[Swprograms] Mickey Mouse thinking of selling part of U.S. radio empire?

[Joel Rubin <jmrubin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/story/327738p-280138c.html

Radio Disney for sale? Execs are all ears

Radio

By DAVID HINCKLEY
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Oceanfront property doesn't go on sale often in radio, which is why
it's news that Disney may be looking to sell some or all of its ABC
stations.

But the fact Disney is mulling it doesn't mean it will happen.

In New York, Disney owns WABC (770 AM), WPLJ (95.5 FM) and WEPN (ESPN
Radio, 1050 AM) and holds a long-term lease on WQEW (Radio Disney,
1560 AM).

Disney chief Robert Iger has called radio a "non-core asset," often
code for "Make an offer." But Disney's 64 stations, mostly in choice
markets, make hundreds of millions a year, so it would probably take
an offer in the $3 billion range to pry them away.

"Lots of people now think ABC Radio is for sale," says Tom Taylor,
editor of the trade sheet Inside Radio. "But that doesn't mean it will
actually be sold."

"We've heard these kinds of rumors before," says Tom Cuddy, vice
president at WPLJ. "It's one of those things you can't control, so you
don't think about it."

Even if the stations were sold, WPLJ and WABC wouldn't necessarily
change, since both are nicely profitable where they are.

It's also possible Disney could do a partial sell-off - in which case,
ironically, the company might keep its two lowerrated stations, WEPN
and WQEW.

Both are used extensively to crosspromote national Disney brands, and
both give the company a crucial presence in the country's most
important media market.

While morning hosts Scott Shannon and Todd Pettengill on WPLJ have
been joking about the sale reports, Taylor says that "even the rumors
are a very big deal. There's always been speculation that eventually
radio will get a third big player [along with Infinity and Clear
Channel] and these stations could be a cornerstone of something like
that."


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