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Townsquare Media

Covers all of Northern Lower Michigan (from Ludington to Tawas northward), as well as the Straits Area and Soo Region.
NMCSpeaks
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Townsquare Media

Post by NMCSpeaks » Thu Dec 12, 2019 1:50 pm

The boys from Grand Rapids are in town this week.
This doesn’t surprise me and represents a dynamic and strategic move on their part.
With the recent and significant move up in national market ranking size that Nielsen and the broadcasters have established for the Traverse City-Cadillac-Petoskey Metro, along with greatly reduced competition, and with the obvious remaining availability of excellent radio signals and with cash in hand ... that Cumulus and iHeart will soon follow the Townsquare visit to this “virgin” and growing Michigan market.
These large and public broadcast companies MUST grow or “die”. It represents essential expansion north from vibrant Grand Rapids and expands their market reach even more.
This is evolutionary and represents REAL opportunity for growth.
I predict Trump will win next year’s election and economic growth will continue.
I would also NOT rule out Midwestern and/or another local group being in play as well, with age as a factor, among other things.
Consolidation will continue. It’s inevitable, like it or not.
What say you?



BigFreq
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Re: Townsquare Media

Post by BigFreq » Thu Dec 12, 2019 2:07 pm

Townsquare could be a potential player, but perhaps that's still a longshot. They are spoiled in Lansing where they own the dominant heritage in virtually each format and Grand Rapids is a robust market for all of the players. I don't see iHeart or Cumulus playing ball in TC. In fact, I see the opposite for those two companies; eventually dumping off markets under #100 to former execs and managers who look to form new smaller groups, in the hope of becoming more locally focused with stations that have been handled by national PDs. Back to TSQ, don't forget, to them, radio signals are simply a means to promoting their primary sales agenda -- digital products. And also realize, what NBI has left in the cupboard to sell has little to no existing cash. That's all is going with KLT. So it's would essentially be a startup, from both a radio and digital vantage. Not something TSQ is necessarily wired for (unless GR/Lansing provide all of the programming assets -- ie. airstaff -- and they simply build a local digital salesforce). They like to buy existing radio cash flow, then re-appropirate those dollars to boost the digital platform if the market isn't in growth mode. I just can't imagine TC-Cad-Pet, while being a great quality of life area, is a growth market for radio, in particular.



In the biz
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Re: Townsquare Media

Post by In the biz » Thu Dec 12, 2019 4:53 pm

If they were interested I’m sure the would have approached Langer before Blarney Stone did. It’s been on the market for years. As far a Ross selling, his stepson is young and will continue the legacy.



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MWmetalhead
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Re: Townsquare Media

Post by MWmetalhead » Thu Dec 12, 2019 6:27 pm

The notion that Cumulus and iHeart would have even a modicum of interest in Traverse City - Petoskey is silly.

I cannot see any scenario where iHeart or Cumulus would want to enter the market. iHeart has avoided tiny markets like the plague in recent years; Cumulus only takes on small market stations in the context of bigger deals with big groups (and even that is a rarity these days).

The market would, however, be a decent fit for Townsquare. Or one of the Wisconsin-based groups. Or Saga.

The trade pubs have mentioned some start-up with "Great Lakes" in their name that have been looking for station acquisition opportunities for at least a year. I have no idea if they've actually closed any deals or not.



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Colonel Flagg
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Re: Townsquare Media

Post by Colonel Flagg » Thu Dec 12, 2019 9:03 pm

MWmetalhead wrote:
Thu Dec 12, 2019 6:27 pm
The notion that Cumulus and iHeart would have even a modicum of interest in Traverse City - Petoskey is silly.

I cannot see any scenario where iHeart or Cumulus would want to enter the market. iHeart has avoided tiny markets like the plague in recent years; Cumulus only takes on small market stations in the context of bigger deals with big groups (and even that is a rarity these days).

The market would, however, be a decent fit for Townsquare. Or one of the Wisconsin-based groups. Or Saga.

The trade pubs have mentioned some start-up with "Great Lakes" in their name that have been looking for station acquisition opportunities for at least a year. I have no idea if they've actually closed any deals or not.
Bob Liggett was never interested in owning stations up there. He cited many negative factors. Too much competition. Unskilled talent. Sharp seasonal swings in revenue. One unseasonably warm, rainy winter will leave you broke. The best one of all...even if you have a strong sales staff, you will be driving 150 miles to collect.


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TC Talks
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Re: Townsquare Media

Post by TC Talks » Thu Dec 12, 2019 9:25 pm

So let's repeat this: No station except the 6 top billers will ever have much impact. They are all owned by Midwestern, MacGarb and Black Diamond.

