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WBAI on Station Watch

I think it's safe to say that WBAI-99.5 will be sold to a commercial broadcaster.

As for what will happen to it:

(1) If CBS buys it, it may become a simulcast of sports WFAN-660.

(2) If any other commercial broadcaster buys it, I do see it going to country.

I also think that Family radio's WFME-94.7 will also be sold (and likewise returned to commercial status) in the weekr or monbths to come.
 
The article in RadioInsight raised the intriguing possibility that a party interested in acquiring WBAI's Class B signal on 99.5 could buy WFME 94.7, which has good but not full-market coverage. They could then offer it to WBAI's management, along with some cash, in exchange for the 99.5 signal.
But WBAI's staff and management is in a perpetual state of turmoil. So it is probably impossible to make predictions for them with any state of certainty.
But apparently they are having difficulties paying the $500,000 annual rent for the antenna and transmitter at ESB. WFME's signal would probably be considerably less expensive to maintain.
 
Barry said:
The article in RadioInsight raised the intriguing possibility that a party interested in acquiring WBAI's Class B signal on 99.5 could buy WFME 94.7, which has good but not full-market coverage. They could then offer it to WBAI's management, along with some cash, in exchange for the 99.5 signal.
But WBAI's staff and management is in a perpetual state of turmoil. So it is probably impossible to make predictions for them with any state of certainty.
But apparently they are having difficulties paying the $500,000 annual rent for the antenna and transmitter at ESB. WFME's signal would probably be considerably less expensive to maintain.
Click to expand...
WBAI is running into the inevitable echo: "the problem with liberals is you eventually run out of other people's money."

Commercially, profit is perpetual as long as the product generates revenue to sustain it. Effective advertising will feed upon it. When you are asking for donations, as in the case of stand alone non-comms, eventually the donors will say no.

Pacifica's WBAI, for our purpose here, is stand alone.

If WBAI and WFME were reversed, 94.7 would have been sold long ago due to signal inside of The City.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!
 
Jeff, it's more like: When you air programming that appeals to only a fringe of the fringe element, eventually you will chase away all the donors.

There's lots of stand-alone non-comms that have consistent donations, mainly because they have programming that tries to appeal to a larger segment of the population. In the last "public" PPM month (prior to only publishing 6+ of subscribers), which I think was March, WBAI had a cume of 96k. Could have been 98k, but really what's the difference when you have a full market signal smack in the middle of the dial in NYC and you can't get more than 100k people to listen!!

They're a victim of their own craziness. I don't know if an AM is going to be any better for them, since there are some big electric bills and lots of upkeep, especially if it's a multi-tower DA such as WADO. I can see them letting the vines grow up the towers...

What would be interesting is if WNYC swaps the AM + cash for it, puts WQXR on 99.5 and puts the spillover programming from 820 on 105.9.
 
Joseph_Gallant said:
I think it's safe to say that WBAI-99.5 will be sold to a commercial broadcaster.
Click to expand...

At the risk of cross posting, here is what I responded to a similar comment on the Chicago board:

I've seen enough evidence over the last 50 years of the near-anarchistic state of the Pacifica operations that I believe that it would take a number of years for 99.5 to move to a new licensee.

First, the existing staff and listeners... as few as they are... would protest mightily... including to the FCC. This alone is enough to delay things for a long time and maybe "forever".

Then, if the non-profit does run out of resources and excuses, it might take a decade to liquidate it as it would be fairly certain that there would be countersuits and objections galore.
 
If all of the resources run dry, liquidation would probably happen pretty quickly. Would the tin-foil-hat brigade at Pacifica REALLY be crazy enough to let a full class B on Empire go silent?

If there's nothing left, what would there be to sue or object about?

The Pacifica story has been unbelievable, and they always find new ways to somehow survive... but I think this might finally be it.
 
Keep in mind that WBAI has temporarily shut down before, often for the same reasons. So I really expect that to be the solution, at least for this immediate deadline.

The selling or even trading of a station is akin to selling body parts to these folks. They won't do it without a fight.
 
DavidEduardo said:
First, the existing staff and listeners... as few as they are... would protest mightily... including to the FCC. This alone is enough to delay things for a long time and maybe "forever".
Click to expand...

The FCC has moved pretty quickly on these kinds of challenges lately. And in almost every case, the new owner is allowed to operate as an LMA until final approval is granted.

The protesting will take place in the board room, and it won't be pretty. I'd expect the Board to be replaced a few times before anything is accomplished. I'm pretty sure this has all happened before.
 
TheBigA said:
The FCC has moved pretty quickly on these kinds of challenges lately. And in almost every case, the new owner is allowed to operate as an LMA until final approval is granted.
Click to expand...

If any FCC level protests put in question fitness, and there is enough evidence of that, then it could go into hearings and such prior to allowing a transfer.

For example, just haul out the recording of the Central American show as run several years ago where the hosts call for the assassination of people ranging from the interim President of Honduras to various representatives of foreign nations... such as the US Ambassador... and it might be good for a visit with an ALJ in a hearing.
 
The least painful way to avoid a long legal mess would be for a non-maxed out commercial broadcaster to do a three way deal with the City of New York for WNYE, and swap that, with some cash, for WBAI.

The City could get out of tiny audience broadcasting, and get some money.

WBAI could continue to have its programming carried on a nearly full market FM signal that is actually in the non-commercial band, and get some cash to pay its debts and assure its continuation, at least until the next financial crisis.

And the commercial operator could provide New Yorkers with an additional commercial format to listen to.

