Bounceback
With all the press about how soft business is, I just thought you might like to know that we're setting records in three markets.
Our Clayton, GA AM/FM WGHC/WRBN, our Franklin, NC AM/FM WFSC/WNCC-FM and our AM only WNEG, Toccoa, GA are having the biggest months ever in their 50 year history and politics is only contributing about 10% of the total gross. Without politics, we would still be setting records. It appears that 4 of the six markets we operate will have record revenue in 2006.
Furthermore, this is the biggest month in revenue for our group which was formed in April 2001. I might mention that we sold off one station which was a big producer so if you compared station to station, business is very good.
It's not just us. I have spoken and communicated with small market operators across the country through the Idea Bank membership (400 plus small market stations across America) and guess what, they are having a banner year too.
It's not the local economy as most of us find that our local economies are still not back to pre 9-11 days and all but one of our markets has suffered major manufacturing employee layoffs. One market has lost 3000 manufacturing jobs in the past 2 years!
It's not local politics. We have as many folks frustrated over the Iraqi War and the nonsense in Washington.....it's just operating close to our communities and focusing on the basics of radio......giving our local audiences the type programming they want....and by doing so providing local advertisers the best advertising investment they can buy....ads on the local radio station.
We don't have podcasting, streaming (except for local sports events) and our web page sales, well, the total income will buy me a latte at the local coffee shop every morning. We're just super serving our local towns with full time local news departments, talking to them on the air about people and events they are familiar and we are focusing every operation on the fact that first and foremost, we're an advertising business and our job is to tell the message of advertisers to our listeners.
Nothing fancy or rocket science. Oh yeah, out here in our markets, they still think HD is some sort of disease that any good church going person shouldn't discuss in public and Arbitron is a video game of some sorts!
The point of this is not to brag but to simply show the disconnect we have now in our business. Unfortunately, the naysayers are now the largest operators.
Here is our revenue broken out by station.
Our 10-23 projections
Clayton 55,771
Elberton 35,998
Franklin 59,128
Seneca 11,783
Sylva 35,454
Toccoa 56,232
Walhalla 47,681 (same market as Seneca)
Clayton, Franklin and Toccoa are having record high revenue months this month. These three and the Seneca, SC market will have record years.
Nothing special on our end being done except focusing on the basics....local programming and sales.
Art Sutton
President/CEO
GA-Carolina Radiocasting
Toccoa, GA
