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What will happen to 107.5 WGPR come January 1, 2020??

Discussion pertaining to Detroit, Ann Arbor, Port Huron, and SW Ontario
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MWmetalhead
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What will happen to 107.5 WGPR come January 1, 2020??

Post by MWmetalhead » Thu Nov 21, 2019 5:37 pm

The LMA between WGPR's owner (the International Free and Accepted Modern Masons, Inc.) and Urban One expires December 31.

Urban One has already stated it will not be renewing that agreement!

The fate of Hot 107.5 - one of the lowest billing FM stations in Metro Detroit - hangs in the balance.

Will the Masons...
(a) assume payroll of Hot 107.5's staff, purchase the intellectual property associated with the "brand" from Urban One, and keep current programming as-is under its ownership,
(b) retain control of the station but flip it to another format (perhaps even bring back 107-5 The Rhythm?),
(c) enter into an LMA with another outside party, or
(d) sell the station outright?

The lack of any sort of rumor mill on this situation is astounding to me.



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Re: What will happen to 107.5 WGPR come January 1, 2020??

Post by Mega Hertz » Thu Nov 21, 2019 8:11 pm

But where am I gonna hear about how cool you are? How much stuff you have? How much pot you smoke? This is an outrage. I am outraged.


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Re: What will happen to 107.5 WGPR come January 1, 2020??

Post by Ben Zonia » Thu Nov 21, 2019 8:47 pm

Maybe EMF will buy them and put WDKL on it and spin off 102.7? With a full market signal, do they really need the translators? Maybe FLR or EMF will buy it and sell their translators to WJR/Cumulus? Maybe WJR could buy it and simulcast like WBBM and WCFS? Maybe that would solve the problem of Purple People Meters not picking up their embedded code due to noise?

Whether those ideas are practical, I don't know. But those are the kinds of ideas that they come up with when the outliers here make New Years predictions.


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Re: What will happen to 107.5 WGPR come January 1, 2020??

Post by MWmetalhead » Thu Nov 21, 2019 9:28 pm

WDKL moved its TX site to Oak Park about 45 days ago. Coverage in Detroit proper and Wayne and Oakland Counties is better than before. They do still have issues to the west, though.

Entercom and Beasley both have room for another FM without breaching ownership limits. Not sure about Cumulus, since 107.5's service contour overlaps with Cumulus stations in Toledo, Ann Arbor and possibly Flint.



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Re: What will happen to 107.5 WGPR come January 1, 2020??

Post by bmw » Thu Nov 21, 2019 9:32 pm

That station has been booming into northern Michigan the past few evenings....I like a little hip hop now and then, but this station - I don't know how anybody can listen to it for any length of time. Maybe I'm just getting old.



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Re: What will happen to 107.5 WGPR come January 1, 2020??

Post by armchair pd » Thu Nov 21, 2019 11:28 pm

Ben Zonia wrote:
Thu Nov 21, 2019 8:47 pm
Maybe WJR could buy it and simulcast like WBBM and WCFS? Maybe that would solve the problem of Purple People Meters not picking up their embedded code due to noise?
This is also my dark horse/wild card pick.



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Re: What will happen to 107.5 WGPR come January 1, 2020??

Post by Ben Zonia » Thu Nov 21, 2019 11:59 pm

MWmetalhead wrote:
Thu Nov 21, 2019 9:28 pm
WDKL moved its TX site to Oak Park about 45 days ago. Coverage in Detroit proper and Wayne and Oakland Counties is better than before. They do still have issues to the west, though.

Entercom and Beasley both have room for another FM without breaching ownership limits. Not sure about Cumulus, since 107.5's service contour overlaps with Cumulus stations in Toledo, Ann Arbor and possibly Flint.
CFR 47 Section 73.3555 has become so complicated by legalese, at the expense of technical considerations, that I can no longer find either a contour level nor a definition of overlap. Am I missing something? It used tto be 70 dBu for FM and 5 mV/m when I was involved with multiple ownership studies. I can find neither 70 nor 3.16 in a search of the document. It's hard to believe they would consider 54, 57, or 60 dBu to constitute overlap. Perhaps this is in another section?

