The news from media financial experts during the "restructuring in a changing financial climate" session at the NAB Show in Vegas on Tuesday was hard to hear. Some 90% of radio/TV stations are having to go back to banks and ask for restructuring of their loans. Many of their advertisers have cut back because of the recession and that's made the bottom line and the monthly payments, more difficult to hit. One report is that 5% of commercial TV stations are in bankruptcy at the moment with more to come. In the past 15 months, 260 radio stations have gone off the air..again, with more to come. The answer, according to most people on the panel was to restructure and restructure early...before hard times get impossible....
Harry Jessel of TV Newsday did a good job of covering this session..and his complete report is here.