Bye-Bye Clear Channel .. Bye-Bye

[Northpine]

Apparently the "rumors" were a little bit more than that .. 'eh?

The stations in the upper midwest that are on the list for sale now have a real chance to regain the local flavor lost long ago. Mankato, Rochester and especially Duluth should feel relief. Hope new owners to these properties make the most of the "second chance" 

[MACK184]

One problem that has yet to be addressed is that Clear Channel vastly overpaid for many of the properties that they acquired. Unless they are willing to sell these stations at "bargain basment" prices, you won't see much difference from new owners. The new owners will have to pay a large debt which will mean lots of money for bankers & interest, and little money for staff. Meet the new boss..same as the old boss.

[Kent]

I agree.  There will likely be a few of the Clear Channel spinoffs that get into the hands of better operators, but most will be as badly or worse off than before.  Clear Channel certainly isn't perfect and has been anything but kind as of late, but it's far from the worst company out there.  While you may lose the cost cutting measures from people you've never met and the out of market voicetracking, you're also likely to lose the promotion, the research, the incredible benefits, and any other advantage of having a large billion dollar company bankrolling your operation.  It's hard for a lot of people, especially those who have never worked in radio but have a passion for it, to believe, but there are a lot of small broadcasting companies operating today that make Clear Channel look like Santa Claus.

[desert_er]

Any rumors yet about new ownership in Mankato and Rochester?

[pbf1]

Mankato went to Three Eagles (already in some trades), along w/Ft Dodge and Mason City, IA