1210 am wpht

pab said:

Talk is the only thing that still bills on AM, whether it's News/Talk, Sports Talk, or Talk talk.

And they won't go news/talk because that would undercut KYW. They won't go Sports Talk or syndicated sports because that would undercut WIP. (And they already tried it with 610 after WIP-FM launched on 94.1, anyhow.) So if they want to keep the frequency and not sell it, they will have to stick with talk. There's nothing else that can go onto that frequency.

Click to expand...

Dollar-a-holler programming, whether it be preaching, leased ethnic, or infomercials disguised as talk, pays the bills, but it's not something a major operator would put on a 50,000-watt signal in a major market. Although, if the AM ad environment grows still gloomier, who knows?

This is a station that after the inauguration was getting a 4 share! So now it's down to a 3. Who would blow up a station like this to save a few bucks? Not CBS. Not Entercom.

TheBigA said:

This is a station that after the inauguration was getting a 4 share! So now it's down to a 3. Who would blow up a station like this to save a few bucks? Not CBS. Not Entercom.

Click to expand...

1210 could easily go back to to 2. or 1. in the ratings in the next few books. I wonder how will CBS/Entercom deal with that?

TheBigA said:

I don't know that they're "trying to spend less money." The goal of business is to make more money. Carrying syndication is not the way to do that, because you split the money with the syndicator. So you're basically giving up half of your money. Not good business.

You've brought up this idea many times over several years, and clearly it's not the direction this company wants to go. Plus syndicated sports gets terrible ratings, especially in towns that have live & local sports, like Philly.

Click to expand...

I was mentioning spending less money because of the recent moves that were announced in the CBS Radio Philly cluster.

Jul said:

I was mentioning spending less money because of the recent moves that were announced in the CBS Radio Philly cluster.

Click to expand...

They're not going to replace talk on WPHT with syndicated sports. Regardless of the money situation.

Jul said:

1210 could easily go back to to 2. or 1. in the ratings in the next few books. I wonder how will CBS/Entercom deal with that?

Click to expand...

Virtually the same way CBS has dealt with their 6+ books for the past however many years.

TheBigA said:

They're not going to replace talk on WPHT with syndicated sports. Regardless of the money situation.

Click to expand...

If push come to shove and CBS/Entercom decide not to keep the talk format going, what do they do with 1210 AM? What do they put on it if its not sports? There's nothing positive about 1210 AM, in terms of the hosts and the programming. Its just really a bad talk station. I'm not the only one that feels this way.

Jul said:

If push come to shove and CBS/Entercom decide not to keep the talk format going, what do they do with 1210 AM?

Click to expand...

That's why this decision is moot, As has been pointed out many times, they already have a sports station. So it won't be sports.

There IS something positive about 1210: Its making MONEY. That's all that matters.

Jul said:

If push come to shove and CBS/Entercom decide not to keep the talk format going, what do they do with 1210 AM? What do they put on it if its not sports? There's nothing positive about 1210 AM, in terms of the hosts and the programming. Its just really a bad talk station. I'm not the only one that feels this way.

Click to expand...

You are certainly not the "only one" who feels that way. And there are many people who feel it is quite a good talk station. And many who may be somewhere on the spectrum in between. Some may disagree with the content, yet find the station well run. Some may agree with the ideology yet dislike the hosts (or a host). It means absolutely nothing what you or I or anyone "feels" about the station if it meets the main criteria: it's making money. That is why they keep talk on there. When they have a host who leaves or who they feel isn't working any more, they make a change (as the afternoon slot has changed several times in the current format).

Why this is suddenly an issue again is a bit baffling. In the current politically charged climate, talk radio is poised to do well, relative to past performances.

Jul said:

1210 could easily go back to to 2. or 1. in the ratings in the next few books. I wonder how will CBS/Entercom deal with that?

Click to expand...

How many times do I have to tell you? Ratings mean nothing, billings mean everything. If they can sell the same number of avails at 2 that they do at 3, who cares?

I would be shocked if 1210 AM remains the same after Entercom takes over and perhaps new leadership running the Philly cluster, if Entercom decides to go that route.

Jul said:

I would be shocked if 1210 AM remains the same after Entercom takes over and perhaps new leadership running the Philly cluster, if Entercom decides to go that route.

Click to expand...

You still haven't given an indication of what would constitute "different." Dropping the newscasts? Reformatting the local hours? Dropping some of the local shows on the weekends? And what's the time frame? A week? Month? Year?

You can kick back and enjoy the ride rather than worrying about it.

AbrahamJSimpson said:

You still haven't given an indication of what would constitute "different." Dropping the newscasts? Reformatting the local hours? Dropping some of the local shows on the weekends? And what's the time frame? A week? Month? Year?

You can kick back and enjoy the ride rather than worrying about it.

Click to expand...

Given what CBS is doing with WOGL, it won't shock me if there are layoffs and programming changes coming soon with 1210, no matter how well they are doing.

Layoffs? Probably. Programming changes? Inevitably. Format changes? None. They may swap out some shows for cheaper options but it has no choice but to stay talk. All news is already represented by KYW and sports by WIP-FM (both owned by the same company) and it's too big a signal to put the only other viable AM options on: brokered, ethnic, or religious.

1210 is, and will for the foreseeable future will remain, talk. They have no other option.

Jul said:

Would CBS save millions if they decide to keep talk, to drop the local talk shows and go all syndicated talk like 990 WNTP?

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, you can not cut your way to prosperity. The object is to MAKE money. You can trim around the edges, but if you cut what makes you money... you don't make money!!! Can 1210 have better performance, maybe, but you get rid of the reason people listen, you will only lose listeners & in return revenue. Besides, may national shows are not performing that well these days. The best bet is for 1210 to keep doing what they are doing, and keeping the listeners they have, happy. In 2017, you WILL NOT find new listeners for AM.

Jul said:

Given what CBS is doing with WOGL, it won't shock me if there are layoffs and programming changes coming soon with 1210, no matter how well they are doing.

Click to expand...

Remember, when it comes to OGL, the MUSIC is the number one reason people listen. In a music format in 2017, it is easy (but not always advisable) to ditch or change the jocks. In talk, the hosts ARE the format. Much riskier to get rid of them, especially on AM in 2017, when the listeners available to you are only a fraction of the available market. I know you've predicted the demise of the talk format on 1210 over & over & over again for years, but the fact is, on AM, in 2017 your options are very limited. If you are lucky enough to be the #2 AM station in town, and the #1 talk station in Philly, you have to be a FOOL to throw that away. Just saying'.

DavidEduardo said:

And I would be equally or more shocked if they did anything at the offset. The station has billings and produces some cash flow and is a nice fit in the cluster.

The first job for Entercom is to integrate the two companies and create shared cost synergies.

Changing a format, particularly on AM, generally means losing 100% of revenue and operating at a loss for a year or more. Entercom needs to show that they can sail the ship more efficiently, not that they can sink ships quickly. This is not Pirates of the Caribbean.

Click to expand...

LOL!!! Well said, David.

gr8oldies said:

Jul, give it up. You've been beating this "WPHT is going to change formats" drum for years. Not happening.

Click to expand...

With the way radio is right now and a new owner taking over 1210 AM, nothing is guaranteed