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Cumulus Trades WEBE + WICC to Connoisseur

P

pjc1961

WEBE 107.9 Westport and WICC 600 Bridgeport will go from Cumulus Media to Connoisseur Media
in exchange for four stations plus a translator in the Allentown, PA area:

WODE-FM 99.9 The Hawk (Classic Rock);
WWYY-FM 107.1/translator W234AX 94.7 Spin Radio The Valley's Alternative;
WEEX-AM 1230/WTKZ-AM 1320 Fox Sports Radio

LMAs to begin on May 1, 2019.

Connoisseur Media press release:

https://connoisseurmedia.com/connoisseur-media-exchanges-stations-with-cumulus-media/
 
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What will happen to Star 99.9, would its owners flip it to either country or classic hits so in order to avoid duplication with WEBE 108. Would it work?
 
madooputtus said:
What will happen to Star 99.9, would its owners flip it to either country or classic hits so in order to avoid duplication with WEBE 108. Would it work?
Click to expand...

There isn't a lot of duplication. WEBE 108 while they player newer music still plays a decent amount of older music from the 70s and 80s. Star 99.9 does not. Last time I heard Star 99.9 they were playing a decent amount of music from the 90s and 2000s with some newer music mixed in.
 
MarcB said:
There isn't a lot of duplication. WEBE 108 while they player newer music still plays a decent amount of older music from the 70s and 80s. Star 99.9 does not. Last time I heard Star 99.9 they were playing a decent amount of music from the 90s and 2000s with some newer music mixed in.
Click to expand...

And both are billing relatively high amounts for a relatively small market. Any change would zero-base the revenue on one of the two stations.
 
pjc1961 said:
WEBE 107.9 Westport and WICC 600 Bridgeport will go from Cumulus Media to Connoisseur Media
in exchange for four stations plus a translator in the Allentown, PA area:

WODE-FM 99.9 The Hawk (Classic Rock);
WWYY-FM 107.1/translator W234AX 94.7 Spin Radio The Valley's Alternative;
WEEX-AM 1230/WTKZ-AM 1320 Fox Sports Radio

LMAs to begin on May 1, 2019.

Connoisseur Media press release:

https://connoisseurmedia.com/connoisseur-media-exchanges-stations-with-cumulus-media/
Click to expand...

I just heard about this the other day. A friend of mine is an account executive at WEBE/WICC....assuming he'll be out of a job, but IDK.
 
madooputtus said:
What will happen to Star 99.9, would its owners flip it to either country or classic hits so in order to avoid duplication with WEBE 108. Would it work?
Click to expand...

It will be interesting to see what Connoisseur Media does with WEZN. To Marc's point, lately the two stations have been playing almost the same exact songs. Could a format flip be in the offing?
 
As David mentioned, a format flip at either FM seems unlikely. Both bill quite well, and changing one's format is no guarantee the listeners of that station will go to the other.

Of course, Connoisseur has made some unexpected (and, possibly, ill-advised) changes in the past. So, I guess you can’t completely rule it out, but it does seem unlikely.
 
FairBol said:
It will be interesting to see what Connoisseur Media does with WEZN. To Marc's point, lately the two stations have been playing almost the same exact songs. Could a format flip be in the offing?
Click to expand...

I still hear a pronounced difference. WEBE is older and softer than WEZN every hour I compare them. One's an AC, the other's a hot AC. 'Absolutely no reason, music-related or billing-related, to flip either -- especially since AC is safe, vanilla and soccer mom-friendly in both varieties. Remember, it's not about buzz, creativity, wow factor or any of that baby boomer radio fan thinking. It's about delivering pleasant songs that people in the target demographic love by artists they know, with a minimum of chatter and zero surprises -- and strong billing.
 
Basically greater Bridgeport's answer to 100.5 (AC) and 96.5 (HOT AC) of New Britain/Hartford.

How many other stations will Connoisseur pick up? They also own WPLR-FM 99.1 in New Haven and the rock station in Norwalk.
 
CTListener said:
I still hear a pronounced difference. WEBE is older and softer than WEZN every hour I compare them. One's an AC, the other's a hot AC. 'Absolutely no reason, music-related or billing-related, to flip either -- especially since AC is safe, vanilla and soccer mom-friendly in both varieties. Remember, it's not about buzz, creativity, wow factor or any of that baby boomer radio fan thinking. It's about delivering pleasant songs that people in the target demographic love by artists they know, with a minimum of chatter and zero surprises -- and strong billing.
Click to expand...


Yep. Both stations are in the top ten billers in the entire state, with each one over $5 million. Why would either of them be changed?
 
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