Has Radio Syndication Gone too far? Michael Baisden picked up by Gospel Station Joy 92.5
When it comes to the bottom line anything is possible
Gospel station WFJO "Joy 92.5" in Jacksonville, Florida is reportedly ready to add "The Michael Baisden Show" to its afternoon line-up.
The station was once owned by TAMA Broadcasting. The fate of the once largest Black owned privately held radio group in the country, headed by Glenn and Charles Cherry is an interesting one. The company is now in bankruptcy and were former owners of WTMP in Tampa. "...the year [2004] they borrowed $20 million from D.B. Zwirn Special Opportunities Fund, a New York hedge fund looking to loan black broadcasters money." Things turned sour from that point on... read more
The station is also set to add the "Yolanda Adams Morning" show to its lineup as well.
It's not syndication that's the problem; it's ownership.
ReplyDeleteLike every commercial enterprise, a commercial radio station exists to earn a profit for its owners. Traditionally, the core business of radio is the sales of air time. It's the sponsors who influence content (programming). Suffice to say, station owners aren't inclined to allocate inventory for programming that's deemed risky to sell. And with so many radio stations in the hands of so few owners, the list of what's seen as risky grows longer every day. Picking up a Baisden is then justified as a sound financial decision because a) you pay less money to air his show than hiring in-house talent and, b) he's a known quantity with sponsors, who are now more likely to buy ads with your station.