Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Is the End Near..For 3 Camping Stations?

Is Harold Camping's Family Radio ownership of WKDN Camden, NJ coming to an end?

WKDN 54 dBU Contour
WFSI 54 dBU Contour
According to reports,  Camping's Family Radio has a note coming due [UPDATE 7/20 The Form 990 federal filings by the California-based not-for-profit don’t reveal anything like the rumored big loan] . ..in excess of $50m..and needs cash.  However, Family Radio reportedly IS shopping 106.9 FM WKDN Camden, NJ and 107.9 FM WFSI Annapolis in the Washington, DC/Baltimore area.

According to Tom Taylor at Radio-Info,com, one estimate of the “stick value” of Philly's WKDN is about $30 million, and of WFSI, $20 million or more.

Speculation is Merlin Media may be interested in the Philly and CBS Radio would want it for their sports talk franchise airing on 610 AM WIP.

WFME 54 dBu Contour
Also, Disney wants an FM signal in New York City market. Camping's Family Radio owns 94.7 FM WFME licensed to Newark, NJ.  Disney would love to put 1050 AM WEPN's ESPN Format on FM and clear the Spanish-language Radio Deportes service on 1050.  And why wouldn't Merlin Media want a second Big Apple signal?

Taylor notes all three Family Radio stations reputedly for sale (WFME, WKDN, WFSI) are full Class Bs.


Harold Camping is president of Family Radio, a California-based radio station group that spans more than 150 markets in the United States. Camping is notable for applying numerology to his interpretations of Bible passages to predict dates for the End Times.  His 2011 end times prediction was that on May 21, 2011 Jesus would return, the righteous would fly up to heaven, and that there would follow five months of fire, brimstone and plagues, with millions of people dying each day, culminating on Oct. 21, 2011 with the end of the world.


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