Looks like Big League Broadcasting has unloaded the first of their two excess St. L area signals - BLB has filed with the FCC to sell KFNS-FM 100.7 in Troy, MO to Westplex Broadcasting, LLC; a 50/50 partnership between Steve Kaspar and John Scheper for $480,000 - less than half of what Greg Maracek paid Jim Magee for then Country KZMM-FM, almost exactly ten years ago.On July 24th, the Post's otherwise-astute sports media reporter Dan Caesar reported this:
Kaspar owns a minority share of Classic Country KWRE AM and Hot Country KFAV FM in Warrenton (his father, Vern owns the majority), and Scheper owns a majority stake in Classic Country WHCO AM Sparta, IL, and News/Talk WINI AM Murphysboro, IL.
In the first major move not involving personnel since three groups began competing in the local sports-talk business in January, Big League Broadcasting has sold the FM station that simulcast the KFNS signal at 100.7. That leaves some western and northern parts of the metropolitan area out of its coverage area, especially at night when the 590 AM signal reach is narrow.For no apparent reason, Caesar forgot to name the buyers and provide original story credit where credit was clearly due.
This comes seven months after Bonneville International entered the sports-talk competition by converting WXOS to sports talk and its signal, at 101.1 FM, booms into the areas being abandoned by KFNS.
KFNS co-owner Andrew Saltzman confirmed the sale price was $480,000, much less than the about $1.2 million KFNS' previous owner paid for it in 1999.
Props to our eagle-eyed reporter Merle, who dug and produced all the info Caesar couldn't. Good shootin', Merle!
I repeat my prediction: both Simmons and Big League will wrap it up and be out of the market by the end of 2009 or very soon thereafter, leaving the All-Sports radio market to Bonneville.
Ya wanna know something? An experienced PD, well-versed in old-school Top 40 basics, given a great signal like WXOS and MLB and NFL rights at reasonable rates, could generate a ten share 12+ here.
And a gazillion dollar return on investment, even with the economy in the crapper. In bad times, people want their playtime. Hey, it worked for Rome in the WayBack...and I don't mean Jim Rome.
Is such a scenario likely to happen?
Sadly, no. The Cards are locked into a death tango with Dorsey's KTRS and Bonneville's being misled on the market possibilities by GM John Kijowski and his idiot PD, who have made every misstep possible along the way.
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