http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-cbs-announces-cbs-radio-sale-20160315-story.html
Declining market share apparently is the culprit behind the decision to sell or spin off the radio outlets. "The decision marks the end of an era and highlights the waning influence of commercial radio, which is no longer considered a growth industry. Young adults spend more time listening to digital music files, podcasts and subscription Internet radio services such as Spotify and Pandora." http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/morning_roundup/2016/03/wip-kyw-wogl-other-cbs-radio-stations-up-for-sale.html The Philadelphia market will undoubtedly be reshapen, given there are 6 stations in play. KYW-1060 News Radio shares news operations with KYW-TV-3, and would have to move operations regardless of any format change. Even though the 22-minute news cycle sometimes annoys me with the lack of attention to national and international news events, I would miss not having a radio news outlet in this market. I can't think of any other Philadelphia radio station that has local news coverage. I would listen to KYW in stereo while driving out near Saint Louis, Indianapolis and Chicago. WPHT-1210 is more widely heard than KYW. Daytime coverage (in the car) reaches north of Boston. http://www.bostonherald.com/business/business_markets/2016/03/sale_of_cbs_radio_stations_would_reshape_boston_airwaves The selling of 5 stations would recast Boston's dial. Notably, 50 kw ckear channel WBZ-1030 News Radio, like WPHT, is heard at night in most places east of the Rockies. Its daytime reach extends to at least Baltimore, and the traffic and weather reports gives one an early warning as one leaves the New York City area. And New York City would lose the news outlets of WCBS-880 and WINS-1010, sharing a common news facility (someone would have to move). WCBS-880 has daytime coverage on the car radio into Maine and to at least Baltimore and Harrisburg. I always thought WCBS did a better job of covering national and some international events. And KMOX-1120 News Radio in St. Louis is another 50 kw clear channel heard throughout the USA. It covered the Ferguson riots. Ditto for WBAl-1090 Baltimore covered the Baltimore chaos. Ibid for WBBM-780 Chicago, covering the Chicago disturbances over the decades. Toss in 50 kw clear KOA-850 Denver -- all of these I've listened to for decades -- and the outlook for news radio is grim. These and other CBS all news radio stations, most all high-powered outlets, each covering wide areas of the country will be sorely missed by listeners travelling in vehicles or listening on smartphones and tablets. I don't see any media group buying the portfolio en masse. The few large media groups -- I'll pick on Greater Media as an example -- already own multiple stations in any given market. The FCC has a limitation on the number of stations that may be owned by a company in a single market. Undoubtedly the ownership limitation would be exceeded in many markets. There would be some buying and selling of lesser properties in markets as some media companies attempt to swap around outlets to pick up the clear channel AM outlets to gain coverage. The unwinding of the radio network will take years. Given the cut in the FCC's budget over recent years, I can't see any paperwork being fast-tracked. I don't know anyone else with the resources to carry on the wide-spread full time local news radio coverage offered by the CBS Radio network. It is a shame. Nuts.
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