When it comes to transmitter and studio sites, WBAI would be wise to consider the, also listener-supported, WFMU model. No radio station needs studio space in a high rent building on Wall Street. WFMU has its studios on the other side of the Hudson, but within PATH train range, in much lower rent Jersey City. And WFMU, like WFME, broadcasts from the top of the First Mountain in West Orange, NJ. where the transmitter site costs are low and the taxes for a non-profit can be non-existent.

Without a doubt WBAI is a low rent operation that isn't helping itself with high rent leases that add nothing to the listeners experience. I wouldn't expect them to move the transmitter from the Empire State Building if they didn't swap frequencies, but the Wall Street rent should be swapped for an old storefront or warehouse in the outer boroughs or Jersey ASAP.
 
DavidEduardo said:
If any FCC level protests put in question fitness, and there is enough evidence of that, then it could go into hearings and such prior to allowing a transfer.
Click to expand...

That kind of lengthy battle, along the lines of RKO General 40 years ago, would only be possible if Pacifica had the where-with-all to stay on the air during this time. RKO did. From what I read, Pacifica doesn't, and they have a hard deadline of a lease termination that is coming up pretty quickly. So the Board has to reach a resolution quickly. My guess is they'll do a temporary shut-down, claiming the need to move their primary studio.
 
TimeIsTight said:
The City could get out of tiny audience broadcasting, and get some money.
Click to expand...

Mayor Bloomberg has been asked about selling WNYE several times, and each time he has expressed the desire to retain the licenses.
 
Joseph_Gallant said:
(2) If any other commercial broadcaster buys it, I do see it going to country.
Click to expand...
No way. It's not about ratings. It's about revenue. And no country station has ever really been able to make it and survive in NY. Best to be the 3rd ranked station in some format and make money than the 1st ranked and not bring in the cash.
 
TimeIsTight said:
The least painful way to avoid a long legal mess would be for a non-maxed out commercial broadcaster to do a three way deal with the City of New York for WNYE, and swap that, with some cash, for WBAI. The City could get out of tiny audience broadcasting, and get some money...
Click to expand...

Wouldn't be the first time the City of New York unloaded a station, to a non-comm or otherwise. Remember the former WNYC-TV? It's now a floundering Pax/Ion affiliate. But hey, it's what makes the world go round, after all...
 
WNTIRadio said:
Jeff, it's more like: When you air programming that appeals to only a fringe of the fringe element, eventually you will chase away all the donors.

There's lots of stand-alone non-comms that have consistent donations, mainly because they have programming that tries to appeal to a larger segment of the population. In the last "public" PPM month (prior to only publishing 6+ of subscribers), which I think was March, WBAI had a cume of 96k. Could have been 98k, but really what's the difference when you have a full market signal smack in the middle of the dial in NYC and you can't get more than 100k people to listen!!

They're a victim of their own craziness. I don't know if an AM is going to be any better for them, since there are some big electric bills and lots of upkeep, especially if it's a multi-tower DA such as WADO. I can see them letting the vines grow up the towers...

What would be interesting is if WNYC swaps the AM + cash for it, puts WQXR on 99.5 and puts the spillover programming from 820 on 105.9.
Click to expand...
At $500,000/year, just to pay the rent on the transmitter site, the studio rent in Manhattan can't be cheap. In a smaller Market, you have a half a chance.

I thought for a long while they were living off the 1st amendment stemming from the "Pacifica Incident" in the 70's and airing George Carlin's 7 words. Even if you didn't listen, it would be enough of a tipping point for some sort of donation.

Of course, generation shifts and the same people are not listening anymore. How much more traction can they still get?

I smell Emmis/Disney equivalent deal with more Empire signals and beyond.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!
 
I remember someone was walking through Zuccotti Park collecting donations for WBAI last year. (WBAI short on funds. If they had to resort to collecting money from Occupy Wall Street to stay afloat, something is wrong. Even if that person got $20 a day for the 2 months Zuccotti was occupied, that would be only $1200, which wouldn't even pay the electric bill. I consider myself liberal, but I never listened to WBAI.
I think WBAI should have switched to "Occupied Radio" last October and covered the Occupy protests. They would have had a solid cume boost, considering that there are a lot of supporters of the Occupy movement. WBAI's studios were only steps away from Zuccotti Park.

Instead, they were going head to head with FM News 101.9 in the ratings. As I said to that guy in Zuccotti Park collecting donations for WBAI, they should go on an AM or HD2 and sell 99.5.
 
I remember someone was walking through Zuccotti Park collecting donations for WBAI last year. (WBAI short on funds. If they had to resort to collecting money from Occupy Wall Street to stay afloat, something is wrong. Even if that person got $20 a day for the 2 months Zuccotti was occupied, that would be only $1200, which wouldn't even pay the electric bill. I consider myself liberal, but I never listened to WBAI.
I think WBAI should have switched to "Occupied Radio" last October and covered the Occupy protests. They would have had a solid cume boost, considering that there are a lot of supporters of the Occupy movement. WBAI's studios were only steps away from Zuccotti Park.

Instead, they were going head to head with FM News 101.9 in the ratings. As I said to that guy in Zuccotti Park collecting donations for WBAI, they should go on an AM or HD2 and sell 99.5.
Click to expand...

Even FM News had a cume of 600k. WBAI can't even crack 100k now. And they've been there for 50 years.

And why go after Occupy? What kind of donation are you going to get from people who were crapping in the streets for months? Maybe some of the trust fund kids who were out there pretending to be poor because it was "cool" to camp out in the city.

The bottom line is that WBAI only appeals to the people who are left of the far left, and there really aren't that many of them. Couple that with the amateur hour production values and you have a recipe for disaster. Oh yeah, and the fact that anytime they try to bring in a PD or someone of vague authority, they all get nuts and protest/walk out/shut down/lock people out.
 
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