If Townsquare buys Henderson's and NBI's scraps, they will lose money and we will all laugh.
Last edited by TC Talks on Fri Dec 13, 2019 7:13 am, edited 1 time in total.


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TC doesn't Talk
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Re: Townsquare Media

Post by TC doesn't Talk » Fri Dec 13, 2019 1:01 am

:lol:



zzand
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Re: Townsquare Media

Post by zzand » Fri Dec 13, 2019 5:10 am

TC Talks, I don't see any of those three selling any time int he near future. So all Town Square could buy would be the castoffs and I would hope they aren't that clueless about the market.



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TC Talks
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Re: Townsquare Media

Post by TC Talks » Fri Dec 13, 2019 7:14 am

zzand wrote:
Fri Dec 13, 2019 5:10 am
TC Talks, I don't see any of those three selling any time int he near future. So all Town Square could buy would be the castoffs and I would hope they aren't that clueless about the market.
this is an industry full of egos and you know someone out there is not going to be able to resist. If we are lucky, it will be someone with lots of money and absolutely no knowledge of what they are doing.

We in Traverse City of had a good run with Henderson but I have the feeling that is running its course. I think we need some fresh blood, A new dolt to amuse us.


“The more you can increase fear of drugs, crime, welfare mothers, immigrants and aliens, the more you control all of the people.”
― Noam Chomsky

Posting Content © 2024 TC Talks Holdings LP.

zzand
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Re: Townsquare Media

Post by zzand » Fri Dec 13, 2019 8:13 am

What is Randy Micheals up to these days? lol



CK-722
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Re: Townsquare Media

Post by CK-722 » Fri Dec 13, 2019 9:06 am

Rochester, MN isn't a big market, #222. It's a very compact market. Rochester proper is around 100000 people. Townsquare dominates that market. They have three translators in the central business and Mayo Clinic area, one for KROC (AM), one for KROC-FM, and one for an outlying FM, KYBA Stewartville, MN. The three 250 watt translators are triplexed into a single three bay antenna.

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Re: Townsquare Media

Post by BigFreq » Fri Dec 13, 2019 11:31 am

CK-722 wrote:
Fri Dec 13, 2019 9:06 am
Rochester, MN isn't a big market, #222. It's a very compact market. Rochester proper is around 100000 people. Townsquare dominates that market. They have three translators in the central business and Mayo Clinic area, one for KROC (AM), one for KROC-FM, and one for an outlying FM, KYBA Stewartville, MN. The three 250 watt translators are triplexed into a single three bay antenna.

Image
Yes, and they bought that cluster with cash already on the books and have proceeded to push the digital platform create the dominance. It's like buying a nice home in an great neighborhood and adding a pool; it's an enhancement, but the neighborhood and home was already there, they just added their touch to it. Trying to assemble a hodgepodge of NBI castoffs and potential Henderson repos; none of which generate revenue, is far from turnkey. Matched against competitors who are already entrenched and (I imagine) willing to go down a rabbit hole to prevent any new competitors from garnering any traction in a marketplace. To put it into a real-life scenario, I wonder how Blarney Stone is doing with the newly anointed North FM, on the heels of crashing and burning the formerly anointed "Music Leader", WLDR? I bet tossed out table scraps in a garbage bag of advertising might be perceived as mighty savory for their airwaves right about now. Just imagine what "a dolla a holla" in TC sounds like? As Chris Rock's character in "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka" said... "How much for one of them ribs?" :blink



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craigrussell100
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Re: Townsquare Media

Post by craigrussell100 » Fri Dec 13, 2019 1:51 pm

Hey...a post I can comment on. Having worked both "Up North" for 10+ years and at TSQ for 5 years, I can confidentially say that if ANY of the big chains were to buy into the TC market, TSQ would be it. BUT they would only buy the "big fish" (i.e. Biderman) There just isnt enough money for any of them to be interested...only Midwestern would even be close. And if they ain't sellin.....

TSQ owns lots of "big fish in small pond" type groups. Like the aforementioned KROC in Rochester. However, the only reason TSQ owns them is this:

"On August 30, 2013, a deal was announced in which Townsquare Media would acquire 53 Cumulus stations, including KROC-FM, for $238 million. The deal is part of Cumulus' acquisition of Dial Global; Townsquare and Dial Global are both controlled by Oaktree Capital Management.[3][4] The sale to Townsquare was completed on November 14, 2013."

Townsquare, if you remember, was formed out of the old Regent and Gap companies. Most, if not all, of their growth was getting big chunks of stations that fit their "big fish in the small pond" model. Henderson, and all that mess, is NOT that.


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