Re: Thoughts on "quality rock"

[Dib9@aol.com]

In a message dated 9/20/98 4:51:50 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
wollman@khavrinen.lcs.mit.edu writes:

<< Rating success is generally not why they're doing it.  That's why most
 of the remaining AAA stations in the country are non-comms or
 independently-owned.  Most of them are happy to *not lose* money, and
 aren't really out to strike it rich.  (Often, the owners are already
 rich white male boomers and just want a radio station that plays music
 that they like!)
 
 Let's take a look at the most prominent AAA stations in the East:
 
  99.9 WCLZ-FM Brunswick	- was independent, now part of a large
 			(but local) Portland-area group >>

Nobody should think that the owners of WCLZ aren't in the business to make
money.  They made money with WCLZ for most of the time they owned it.  They
kept costs low by having a small staff, paying low salaries, and later
automating most of the day with an Enco computer system.  Their irritating
"Consumer Value Minutes" are commercially successful and the stations delivers
a unique, quality audience to advertisers.  The main plan was to make money on
the sale of the station.  Buy low, sell high.  The station was bought out of
bankruptcy for $350,000 (the owners that went bankrupt had paid Doug Tanger
over $2 million for the station) and sold to Fuller/Jeffrey for over $3
million.  Not a bad return on investment.

Dan Billings
Bowdoinham, Maine
Former WCLZ employee, on three occasions

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