Sunday, August 17, 2014

In Which I Have Become A Fat-Cat Capitalist

     I am pleased to announce that for at least the next six months, I am now a five-percent owner of a small-town AM radio station that, while it is not itself located in the very back of the beyond, does have a pretty good view of it on a clear day, if you stand near the tower and sight through a gap in the foothills.

     Why?  Well, it was a chance to own part of a radio station while making a micro-loan that, if it pays off, will earn me some hobby money and if it doesn't, I guess I'm going to own five percent of the thing as it augers in, which does put me back in the radio biz after decades away and at roughly the same point I left.

     I didn't gamble more than I could afford to lose; AM radio is a dice-roll these days and probably won't get a lot better soon -- but when you're the sole voice of the Consolidated Town and County High School basefootbasketocky teams, there's still a fair chance to keep the lights on, meet payroll and make loan payments, at least as long as you don't suffer an employee-created shortfall on the first week of school.  (I dunno if charges have been filed but much recovery of losses seems unlikely.) Gah, barbarians at every gate these days.

11 comments:

Matthew said...

Cue theme from WKRP in Cincinnati. :)

NotClauswitz said...

Hey that's way cool!

Midwest Chick said...

Expanding on what Matthew said, but are you going to go in and change the programming from easy listening/classical to rock and roll?

I have a lot of experience going to town to town, if not up and down the dial.

Roberta X said...

Five percent does not involve what you might call "control." :) It's just there to secure the little loan.

Roberta X said...

(And represents a rather extravagant slice of the property for the money loaned. I suspect I'd be near the very end of a long list of creditors. Just hate to see these little operations go under because of lousy luck.)

Anonymous said...

Pressing the like button. My sister and B-I-L just bought a gun store and range up in Lafayette; so I guess the entrepreneur bug is biting again.

Kerry

Rob K said...

Hooray for you! That's pretty cool!

NAVIGATOR said...

CONGRATULATIONS !

DO YOU GET TO BE THE STATIONS ENGINEER-IN-CHIEF ?

WHATS THE RADIATED POWER ?

WHATS THE CALL LETTERS AND FX ?

MARCONI TOWERS ? IF NOT CAN YOU RIG A HELIUM BALLOON ON A TETHER
AND INCREASE PROPAGATION WITHOUT INCREASING WATTAGE ?

CAN WE HAVE AN "ORDNANCE HOUR" ? (SMALL ARMS ADVICE CLASSICAL MUSIC POETRY AND PROSE FOR THE SHOOTING COMMUNITY INCLUDING QUOTATIONS FROM COL JEFF COOPER ?)

SOUNDS LIKE FUN ! "LETS PUT ON A SHOW" !

Ken said...

Just remember: Turkeys can't fly. (Not that well, anyway.)

Old NFO said...

Hope it works out for you! :-)

Roberta X said...

Time will tell. They just about had me as the parchuting-in engineer...