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Disney Selling 23 Radio Stations


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Only the Los Angeles Radio Disney station will remain to serve as programmer for the now online/app service. 200 will lose their jobs.

 

http://www.thewrap.com/radio-disney-to-sell-23-stations-lay-off-nearly-200/

I'm surprised it took this long. And, I can't believe nobody pointed out (or, caught on to) why they are keeping the KDIS license. Hint: It's the same reason Pandora is trying to by KXMZ in Rapid City, SD....Royalty Fees to ASCAP/BMI! They dump the license/transmitter and they lose the lower rates negotiated between the Radio Music Licensing Committee and ASCAP/BMI.

Radio Disney doesn't even seem to be an essential cog in the Disney Machine anymore. It wouldn't surprise me if Radio Disney were completely gone or took some other form in a few years' time.

Terrestrial broadcasting doesn't seem to be an essential cog in the Disney Machine. Disney is all about content and brands. Radio Disney still serves a purpose. It can still be used as a promotional vehicle and "brand extension" for Disney. For example, Disney can still use it to showcase their tween latest actor/singer and promote their (and other) Disney programing. They really don't need the terrestrial transmitters to do that. And, that fact is only highlighted when only 18% of Radio Disney's demo listens OTA.

What's going to happen to ESPN Radio? Is it doing well?

Nothing. Sports Talk is the "hot" format in radio right now and we all know ESPN is an 800 lbs. gorilla. ESPN Radio can't really go digital-only anytime soon. The format still lends itself to being a good OTA format, if that makes sense.

 

I'm sure they explored the idea but, I'm a little bit surprised Disney isn't planning on keeping some of the Radio Disney stations and re-launching them as ESPN Deportes Radio O&O's or ESPN Radio O&O's. In the case of ESPN Deportes Radio it's still in it's infancy and could use the extra boost to make that "brand" bigger. The demos targeted would certainly fit the current trends in AM signals. WRT, to repurposing some as ESPN Radio O&O's, I'd just see that being used more as a vehicle to expand the ESPN Local sites into more Top 10-15 markets. In other words re-purpose the transmitters/licenses to wring a little more out of them and further build up their brands with demos that will still listen to AM radio. And, then somewhere down the road in 3 or 5 or 10 years dump them for good. That's what I'd do at least.

 

That said I wouldn't be shocked if somewhere down the line Disney sells the transmitters/licenses for the ESPN Radio stations they own. Do they really need to own them? They'd likely be fine with just digital/affiliates.

Great so Cumulus' stations will likely switch to CBS, just like their stations dumped all Premiere talk except Rush and put their own programs on...

Cumulus will be providing a new a new CNN powered service through Westwood One. The service will use content from CNN but, will be "white label" or brand free allowing stations to brand it with their calls or branding. For example, on Cumulus' new Nash FM and Nash Icon country format stations the service will be branded "Nash News".
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  • 3 months later...

Cumulus will be providing a new a new CNN powered service through Westwood One. The service will use content from CNN but, will be "white label" or brand free allowing stations to brand it with their calls or branding. For example, on Cumulus' new Nash FM and Nash Icon country format stations the service will be branded "Nash News".

If I'm not mistaken, there will be both a branded "Westwood One News" and the "white label" service.

 

The legacy Group W all-newsers (plus WNEW-FM, which CBS Radio has set up with a Group W-style clock, and WBZ (AM)) are all defecting from ABC News Radio to WW1 News.

 

"Westwood One News" will have a soft launch next week, as it also assumes the operations of "NBC News Radio" (anchored in part by NBC News staffers, but written and produced by WW1 staffers).

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  • 2 weeks later...

Four notes to pass along.

 

Ownership of WDYZ in Orlando is being handed over to a subsidiary of Salem Communications.

http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/91209/disney-sells-wdyz-orlando/

 

Also, as announced last month, WFDF in Detroit will be in the hands of Kevin Adell's The World Network.

http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/90936/the-word-network-acquires-wfdf-detroit/

 

Houston's KMIC is going over to the Ethnic and Religious broadcaster DAIJ Media, which also owns four other radio stations in the Houston area.

http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/90786/disney-sells-kmic-houston/

 

I can also confirm that the owners of WIXY1260Online.com in Cleveland will not return to it's radio roots at 1260AM (WWMK) due in part to the declining reputation of AM Radio. I found this out in an email I sent to the online radio station just 2 months ago.

