WRNJ

[Scott Fybush]

On 1/22/2018 7:46 AM, Rob Landry wrote:

> That's why I expected Duffy to buy the station and put it back on the 
> air, perhaps with time brokered ethnic programming, while trying to find 
> a buyer.

But actually running a radio station is no job for a novice, either. 
Regulatory compliance costs money. Finding and managing time-brokered 
programming isn't as easy as it looks, either, especially in a market 
with so many AM players all vying for tenants (and another big AM, 1200, 
coming available in February, too.)

My guess - and it is only a guess, and I would prefer not to be quoted 
on any of this outside of this list, Bob Nelson - is that in naming 
Perry as a defendant in its lawsuit, Duffy is presumably doing what most 
plaintiffs with good lawyers would do in its position, which is going 
after any potentially deep pockets it can. Do they know they probably 
don't have any contractual relationship with Perry that could hold up in 
court? Sure. But at this point, I'd imagine they're also looking to put 
any pressure they can on Daly XXL - and if Perry backs out of the 
purchase to avoid a lawsuit (even a nuisance one), or if Daly XXL gets 
less money for the 1510 license because of the threat of legal action, 
Duffy has at least hurt Daly even if it doesn't end up seeing any more 
money at the end of the day. Vengeance plays a role in litigation 
sometimes, too.

As for why Ed isn't buying any of the transmitter site equipment: my 
guess - again, only a guess, and again, don't quote me, please - is that 
there are two factors at play. First, that whole lawsuit thing...if 
Perry never sets foot on the Waltham site or attempts to take possession 
of any equipment that is or was there, I'd assume it makes it that much 
harder for Duffy to successfully establish any kind of contractual 
connection to Perry. (And anyway, that old Nautel AMPFET at the Waltham 
site is...old. If you're going to build a new 1510 site elsewhere, you 
could probably get a different used transmitter in better shape for less 
money and hassle.)

Second, and perhaps more important: I don't think it's a correct 
assumption to think that Perry is after a big 1510 AM signal. This play 
is all about a translator, and you don't need much of an AM signal to 
make that happen. We know from the contract that Perry *will* be filing 
in the window that's scheduled to open Thursday, and for that, all he 
needs from 1510 is the most minimal of signal, sited such that the 
translator's 60 dBu contour is contained within a 25-mile radius of the 
new AM site*. Doesn't matter if the AM becomes just a 250-watt daytimer 
at that point. And you certainly don't need a huge ancient 50 kW AMPFET 
to make that happen. (There is, of course, no guarantee he GETS a 
translator - there aren't many channels left available and he's surely 
not the only AM in the area who'll be applying. I would imagine he 
figured this risk factor into the deal he made with Daly.)

Ed's a smart guy. I'm sure he's had all of this figured out seven ways 
to Sunday long before we ever started talking about it. I'm going to be 
VERY interested to see what he files in the translator window.

s

*For the purposes of the filing in this window, whatever he applies for 
also has to be contained within either 25 miles or the 2 mV day contour 
of the current licensed 1510 signal from Waltham. That should encompass 
most of the places he's likely to want to drop a translator.