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/73.3555

Disclaimer: These scenarios were chosen to be like those outlier year end predictions, without regard to whether they are possible or practical.


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Re: What will happen to 107.5 WGPR come January 1, 2020??

Post by Ben Zonia » Fri Nov 22, 2019 12:51 am

Never saw this one before.

https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.mbia.org/reso ... ckages.pdf

The official coverage area of the 0.1 mV/m ground wave contour goes to the Straits of Mackinac.


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Re: What will happen to 107.5 WGPR come January 1, 2020??

Post by fuzzpower » Fri Nov 22, 2019 5:59 am

EMF has the money, but then who would buy 102.7? If the Masons do another LMA, who would it be with? I can’t imagine another format other than some sort of Urban under an LMA. Would Kevin Adell buy it?

Is Cumulus in a buying mood? That’s a long shot.



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Re: What will happen to 107.5 WGPR come January 1, 2020??

Post by MrTaterSalad » Fri Nov 22, 2019 10:02 am

What about Smooth 107.5? I know it has historically been a dying format, but would Smooth Jazz do any worse than Hot 107.5 has been doing billing wise? Furthermore, Smooth Jazz still keeps the urban appeal that WGPR has historically had.



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Re: What will happen to 107.5 WGPR come January 1, 2020??

Post by radiojunkie2002 » Fri Nov 22, 2019 3:17 pm

Maybe Kevin Adell will buy it. (?) And Yes, me too, I wish it would be an adult R&B smooth classic soul / smooth jazz format. Please.



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Re: What will happen to 107.5 WGPR come January 1, 2020??

Post by MWmetalhead » Fri Nov 22, 2019 5:56 pm

Here's a thought -
Might a prominent African American broadcaster such as John Mason or even Mildred Gaddis be interested in attempting an LMA or outright purchase?

If an LMA is the only option the International Free Masons are willing to consider, than interest by major corporate conglomerates is likely to be very low, and an off-the-wall scenario such as the one I just presented (or someone like Kevin Adell entering into an LMA) is much more likely.

If the objective it to sell the station outright, then I think a number of parties will be interested so long as the asking price is reasonable.

Long-term, it would behoove Entercom to acquire an FM on which to rebroadcast WWJ. Ten years from now, the AM band is likely to be deader than dead. Another opportunity to purchase a fifth FM on a standalone basis might not arise between now and say, 2030. Picking up a fifth FM now could serve as an insurance policy for Entercom, especially if they can pick up a stick at a reasonable price.

And guess what? If you make WWJ available on analog FM on a 50 kW signal, you really tighten the screws on 760 WJR! If Cumulus then decides to sacrifice Gnash FM in favor of a WJR rebroadcast, Entercom still wins, because then a ratings threat to 99.5 WYCD will have been eliminated. More AQH share for WYCD = higher rates for spots.

950 WWJ does devote a LOT of its programming clock to news coverage in the city of Detroit, so this might help make the International Free Masons comfortable with such a proposition.

If someone other than Entercom winds up with 107.5 MHz, I'd love to see the new operator (whether its Beasley, Adell, the International Free Masons, or someone else) program a Classic Soul format using the WGPR call sign. It just makes sense!!!



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Re: What will happen to 107.5 WGPR come January 1, 2020??

Post by Mega Hertz » Sat Nov 23, 2019 7:45 pm

The question is, then, what does Beasley do with 105.9? Wouldn't that be quite a bit of overlap between 105.1/105.9 and 105.9/107.5?


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Re: What will happen to 107.5 WGPR come January 1, 2020??

Post by Mega Hertz » Sat Nov 23, 2019 7:47 pm

I have to believe another LMA is imminent, most likely with Adell. The Entercom purchase is at the top of my "wish list", as WWJ can be quite flimsy in the Brighton area at night. A full-power FM simulcast would be perfect.


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Re: What will happen to 107.5 WGPR come January 1, 2020??

Post by MWmetalhead » Mon Nov 25, 2019 6:44 am

Don't worry, Mega. There's always 97.9 WJLB to fulfill your hip-hop cravings! :)



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