New Rock 101.9 (WRXP) Gone Again- Will Become The Fan For Staggeringly Low Sum
The Top 22 Editor | Oct 08, 2012 | Comments 22
The rumors were true: New Rock 101.9 was never in it for the long haul as investors apparently want out. CBS snaps it up at a fire sale price to make for an FM home for legendary sports talker…
Not long after Merlin Media’s New Rock 101.9 replaced the failed FM News format (which replaced the original Modern Rock WRXP), rumors abounded that the move was only temporary.
Word was that Merlin’s financial backers, Chicago hedge fund GTCR, wanted out, and was seeking buyers for all Merlin stations.
Merlin is now one station lighter with the sale to CBS for what appears to be a paltry $75 million. That number, which recalls pre-consolidation era pricing, is bound to elicit a collective groan from brokers. If a full-market FM can be had in Market #1 for $75m, the value of virtually every other FM in the country just took a hit.
Interestingly, the $75 million figure has been floated in association with the station since Emmis started shopping it around 2009.
CBS smartly grabbed the signal to stay competitive with ESPN, which just months ago abandoned 1050 AM for 98.7 FM. 1050 became ESPN Deportes.
With New York now having two FM sports-talkers, the move may signal an acceleration of dropping music formats for talk on FMs throughout the country.
Filed Under: Actual News • Featured • News • Radio and Records • Sideways Is the New Up
I am so sick of all of my favorite rock station going off the air! I’M TIRED OF THIS SHIT !!
FIRST K-ROCK THEN RXP GLAD THAT THEY CAME BACK ON NOW THERE BACK OFF THE AIR AGAIN?
FUCK THIS IF NEW ROCK 101.9 GOES OFF THE AIR I WILL NEVER LISTEN TO THE RADIO NO MORE !!
FUCK YOU CBS RADIO!!
FUCK YOU!!
We’d normally not publish this type of comment due to the language, but I do think it sums up the feelings of many. The customer is tired of being yanked around, and has options.
A future Pandora or Sirius/XM customer, and likely hundreds of thousands more just like Kenneth…
VERY SAD!!!! Although they seemed obsessed with 90s Grunge, it was still the best station in NY. Maybe 94.3 The Shark on Long Island will add more NEW Alt-Rock to their “Everything that Rocks” playlist and help fill the void.
Truthfully, I only listen to terrestrial radio while in my car. Otherwise, I listen to 91X.com (an Alt-Rock station out of San Diego) while on my computer.
I am amazed that rock radio keeps bailing out in NY. The rating went up every month. And, it seems that every Alt-Rock concert in NY sells out in minutes. Just recently the following bands all sold out shows (some added more dates due tohigh demand): Gaslight Anthem, Silversun Pickups, Dropkick Murphys, Pennywise, Green Day, Offspring, Muse, etc.)
It doesn’t make sense to me, but maybe – as a fan of Alt-Rock here in NY since the days of WLIR – I’m biased!
The world does not need to hear WFAN’s Fat Mike Francesa snoring in stereo, nor do we need more Lady Gaga’s or Puff Daddy’s running around. Keep alternative alive!
http://www.facebook.com/NewRock1019WrxpNyc
DITTO!!!!!!!!!!!! Kenneth. I guess it will be back to my iPod when they do away (yet again) with the BEST radio station NYC has seen in a VERY long time. I am a sports lover/watcher but I do not feel it is necessary to take over the air waves with sports talk………….
I am really sad that my favorite radio station will be off the air once again. I’m definitely going back to my MP3 player.
I’m really upse since I’m love alternative rock and it helps me through the day. Now I have to hear Mike Francesa all day who I used to respect but lets face it he’s boring and out of respect an old fart. Boomer esiason I totally hate him, he’s so full of himself and just plain sucks at his job it’s bad enough I have to watch him on the NFL on CBS pregame and halftime shows but now I have to hear him instead of motivating music. Besides WFAN is the home of the Mets which stands for MY ENTIRE TEAM SUCKS!!! Overall I’m not happy about the move, I rather hear ESPN’s 98.7 Stephen A Smith at least he makes sports fun and down to earth!
Well this friggen sucks. I could are less about sports. I don’t have a degree in business or anything but CBS will lose against espn. Espn is all sports. It’s their specialty. No ones gonna be like oh put CBS sports radio on to see who’s talking about last nites game. As for the cursing. Let us curse on this who gives a shit. What are they gonba do. Take 101.9 off the air? Oh wait. They did that already. Greedy assholes. I put that long island station on last nite and the first song I hear is a Katy perry song. Seriously!? Back to pandora and I heart radio to listen to the real rock stations. Which are on the west coast. None of these teases we get here. A good alt rock station that we enjoy for a few months. CBS you suck. I will never watch your station or any of your other programming. Cause if I find something I like. You’ll prob just replace it with sports talk. Eat shit CBS. And I hope you go bankrupt.
