiny increase, mainly just to the east of the transmitter site, in the area that already gets interference on paper between WKNL's 94 dBu (blastingly strong) contour and WRCH's 54 dBu primary service contour, and because of the grandfathering rules involving class A stations, CBS Radio's consent wasn't even necessary in order to get approval.

I was considering New London the shoreline, but basically the same point. The interference is so far removed from Hartford it doesn't really matter. I'm just not used to seeing general courtesy in radio without a "What's in it for me?" attached

 

[DToTheJ]

Makes me wonder why Clear Channel didn't move their ESPN sports radio format to 104.1 (when they owned it) in the first place...

 

[CTListener]

Makes me wonder why Clear Channel didn't move their ESPN sports radio format to 104.1 (when they owned it) in the first place...

ESPN, FSR, Sporting News/Yahoo ... national sports talk on local radio stations is filler, pure and simple. Most sports radio listeners don't want to hear talk about games or issues that don't involve their local teams. CC has very little local content on 1410; moving the ESPN filler gab to FM won't make it a ratings winner.

 

[fmradio1]

Especially since CC really doesn't do much with ESPN Radio on their sports stations overall. Their programming arm Premiere distributes Fox Sports Radio so most of their stations run that. ESPN being in Bristol and the amount of time 1410's been running their feed compelled CC to leave WPOP alone. It's just a placeholder. CC wants an FM outlet to run their syndicated talk programming...Beck, Rush, Hannity, Levin and Coast To Coast. WTIC-AM is who they're going after. It's the least expensive programming option with the most revenue upside. They may have to hire a local morning show...that's about it.

 

[reelyreal]

Especially since CC really doesn't do much with ESPN Radio on their sports stations overall. Their programming arm Premiere distributes Fox Sports Radio so most of their stations run that. ESPN being in Bristol and the amount of time 1410's been running their feed compelled CC to leave WPOP alone. It's just a placeholder. CC wants an FM outlet to run their syndicated talk programming...Beck, Rush, Hannity, Levin and Coast To Coast. WTIC-AM is who they're going after. It's the least expensive programming option with the most revenue upside. They may have to hire a local morning show...that's about it.

I've said it before, I'll say it again... I don't see them pulling Rush from such a respected outlet as WTIC... they've been on board forever, and they've got one of the biggest and best Rush signals.

 

[necrat123]

Especially since CC really doesn't do much with ESPN Radio on their sports stations overall. Their programming arm Premiere distributes Fox Sports Radio so most of their stations run that. ESPN being in Bristol and the amount of time 1410's been running their feed compelled CC to leave WPOP alone. It's just a placeholder. CC wants an FM outlet to run their syndicated talk programming...Beck, Rush, Hannity, Levin and Coast To Coast. WTIC-AM is who they're going after. It's the least expensive programming option with the most revenue upside. They may have to hire a local morning show...that's about it.

Unless part of the agreement in getting CBS to sign off on the semi contingent 100.9 interference deal involves them NOT pulling Rush from 1080, when 97.9 launches, OR 97.9 goes an entirely different direction programming wise.
That would be the only curve ball in your argument.