This Soros Purchase of 200-Plus Radio Stations

 I sat last night to review this hyped-up story of Soros buying 200-plus radio stations and the rapid approval to allow this to occur.  So some things:

1.  It is near 235 stations total....owned presenty by Audacy (the company).

2.  Over the past decade...Audacy had some profitable years, then some lean years (meaning marginal income).  Last year, they pieced together a recovery year....oddly getting Soro's team interested.  Whether the profit can continue....unknown.

3.  These stations are NOT in all 50 states....they are mostly bunched up in 45 media markets (urbanized zones) across the US.

4.  In the whole state of Arizona.....ONLY three stations belong to Audacy....all in the Phoenix area.  The three?  Adult contemporary music, C&W, and classic hits.

5.  Any in Alabama or Mississippi?  No.

6.  Talk radio or news format in the 45 markets?  I counted a total of around 30 stations....however, some of these were multi situations....where you had a talk-radio station in one town, with a news-format station in the same town.

7.  Spanish stations?  Fewer than ten in the deal.  One is a conservative-talk radio station in Miami.

8.  Problem in the future?  Spotify has taken over a lot of younger listeners, along with podcasts....meaning the internet is delivering their product....NOT the radio network.

9.  If Soros were to delete conservative talk-radio?  Some competitor would wise-up....see a chance to take market-share, and bring some downfall to the Soros strategy.

10.  On being a wise-investment choice?  I don't see the Soros team having a understanding of what they bought, and how it's connected to the general public.

11. General business wisdom?  You generally buy something that provides an income.  Competing against Spotify and podcasts?  You have to be aggressive....I don't see these guys in a 'win-win' scenario.  I'm predicting in two years....a 'chunk' of the 200-plus stations will be sold off (probably the music and news stations). 

12.  The speed of approval over the deal?  I have doubts that the profit for 2024 looks that great, and Audacy didn't want Soro's team figuring out it was a short-lived profit period.  

So I end this analysis with this thought.....Soros had money to waste, and some bright sales people convinced them the deal was worth the effort.  In six months....I suspect the profit situation will be listed as marginal and the heavy-handed way of dragging talk-radio to some center-point or left-point....will have failed....triggering even lesser profit.  As they piece together deals to sell off stations....what will remain?  Strictly talk-radio and Spanish-language stations.  

Added note....it's just odd, no one seems to have analyzed the make-up of the stations.....all public information, and the profit discussion has been going on for two years.