Rip: Wfdf

There are threads about Radio Disney pulling out terrestrial radio on many of the other market boards. Not there. Which is a shame. Many of the other AMs Disney bought up and operated as computers in closets never amounted to anything any way. But not WFDF. Before Disney stole that license from Flint, WFDF was one of radio's class acts - through the Golden Age and then as a strongly local fuller service MOR station in radio's Silver Age. What 'JR was to Detroit, 'FDF was to Flint.

Radio Disney was a dumb idea to begin with. The network targeted kids at a time when kids didn't listen to terrestrial radio. Now, it's going to do audio streaming to kids who live in an on-demand world.

Walt would have known better. So would Frank D. Fallon.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/trav...f-its-radio-stations-20140813,0,4219533.story

Looks like 9/26 is the day 'Radio' Disney dies and becomes an also ran digital service.

No idea who the buyer for WFDF is, but I can't imagine any top flight programming ending up there. Some of the Radio Disney stations may just go dark. I can't imagine that there are a lot of buyers for AM properties, unless Disney will take next to nothing for some of the stations. I had WFDF on the other day with one of my granddaughters in the truck. There is a market for the progamming, apparently just not enough of one to make it worth Disney's while to keep on terrestrial radio. Surprised they aren't keeping the Orlando station going.

If Salem doesn't buy this for its Talk product, they're nuts. Years ago, they were offered 1270 for 10 mil and passed.

They could keep their FMT and ditch 1400. It would give their Talk station a full market signal.

Which raises the parallel question of why Salem keeps their right-wing (but "kinder, gentler") talk network going? The pay to play preaching network subsidizes it. Right-wing talk overall is circling the bowl, even the top tier talkers. Salem's talk network is in a position analogous to Radio Disney - a chain of computers in closets on mostly weak sticks with almost no listeners or advertisers. Sure they could pick up better signals here and elsewhere but there's also evidence that when talkers change stations or frequencies there is often a big audience fall-off. And Salem doesn't have so many listeners it can afford to lose any. Or some many advertisers it can afford to upgrade signals, even at fire-sale prices.

Of course, they could always start a second preaching network. A lot of preachers with ego and money who think god wants them to get on the radio.

Or Disney could just flip WFDF to ESPN Deportes.

Whoever buys it should consider just running the night pattern at 25 kW all the time. That extra 25 kW isn't worth the increased power bill.

Salem does do business with their talk stations. They own a rep firm that places a lot of stuff on those stations. Their main problem in some of these markets is quality of signal.

FredLeonard said:

Radio Disney was a dumb idea to begin with.

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I really disagree with that statement. Because when Radio Disney was begun, in the 90s, the only choice was terrestrial radio. But using your phrase, "to begin with," Radio Disney was a smart idea, although not original. To begin with, there was Radio Aahs. Aahs was first. They did a partnership with Disney. Then Disney decided it could go it alone. And Aahs sued. But it wasn't a dumb idea. And it was a great use of radio. However, it's an idea that has become dated as other platforms have emerged. Disney is primarily a content creator company. That's how they define themselves. Owning towers and transmitters isn't part of their mission. That's why they sold ABC Radio to Citadel. However, they wanted to retain various brands, like ESPN Radio, ABC News Radio, and Radio Disney. So they needed some radio stations to do that. Because it was going to be hard to convince other owners to carry Radio Disney programming.

Walt was the only Hollywood mogel who believed in TV. At a time when the movie studios were at war with TV companies, Walt created shows directly for TV. That's what the Mickey Mouse Club was all about. Same with Wonderful World of Disney. Radio Disney was the same kind of thing. Now they can focus on content creation without need of towers and transmitters.

Back when Radio Disney wanted to buy my Detroit station (not for sale at the time) and my Flint station to move to Detroit, i told them that they should be programming to the parents of the kids, while they were in school. Parenting programs.... How to cope with kids and tip on what to do with them (activities, etc.). This was around 2004. My advice fell on deaf ears.
Their management at the time was a pretty arrogant bunch, in my opinion. They were big time Disney and everyone else was beneath them. I remember reading John Hare the riot act and hanging up on him. We were share holders in "Radio Aahs" and really believed that Disney stole a lot of their intellectual property. Disney should have lost that lawsuit.

TheBigA said:

I really disagree with that statement.

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So what else is new?

Because when Radio Disney was begun, in the 90s, the only choice was terrestrial radio.

