Cumulus buys WFME 94.7

Ai4i · Oct 22, 2012

stationless listener said:
Didn't WABC use to stream a country internet station when Citadel still ran it?

"The Elephant", from WOR.

ansky212 · Oct 22, 2012

If 106.3 goes non-comm, I wonder if they would bring the Country format to 94.7 and use 105.5 as a simulcast as it would fill in the gaps in northern Westchester and Putnam where 94.7 would be weakest.

luperm · Oct 22, 2012

Hmmm...I figured 106.3 would have ended up as a WQXR simulcast.
Lovely. Now, I'll have Family Radio blasting away in my area.

As for AMs, I still don't think Arthur Liu will part with one of his stations.

d21ofnj · Oct 22, 2012

stationless listener said:
Not alluding to anything but a reading of the legal documents I found something that some may not have figured out right away:

In the filing application it says that the licensee is a limited liability corporation called Radio License Holding X, LLC.

Now if you go to Exhibit 15, where they list the stations under Cumulus, only one other station is listed under that name: WABC

That could just be standard procedure but something like this should clue us in as to what the ultimate format would be. Or maybe not. Something to think about while we wait until the decision is made. It also raises the possibility of a new WABC-FM but it may not be necessarily be talk. Didn't WABC use to stream a country internet station when Citadel still ran it? Citadel also had a couple of country networks that Cumulus took over when it bought Citadel, including Best Country Today. Again, not saying it'll happen but doing a little brainstorming, trying to connect whatever dots may be.

A new Top 40 coming. 94.7 WABC-FM.

luperm · Oct 22, 2012

ansky212 said:
If 106.3 goes non-comm, I wonder if they would bring the Country format to 94.7 and use 105.5 as a simulcast as it would fill in the gaps in northern Westchester and Putnam where 94.7 would be weakest.

Maybe they'll use WFAS-FM 103.9 as the counterpart to 105.5 and do something totally different with 94.7...

Barry · Oct 22, 2012

The transfer of WDVY 106.3 Mt. Kisco to Family Radio is bad news for country fans in the Westchester, Rockland, Bronx area, if 94.7 does not pick up the format. WDVY's simulcast of WDBY 105.5 in Danbury CT is the only over the air country station that can be received with a halfway decent signal in most parts of those places (other than HD2's).
WDBY had been constantly promoting the 106.3 simulcast over the air. I noticed that this was scaled back about a month ago.
Hopefully Cumulus' thinking is that the simulcast will not be needed, because a country format (hopefully) will be coming to 94.7 which can reach those areas with a good signal.
It seems unlikely that WFAS would be used to simulcast WDBY, as it is considerably further from the Danbury CT market than WDVY.

ansky212 · Oct 22, 2012

Does the station sale have to be 100% complete before Cumulus can begin changing the format? Or can they start something like a Christmas format while they are waiting for final paperwork to be processed?

Jeffrey · Oct 22, 2012

XCountry285 said:
There goes my dreams of Alternative. I'm going to assume Country since 106.3 will be non commercial.

Not necessarily. Country seems the logical format for WFME given this new development but I don't think Cumulus gave up WDVY as part of the sale of Family Radio simply so they could put country on another frequency in NJ/NY. While it might make sense in many respects the outcome is rarely as we speculate. Country is still up alot of biast in New York and the 94.7 frequency serves mostly a very ethnic area of NJ and of course NY. It would be hard to imagine no alternative in New York and Cumulus deciding the way to go is country although everything remains to be seen.
My guess is it won't be any of those.

"WFME finally sold

"

xmradiopro · Oct 22, 2012

I'm wondering the same thing...could we start hearing any clips of audio on the hour indicating new ownership at WFME ? Also anyone know if they have applied for new call letters for 94.7 FM yet ?

ansky212 said:
Does the station sale have to be 100% complete before Cumulus can begin changing the format? Or can they start something like a Christmas format while they are waiting for final paperwork to be processed?

secondchoice · Oct 22, 2012

MusicRadioUSA said:
I'm wondering the same thing...could we start hearing any clips of audio on the hour indicating new ownership at WFME ? Also anyone know if they have applied for new call letters for 94.7 FM yet ?

ansky212 said:

Does the station sale have to be 100% complete before Cumulus can begin changing the format? Or can they start something like a Christmas format while they are waiting for final paperwork to be processed?

Click to expand...

Not yet on the FCC site:

http://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?list=0&facid=20886

DToTheJ · Oct 23, 2012

WNTIRadio said:
Amy Goodman, perhaps the most miserable radio host of all time.

She and Michael Savage would be a great couple - save for the whole ideology thing... :

WNTIRadio · Oct 23, 2012

I've at least heard Savage laugh while on the air. He can rant and rave, but also toss a joke in. Amy, on the other hand, I've never even heard the hint of a smile. Just that croaky, funeral parlor delivery.

Bongwater · Oct 23, 2012

WNTIRadio said:
Amy Goodman, perhaps the most miserable radio host of all time.

Aw c'mon. Amy Goodman was raging against the machine BEFORE it was cool. She's a no nonsense, no bulls--t hardcore journalist. You don't tune in to Democracy Now! to hear entertainment gossip. You tune in to get the ugly reality behind the news. And if you knew her whole trip, you'd probably understand why she doesn't primp herself into a squeaky entertainment gossiper with cotton candy hair like the mainstream female TV news anchors on CNN and Fox News. Edward R. Murrow would be PROUD of her.

WNTIRadio · Oct 23, 2012

She doesn't have to tell jokes, but she could have a personality that is a little more inviting than rusty nails.

Edward R Murrow, Uncle Walter etc. were real journalists too. They were serious. But you also felt they were speaking to you in a personal way.

Amy just sounds downright miserable. You can be serious and authoritative without being miserable. And that croak in her voice has gotten worse over the years.

And we live in a representative republic. (Sorry, pet peeve about people who talk about America's "democracy")

secondchoice · Oct 24, 2012

WNTIRadio said:
And we live in a representative republic. (Sorry, pet peeve about people who talk about America's "democracy")

If Obama is reelected but Romney wins the popular vote that will change.

WNTIRadio · Oct 24, 2012

No, you're referring to the electoral college, which is separate from the representative republic. Popular vote can still be used to elect a president in a representative republic. Popular vote selects our senators and members of congress. Those are the representatives in the representative republic. We choose them, they in turn make the laws. A pure democracy would have an up or down vote by the people on every law.

Ai4i · Oct 24, 2012

I still remember the election of '76 all to well. Everyone I know voted for Sam Tilden.
He was a New Yorker and would have made a much better president than that Hayes guy.

OC3 · Oct 24, 2012

Way to go WAAAAAY off topic folks!

badjef · Oct 24, 2012

OC3 said:
Way to go WAAAAAY off topic folks!

More like,,,rudderless. - waiting for the next shoe to drop on this topic.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

Barry · Oct 24, 2012

I'm really bummed that as part of the deal to buy 94.7, Cumulus will be handing over WDVY 106.3 to Family Radio.
The WDVY simulcast of Kicks 105.5 WDBY has been the only country station that is receivable with a decent signal over the air in much of Westchester, Rockland, Bronx, and Fairfield counties (other than HD2's.)
It had only started simulcasting Kicks 105.5 late last February.