Webio wants in on AM/FM dial

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: Third sports talk radio station a strong possibility for Chicago : Posted by Ed Sherman at 6/8/2009 5:46 AM CDT on Chicago Business : Is there room for a third sports talk radio station in town? : Chicagosportswebio.com, the new sports talk Internet outlet, is on the verge of also being heard on an AM station in town, and possibly an FM station too. : David Hernandez, the CEO of Spectrum Entertainment Group, said he is talking with three representatives accounting for 10 AM and FM stations about placing programming on a Chicago-area radio outlet. : "I can next to guarantee within one month we will be on an AM station," Mr. Hernandez said. "We could be announcing programming (this week). The foundation is there." : Mr. Hernandez said local radio stations recently have contacted him about picking up a portion or all of the outlet's programming schedule. Webio, which made its debut in April, currently broadcasts from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday. : Depending the nature of the deal, Mr. Hernandez said Webio could expand its programming into evenings and weekends. : "I've found the AM dial to be a lot like cable TV," Mr. Hernandez said. "There are a lot of stations, but not enough content to fill it. Everyone is looking for content." : Mr. Hernandez said the AM signals are between 670 (the one belonging to sports-talker WSCR-AM) and 1000 (WMVP-AM, the other sports talker). One likely candidate would appear to be WCPT-AM 820, the progressive talk station based in Crystal Lake. The station also has three sister FM stations. : The deal probably would feature some type of revenue-sharing component between Webio and the prospective station or stations. : Mr. Hernandez said the potential AM signal could be weak downtown. : "But that's OK," Mr. Hernandez said. "Because you're at work, and you're listening to us on the Internet." : Indeed, Mr. Hernandez said broadcasting on the Internet remains the prime focus of Webio. It has allowed him to operate an outlet without the upfront cost of purchasing a radio signal. : However, placing Webio programming on a radio station obviously expands its reach. I think if Webio got on an AM or FM station, many sports talk listeners would have it as a preset on their car radios. : "We want to be on as many media outlets as possible," Mr. Hernandez said. "It's the four legs of the table philosophy. We're going to hit smart phones, radio, the Internet. We're doing research on a possible satellite radio deal. We're supposed to talk to representatives from (XM-Sirius) in a few weeks." : Mr. Hernandez said Webio currently gets 7,000-10,000 hits per day, with the user staying on the site for an average of 27.8 minutes. He said it has had more than 100,000 unique visitors since the site launched. : Mr. Hernandez said the goal is for the site to generate 15,000-20,000 hits per day. : "There are a lot of (radio) stations that would love to have that," Mr. Hernandez said. : Mr. Hernandez has spent considerable money marketing Webio with TV commercials and billboards. He think the effort has paid off in bringing awareness to the site. : Mr. Hernandez said Webio already is generating a profit. Major advertisers include the Rohrman Auto Group, Hooter's and the White Sox. : I told Mr. Hernandez many people would doubt his claim of profitability, knowing that he has been bold in spending money to sign talent along with the high costs for marketing. : However, Mr. Hernandez said, "I know what my overhead expenses vs. revenues are. We're absolutely in a profit." : You can say this for Webio: It certainly is working hard to make an impact. Let's see what happens next.

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