I haven’t listened to the FAN since Steve Summers was doing overnights in the early to mid 1990s. Dried up crusted old turds on that station with nothing to talk about. ESPN already killed sports like MTV killed music. Now the decline of music and the decline of sports have come together in one of the cruelest ways imaginable and that is to kill alternative radio in NYC. I listened to WDRE on LI growing up, then when Q came around it saved radio in this town, and it sucks now. Then you have the decline of KRock. I lived in ATL when 99X was in its prime, and they killed that. Thankfully RXP came around to take in half of their staff and saved it once again. Then we fans saved RXP… for a few months. Someone please come along and pick up this format and these DJs. They are awesome, the music is awesome, and every other god damn station sucks. I hope this Shark thing is decent. There’s also 107.1 The Peak in White plains, check them out cause they are awesome and they truly care about the music. Save us, alternative radio, wherever you are!!!
I only listen to 2 stations, WFAN and 101.9, now one is killing the other. Don’t understand how there can’ t be one decent rock station in NY. Couldn’t the FAN stay on AM? No luck!
I am so disappointed! I LOVED new rock fm! I kept thinking after hurricane sandy maybe their was a mix up with signals or frequencies but to find out through a google search that my fav radio station was yanked by a bunch of investors who only care about making money really pisses me off! What more can I say? Pissed and disappointed
WRXP newrock1019 is still on the air online… check it out http://www.newrock1019.com
I just can not believe that talk radio generates more listeners and revenue than a good music radio and actually the only radio playing one of the most popular genres. That leads to the question – what kind of people really lives in this city?
I too am baffled by this takeover. Was SO psyched when I heard alternative rock back on in NY/NJ. Wish it was easier to get satellite radio in the car.
Wow this is bad I was so happy to have a rock radio station again. I thought it left due to the storm and some satellite damage. Im seeing the confirmation now for the first time thru you guys. Hope modern rock makes its way back. It was nice to hear new rock music!
i agree with kenneth im getting really tired of this they took away k-rock to put more crap music on like they don’t have enough stations then i found out about 101.9 i was stoked as hell and now its gone i don’t think its fair that we will have to pay to hear the music we want or have our mp3 player playing that we listend to everysong on there while the mainstream crap gets 4-5 stations and we get none WTF
I did NOT enjoy “new rock”, which was mostly 90s and current alternative, as much as I did the first run of “RXP” (2008 thru 2011) which had a much broader ranged selection of rock music, and wasn’t exclusively just alternative. RXP had a very unique, undefinable playlist. The songs shared, though they spanned several rock sub-genres, a certain edge to them that captured the essence or attitude that was, beyond question, RXP. With that said, 101.9 has been historically known as the “the format of the month station”. Emmis Communications and Merlin Media LLC are nothing but ratings mongers and have no clue about the soul of a station; its roll with and effect on its listeners. They’re MBA, don’t know how to do crap themselves, bottom lined, talentless wannabees. They have yet, and perhaps never will, establish or sustain any legacy in the radio broadcasting business. History will NOT remember them; and if so, NOT kindly. Furthermore, I agree with the Top 22 Editor: Kenneth Tanner’s comment pretty much sums up my own current sentiments as well. In conclusion, Emmis Communications, Merlin Media and CBS can collectively take a nice long walk off of a very short pier. Oh, and keep your eyes on the birdy!… Flip!
Kenneth is right !
THIS IS BULLSHIT !!
They always take the best rock station that new york had every had. If CBS radio plain to make good money on this station how about they’ll do it on one or two of the pop stations. We have to many pop stations and who the hell wants to hear sports ? I’d rather watch sports and find out about the team on the ESPN channel or the 98.7 ESPN station. We don’t need on damn talk radio and not to many pop stations. If that is so why won’t take Mike Francesa’s fat ass off the air and bring new rock 101.9 RXP back and CBS and Mike’s fat ass needs to do that with one of the pop staions. We have enough pop stations.
WE NEED A BETTER ROCK STATION IN NEW YORK DAMMIT !!
RXP IS ONE OF THEM !!
BRING BACK NEW ROCK 101.9 !!
NY radio is back to the crap once again TALK failed how many times?Cbs you just dont get it!?
I’m literally heartbroken that this is off the air, it made my commutes to school enjoyable and now I can’t find one decent radio station! I listen to it online through my iphine now and plug it into my car like old times, but its still not that same
((( is there any way it could come back?!
it totally sucks that New Rock is off the air again. like we need more sports broadcasts. who gives a damn keep that on AM radio. FM is for the modern man! the music man, the individualist muse. so i hope in the near future when CBS sports cast fails we can get out radio back
I am heartbroken as well, but can’t blame Merlin for taking the money. But I can blame Cumulus NOW for not taking this opportunity to turn their new signal to Alternative. Their move to country, is the LAST STRAW for me. I don’t understand why radio execs are afraid of success. I will bark up Clear Channels tree now, and maybe try letters to Greater Media… but we need ROCK in NYC tri-state. It’s pathetic. 101.9 was the best station since the old WAPP back in the 80s… terrible, just terrible. I have no other choice but to believe these execs are STUPID! I mean no one even knew it existed yet, and it already had a 2.3 share, not too shabby. By summer it would have been over 3.0, why don’t the other radio companies snap up this format. I just don’t get it… I never will!