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I can also confirm that the owners of WIXY1260Online.com in Cleveland will not return to it's radio roots at 1260AM (WWMK) due in part to the declining reputation of AM Radio. I found this out in an email I sent to the online radio station just 2 months ago.

WIXY1260Online.com is run rather humbly by Ray Glasser (aka the multiple "videoholic" channels on YouTube) and is pretty much a volunteer-driven operation. Even if they wanted to buy the station, there is no way that they can afford it.

 

Plus the station hasn't seen a mass appeal format since 1987, when the plug was pulled on big-band formatted WBBG. In an FM-dominant market where only two AM stations are even viable (WTAM and WKNR, and the latter doesn't even subscribe to Nielsen), trying to replicate WIXY on its original home would be a money loser from the get-go. WIXY1260Online.com stands a better chance of succeeding as a purely digital operation.

 

As for WWMK, it will be sold to a religious broadcaster of some sort. Whether it is a national chain like Salem (which would be dumbfounding unless they intend to spin off WHKW/1220), Starboard or Radio Maria, or a local broadcaster like Darrell and Belinda Scott (operators of daytimer WCCD/1000 Parma) or Living Bread Radio (operators of WILB/1060 Canton) remains to be seen. But it will have a religious format of some sort.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Curious as to what happens to WRDZ-FM (the Indianapolis station). Since it's the only FM station in the group it may be quite a bit more valuable. I think there's a chance it could keep its format, either by doing nothing or aiming at an older demographic. Maybe it could compete with WRWM i94 and switch to classic hip hop. One problem with this station is that it has lower wattage than i94 and the other pop stations in the area; WRDZ is at 3 kW while the other stations are at least twice that, with WZPL and WNTR even at 19 kW and 22 kW respectively. I believe the transmitter is also further west than all of those too. It might end up regulated to religious or ethnic formats for these reasons. Only ethnic format I think would actually work around here would be a Spanish-language one, and WEDJ already covers that market. I don't know if Indy can support two Spanish-language stations.

 

Edit: Clear Channel doesn't have a Top 40 station here yet; they only own WFBQ95, WOLT Alt (formerly X) 103.3, and WNDE 1260. They might take the chance to put their own Top 40 station here, especially since i94 (which is on iHeartRadio) switched from Hot AC to classic hip hop meaning they have no stake in the Top 40 market in Indy. However, they might see the market as oversaturated for the same reason. Maybe i94's position on the dial is what killed it since it's so far from many other commercial stations, although WNOU used to be on 93.1 and seemed to do fine from launch until it was sold and moved to clear space for WIBC.

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  • 9 months later...
Curious as to what happens to WRDZ-FM (the Indianapolis station). Since it's the only FM station in the group it may be quite a bit more valuable.

 

Hate to bump an old post, and I know I'm late to this but...

As of July 17, the station is now owned by iHeartMedia and is now WUBG-FM. It's formatted as a country station called "Big 98.3".

 

Does Indy really need another country station? I mean, there's WFMS and WLHK already, wonder how long this will last....

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  • 1 month later...
I wonder if this effects AM 1470 in Sacramento? i think so.

 

It was sold and now is broadcasting Punjabi content. Several RD stations ended up going ethnic.

 

Mine is off the air, downgrading to 95 watts night, dismantling its 6-tower array and likely going to some religious format.

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It was sold and now is broadcasting Punjabi content. Several RD stations ended up going ethnic.

 

Mine is off the air, downgrading to 95 watts night, dismantling its 6-tower array and likely going to some religious format.

 

Well that's unfortunate. its too bad Radio Disney couldn't at least go FM before going digital. i remember back in 1999-2002 Radio Disney used to be my go to station back and forth to school in my school van. (the school didn't have school buses so instead White Minivans or White vans.) I also remember those good times when Radio Disney put out those CDs that my Driver used to have use listen to alot and it was very memorable. i once eventually found a cassette tape version of one of the albums because i couldn't afford CD the time it came out. they used to call them RADIO DISNEY JAMS VOL. 2. i remember both Kid Jams (Vol. 1) and VOL. 2 respectively. now i listen to KSFM 102.5 from time to time By CBS Radio or V101.1 by iHeartMedia or just Spotify and the rest downloaded on my Phone.

 

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