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WABC Sold?
- Thread starter mets18
- Start date
No mention of this anywhere on their website when I looked just now
Per Radio Ink, sold to Red Apple Media Inc for $12.5 million. https://radioink.com/2019/06/27/cum...h6-TQvB_KfNFrs-9HUgWAKt2vmwiLX7AS5nuNeUxdItZk.
Red Apple Media is a wholly owned subsidiary of Red Apple Group, which has its hands in energy, insurance. supermarkets and other businesses (like those corporate owners of old?)
Red Apple Media is a wholly owned subsidiary of Red Apple Group, which has its hands in energy, insurance. supermarkets and other businesses (like those corporate owners of old?)
Peanuts to a billionaire. Presumably it will remain a hard-right talker, but will the paid content that takes up so much of WABC's airtime stay?
Your guess is as good as mine, but I'm not even sure how this AM station fits the plan of the rest of the corporation
Well that means that WNBM is definitely next, and probably going cheap too. There's no way Cumulus will want to hang on to a small rim shot station.
According to InsideRadio: "We do expect to sell WNBM and exit the New York City market,” CEO Mary Berner said in a memo to employees about the WABC sale. “New York has been a market that has been tough for us..."
Apparently, WFAS 1230 AM is barely worth mentioning.
It's interesting to me that the station wasn't bought by another radio company. The person buying it isn't viewing it necessarily as a business decision. He has lots of other assets that serve that purpose. He's a rich guy who likes radio. Probably the best option here. Anyone else would just milk the signal for some kind of brokered programming. I don't expect he'll do that. Who know? He might be crazy enough to put oldies music on the weekends. He's a billionaire, and this is his toy. Just like Saul Levine in LA with K-Surf. My view is this is where radio ownership is going.
We're at a point now where radio stations are cheap enough to be an ego-stroking plaything for a billionaire.
Some of them buy sports teams, some buy newspapers like Bezos, some buy radio stations. This guy already has a show on AM 970 and I'm sure we'll be hearing more of him on WABC.
I wonder if 790 kabc cant be far behind. For at least 77 wabc got above a 1 kabc stays at .03 to .06 in ratings so wonder if the sale of kabc n la is coming?
The difference is the signal of WABC is much better than KABC's. So if you're a billionaire with a political agenda, KABC isn't going to do much for you.
This is the tax write-off. This is his personal plaything. He can move his radio show from 970 to this station, and do whatever he wants.
He is a significant donor to Trump 2020. His personal politics are conservative Republican. He's done talk radio before. No chance he uses the station for anything else but right-wing talk, local, syndicated or bought.
It sure looks likely that WNBM will be the next to be sold. And once that it is sold, probably expect a format flip since they couldn't compete with WBLS because of its limited signal, and that the station couldn't be heard in some parts of the coverage area.
In regards to WABC, I must wonder if they are going to play oldies during the weekends and holidays while staying talk during the weekdays, much similar to what NJ 101.5 is doing. Now that would help improve its ratings for a legendary AM station.
But he's also a boomer. Yes he's a rich boomer with a political agenda, but you never know. There isn't anyone who can tell him no.
If he does it, it won't be for ratings. Any ratings are accidental.
Objectively though, Bezos isn’t using the Post as a plaything. He looks to be taking it seriously and is committed to doing it well. Not to say he doesn’t have a healthy ego, to put it mildly, but it seems more genuine business than shiny toy.
But if KABC AM were to be sold it would have to be either Armenian, Thai, Korean, or Vietnamese programming as the candidates. But KABC Radio just signed with USC for sports broadcasts. I can't see KABC giving up on USC sports that quickly if a new owner came in.
For WABC-AM I knew they just signed some hosts recently in their contract but that was when Cumulus had that deal and some of this was for Westwood one show deals.
Some rich people give money to support opera. He is a rich & benevolent benefactor. In a way, he's Miss Havisham of Great Expectations. He's supplying the capital, but staying out of the operations.
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