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ONLY choice for what? The Disney channel has been in operation for 13 years. Disney sold cassettes and CDs. And even in 1996 when Radio Disney launched (although not in all its later markets) no one in its target audience was born before 1980. These are and were people oblivious to the AM (and not much interested in FM), yet Disney went and gobbled up a bunch of weak stick, rim shot, often high-end of the band stations even their AMophile grandparents never listened to. Dumb!

But using your phrase, "to begin with," Radio Disney was a smart idea, although not original. To begin with, there was Radio Aahs. Aahs was first. They did a partnership with Disney. Then Disney decided it could go it alone. And Aahs sued. But it wasn't a dumb idea. And it was a great use of radio. However, it's an idea that has become dated as other platforms have emerged. Disney is primarily a content creator company. That's how they define themselves. Owning towers and transmitters isn't part of their mission. That's why they sold ABC Radio to Citadel. However, they wanted to retain various brands, like ESPN Radio, ABC News Radio, and Radio Disney. So they needed some radio stations to do that. Because it was going to be hard to convince other owners to carry Radio Disney programming.

Walt was the only Hollywood mogel who believed in TV. At a time when the movie studios were at war with TV companies, Walt created shows directly for TV. That's what the Mickey Mouse Club was all about. Same with Wonderful World of Disney. Radio Disney was the same kind of thing. Now they can focus on content creation without need of towers and transmitters.

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No, Walt was not the only "mogel" (sic) who "believed in TV." Leonard Goldenson believed in TV. Dore Schary believed in TV. So did Jack Warner and Harry Cohn. They believed in TV as a way to promote "feature motion pictures." And they believed in TV as an outlet to keep their profitable B picture units going. The "Disneyland" TV show was basically an infomercial for the theme park and then-current movies and a recycling bin for older movies that hadn't done so well. He did it because he needed the money to finish his theme park and ABC was desperate enough to give it to him (after the banks turned him down). Not because he loved TV or was visionary about TV.

FredLeonard said:

ONLY choice for what?

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Radio. That's what we're talking about here, right?

TheBigA said:

Radio. That's what we're talking about here, right?

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OK, radio is the only option for radio. Internet audio streaming was an option already at the time, too. So was cable audio. But if you want to limit this to terrestrial, rusty towers radio, then AM was the poorer choice. We are talking about music for kids after all.

FredLeonard said:

OK, radio is the only option for radio. Internet audio streaming was an option already at the time, too. So was cable audio. But if you want to limit this to terrestrial, rusty towers radio, then AM was the poorer choice. We are talking about music for kids after all.

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Audio streaming in 1994? Cable audio in 1994? Put both of those categories together in its time and you couldn't reach 18% of the people, which is what RD is getting now.

If a company was going to start an audio service in 1994, then terrestrial radio was its best option.

TheBigA said:

Audio streaming in 1994? Cable audio in 1994? Put both of those categories together in its time and you couldn't reach 18% of the people, which is what RD is getting now.

If a company was going to start an audio service in 1994, then terrestrial radio was its best option.

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It was 1996, Kyle.

FredLeonard said:

It was 1996, Kyle.

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And so streaming radio was a big thing in 1996? On dialup?

We were one of the first to do audio streaming on the Internet. Had a T1 pipeline to our studios in Livonia. We were also one of the first to have our audio on cellphones. I am pretty sure that 1996 was VERY EARLY in the game and many did not see the value of it. It really wasn't a good option in 1996.

TheBigA said:

And so streaming radio was a big thing in 1996? On dialup?

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I thought so, as far away from home I had my coffee and OJ and listened to the (once) "great voice of the great lakes." It was only Paul W but still ...

FredLeonard said:

I thought so, as far away from home I had my coffee and OJ and listened to the (once) "great voice of the great lakes." It was only Paul W but still ...

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So your personal experience was something for Disney to build a network around?

I think jry is right in that Salem should be looking at this. And they probably will. It comes down to, is Disney serious about selling these stations for their worth or will they hang onto them because they are worth a LOT less than they were acquired for and run throwaway programming like ESPN Desportes on it? ESPN Desportes is throwaway in this region, it has a value where there is a higher concentration of Spanish speakers.

Why not run the Radio Disney feed until they can sell it? But again, you're dealing with very arrogant people, as jry also noted.

Metro Detroit, according to the 2010 census, has a population of 105,778 people five and older for whom Spanish is their reported primary or dominant language (2.6% of the population).

Well, Salem does not have an outlet for their "Christian Market Talk" network, so they might want to pick one up. Probably other religious broadcasters would be interested, too.

Don't rule out brokered or foreign language.