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WEZW-FM Sold to EMF
- Thread starter speer360
- Start date
Waste of a signal. And a religious broadcaster is buying 102.3 WAIV.
Many stations taking the easy way out and adding to EMF's collection.
For many stations the only buyer is EMF.
EMF pays fair market value for their acquisitions. They have a formula valuing each station based on the amount of people in their protected contour. Other considerations could affect the purchase price such as repairs that need to be made at the tower site or to equipment, but there is no gun pointed at someone's head forcing them to sell to EMF. In most cases, they or one of the other growing Christian networks are the only buyers who come forward.
There is a very fair argument to be made that most station sellers and brokers do not go out of their way to find buyers that would be interested in a radio station or are unaware that a station is for sale. But that's not EMF's fault.
In the case of WEZW, Equity was grandfathered over the ownership cap and if they were to sell their whole cluster, three of their Cape May County signals would have to be sold separate. They sold 105.5 a couple years ago and now have pending deals for 102.3 and 93.1. Their remaining six stations could now be sold as-is.
There is a very fair argument to be made that most station sellers and brokers do not go out of their way to find buyers that would be interested in a radio station or are unaware that a station is for sale. But that's not EMF's fault.
In the case of WEZW, Equity was grandfathered over the ownership cap and if they were to sell their whole cluster, three of their Cape May County signals would have to be sold separate. They sold 105.5 a couple years ago and now have pending deals for 102.3 and 93.1. Their remaining six stations could now be sold as-is.
As many as the listeners will support.
What is not "easy" about saying "yes" to the highest offer and saying no to any lower bids? Any station owner looking to leave the business or sell a station is not going to be concerned about the future format of it.
Just as in commercial radio, "as many as advertisers will support".
It's new listeners won't think so.
It's the business of radio we all know. Sadly there's now 8 stations in our area with EMF stuff on it, 5 with the main programming and 3 with their 2nd channel. We're a smaller market though and more noticible then like a big one like LA.
Remember that almost all in-home listening (over half of all radio listening by adults and more than half for EMF stations) is in-home or at work. It takes a 65 dbu signal to get in-home listening inside a structure. That means about 20% inside of the inner contour of the radio-locator maps. And that means the there is really very little primary signal overlap in cases like what you describe.
Remember, EMF does not care about covering radio "markets". They want to cover people, and the buy stations that fit together to get as much of the country covered by a 65 dbu signal as possible. In fact, they buy based on population coverage, not markets.
Like studying a map of their transmitters in our town. They're located in different parts but they seem to fit in like a puzzle. Which why some parts will get multiples of their signals while other parts just get a couple.
I remember as a kid renting a house every summer in Wildwood across from the park on NJ avenue in the 60s, there was a small tower next to the WCMC studios, which had a small 4 bay for the FM, the AM always used a tower off the back bay. I was back in the city one week and when I came back, boom a new tower had arisen, (the one that stands there to this day) they now had a TV station and moved the four bay 3kw 70' up the new tower with very limited mono coverage, this was 1962 so that tower is old and weather worn today. Eventually realizing that tower was still too small for a good FM signal, they moved the FM to the channel 40 tower in Avalon and became WNBR 20kw 340'. I was shocked when 2 signals some time ago made their home on the top of the tower that looked like it was not suited for any FM signal.
A well maintained tower does not become "weather worn". They are made of rust resistant materials and are regularly inspected and painted.
The original WLW and WSM towers are still standing and in good health, and both are nearly 100 years old. Like those there are many across the US.
WAIV was not sold to a religious broadcaster. It is expected to be flipping to Conservative Talk.
What's the difference?
There are non-Christian Conservatives. There are liberals who listen to religious programming.
One should be focused on actual teachings. The other is focused on a interpretation of religious teachings to fit how they want government to act.