That, makes as much sense as what Bell is doing.

What Bell is doing is using a radio station not for its traditional individual ratings=revenue=profit model, but part of a bigger picture branding, rights, and sales clearance play. While the station on its own is most certainly operating at a loss, it's a drop in the bucket for TSN, and especially Bell overall.

RadioAaron wrote:

Radiowiz wrote:

1150 is a pure tax write off and nothing more than that today.

 

No, it doesn't work that way. You can't just intentionally create an unprofitable product that allows some tax "write-off" that is magically profitable to the company as a whole. 

1150 is either a tax write off or a total failure regardless. 
Such a shame.
& it's not intentionally unprofitable if Ti Cats are factored in...unless they deliberately overpaid for those rights also.
To get back to my point, 1150 & 1050 were once rivals...different markets, but still rivals. Now it is the same company. Years ago, the owner of 1150 worked hard to make music work.
Bell just doesn't give a crap.

I'd rather hear some timeless classic country on 820 AM (also owned by Bell) than the crap that's there now, but it's not about me.
Nice to know the demand is heavy for something funny on 820.
 

Last edited by Radiowiz (December 19, 2018 11:02 pm)

RadioAaron wrote:

It's not necessarily a failure if they were able to monetize the TiCats and Leafs broadcasts locally -- two deals that wouldn't initially be ratings dependant. And again, if Bell believes this station has had any overall positive impact to the TSN brand versus the Sportsnet brand, they may count it as a win. The ratings are irrelevant. 

Your point is stronger if there is a Rogers owned AM that could have easily gone Sportsnet Hamilton.
CHML had the Ti Cats for years. Corus either did not bid or were heavily outbid for the rights.
It doesn't even explain why 820 is a comedy station when there are other options out there, including classic country, unless tax write off is all they are doing.

Last edited by Radiowiz (December 19, 2018 11:13 pm)

Radiowiz wrote:

It doesn't even explain why 820 is a comedy station when there are other options out there, including classic country, unless tax write off is all they are doing.

Classic Country and Comedy are probably equal in terms of ratings. It's not a tax-write off, it's keeping the lights on in case of any future regulatory or technological change that pumps new value into the license. 

They flushed out an audience that couldn't be monetized because they were too old. (I think that's BS, but it's the way it is)

Also, and admittedly I'm not sure if I'm 100% correct here, but comedy is a bit of a loophole where you're not paying the SOCAN and other music rights fees you would be with a music format. So your costs to run comedy are lower than any music format. 

Last edited by RadioAaron (December 19, 2018 11:31 pm)

has anyone here actually seen the financial spreadsheets?  Maybe they are operating at a loss, in which case, the company as a whole can use this individual station as tax leverage.  or maybe they are utilizing corporate synergies and transferring costs in order to make it look profitable.

has anyone here seen the financial figures?  ratings don't mean a thing if you can still turn a buck on your meager listenership.  it's a bulk buy with other, more ratings friendly properties in the cluster, or specifically targeted at the dashboard-pounding sports fan.
 

I wouldn't say the costs are "zero." The hydro bill to power a 50 kW AM transmitter (even if you drop it to 10 kW at night) is still substantial, four or maybe even five figures a month. The transmitter site needs at least minimal maintenance. There are administrative expenses to maintain logger recordings and prepare the annual report to the CRTC. 

I'd be very surprised to find out that the fixed costs to keep 820 on the air are lower than $100,000 or so a year. Maybe even higher. 

Well, well, well.

All this arcane radio business talk.

OK, here's some: The book before last brought a .01 rating. It ticked up a tock this fall because of TiCat broadcasts-that BTW are,to be kind, laughable-but they are still basically non existent.

Jim Tatti is the only real broadcaster there and some of the others come off as rank amateurs, if that.

There are many (former) listeners who are not enthused, including former PD Nevin, who can't even bear to discuss it anymore.

And the current PD? If he thinks intentionally tanking this thing will bring big alms from Bell, he is most likely dreaming.

When he has served his usefulness, he'll be back at Cable 14.

DRTJO wrote:

Well, well, well.      There are many (former) listeners who are not enthused, including former PD Nevin, who can't even bear to discuss it anymore 

Well, well, well -- if they went Classic Country as someone suggested above, would Nevin move back from Courtice to the Hammer and run it?
 

KX 94.7 has a 6.2 share. Everybody who thinks a Classic Country format on 1150 is going to come anywhere close to that please raise your hand.

mike marshall wrote:

KX 94.7 has a 6.2 share. Everybody who thinks a Classic Country format on 1150 is going to come anywhere close to that please raise your hand.

I'll gladly take what 820 had before going all comedy...even if it's minus a share today, it's still better than what they have now. 

Problem's been fixed. But last year the best part of listening to CKOC was the 6am hour-top station ID. There'd be up to 15 seconds or so of dead air right at the top of the hour. Hearing TSN followed by an ID from WIMA in Lima Ohio or WHBY in Kimberley Wisconsin was funnier than Funny 820.
 

I, too, much preferred when CKOC was an actual radio station. And CHUM. And thankfully no one played Drake in the heyday of Top 40 Radio...