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WABC Sold?
- Thread starter mets18
- Start date
It's all about choice.
How they gonna be profitable if the stations they have are in these small markets and not even popular in those markets. I dont get why you think cumulus is doing a good job because they arent. They should fire their management and bring people in who know what the hell they are doing.
They "gonna" be in better shape without a few underperforming New York stations where they don't have economies of scale. David was quite clear they emerged with a station group that is profitable. Companies can be profitable operating in smaller markets--and they do have popular stations in those markets in their portfolio. This is basic economics.
Cumulus brought in Mary Berner who was well known as a media bankruptcy and recovery specialist. She guided the company through Chapter 11 and established a plan for recovery which is going very well. The medium market clusters are apparently nicely profitable. The marginal small top 20 market stand-alones and small and inefficient clusters have been either sold or are being offered. Just about everyone in the industry thinks she has done a great job at the turn-around.
Cumulus was in big trouble. It no longer is. It may not be the best set of markets and stations, but sometimes this is like the old frequent flyer line of "a good landing is any landing you walk away from." In this case, Cumulus recovered from bankruptcy and is profitable. That is a significant turn-around.
The issue is not "popular" (what ever that means in this context) but "profitable". You can have a well rated station like KRBE in Houston but which is a stand-alone in a very consolidated market where the operating margin is likely low or you can have a high margin in a smaller market cluster. Both may seem to bill the same... KRBE alone or a multi-station cluster... but that cluster may have a much better margin due to much lower expenses and less competition for local dollars.
Alaska's budget apparently cut all state funding. Without the state funds, they lose a big amount of matching funds at the national (federal) level. The whole operation will have to go to the listeners more often and make significant cuts in the main station in Sitka. All the Alaskan newspapers have covered this as part of the severe budget cuts in many areas.
I tuned into Bernie and Sid briefly, which is not easy to listen to, in my opinion, and Sid Rosenberg, unaware, apparently, that the shock jock format is over, used the term “mother-f-er” and I have to wonder if John Catsimatides heard that, would he think that kind of talk is making WABC great again?
Since Mr. Catsimatides is not yet the owner, he can not legally exert influence over the licensee without it appearing to be an unauthorized transfer of control of the license. If he had wanted to control the programming, he could have bought the station with an LMA.
Coast Alaska, a consortium of individually owned public radio stations is based in Juneau, but they dont have common ownership.. it's just stations banding together to help combine and reduce some costs when stuff like engineering and back office duties can be shared among 6 stations or whatever instead of 1
Alaska Public Media is based in Anchorage, they have a TV and radio station.... they do distribute a nightly 30 minute newscast to whatever radio station in the state wants it.
There's no true statewide Alaska network of public radio stations as such (tho most all of them take that 30 minute newscast)... alot of them share content and individual stations do network regionally though.
I’m just saying, in a way, Bernie and Sid are auditioning for Catsimatides, who is an older, conservative guy, and I have to wonder if Sid’s potty mouth is making a positive impression on the new mgmt.
It sounds like time for them to formalize a networking agreement and to spread the work among the stations so that they can do more coordinated fund raising and lobbying.
It wouldnt be a horribly bad idea. There are a few public radio stations in the state that run alot less NPR type content and do lots of music and lots of high school sports.. some public stations in alaska are a little better off then others, i think in terms of overall management and operations.
Who's to say the new owner gives a flying (bleep) about salty language? And what does it really matter in the end?
Catsimatides has stated he purchased WABC because, “I grew up with WABC. It’s an iconic channel. We want to bring it back to being a great station.” That having been said, does Sid cavalierly saying the term “mother-f-er,” and similar profane terms coincide with new owner’s plans?
That's really up to the prospective new owner over time. It may not be something he cares about in the grand scheme of things. It's 2019, not 1969.
Sid’s on-air use of the term “mother-f-er” strikes me as extreme, in general, and in particular on WABC, a mainstream, legendary radio station. Last time I checked, the show’s ratings were not stellar. I’ve heard him use it previously, as well as other vulgarities, but, I was taken aback by this most recent incident, given the new owner.
Even Bob Grant at his most abusive knew where the line was drawn. Returning WABC to the sound of its early talk years wouldn't exactly be a return to civility, but at least it would be a milder form of crudeness.
While Grant could be intemperate, Sid casually dropped the term “mother-f-er” while talking with the traffic reporter, saying if his traffic report for July 4th turns out to be inaccurate, he’s going to be calling him a “mother-f-er!” It came across, at least to me, as gratuitous and not funny or witty or impressive in any way.
You were taken aback. Others may well not be here in 2019. And perhaps new owner or not, someone is going to do the show the way they have unless and until directed otherwise. "Legendary" really has nothing to do with anything. It's 2019, and language, including broadcast-suitable variants of certain terms, has changed. Of course, one easy solution is to not listen if one is easily offended.
Tell me other radio hosts, or TV hosts, on major media outlets who regularly say the term “mother-f-er” Maybe, it’s an ordinary occurrence I’m unaware of.
The morning after the announcement of the sale of WABC to Catsimatides, who has well-known close ties to the Greek Orthodox Church, Sid was expressing nervousness over the future of his show. Maybe, Catsimatides gave Sid his “blessing” to say “mother-f-er,” but, somehow, I doubt it.
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