Who hasn’t thought they can run things better than the boss?
I certainly did when I worked in broadcasting, but TV stations are usually super expensive, making owning one on my money a crazy dream. Until now.
According to the New York Times, WMKG in Muskegon, Michigan is for sale on eBay starting at the bargain price of $550,000. That includes the “broadcast center,” all the equipment, and FCC license.
Back in 2007, owner Bud Kelley was asking $700,000 for the station, so now it looks like he’s really eager to unload the place. In his eBay listing it says, “WE WILL ALSO TAKE AN OFFER ON THIS…” (His caps, not mine.)
Programming? No problem. Among WMKG’s local offerings is “TV Bingo,” where viewers play along at home while the host reads out numbers on the air. I could do that. Another popular show is “Dial a Bargain,” where you call up to get coupons and gift certificates. Coupons on TV. That’s real innovation.
And if Muskegon doesn’t float your boat, it’s less than an hour to Grand Rapids.
If anyone is interested in getting in on the ground floor of this amazing opportunity, now is the time. If I sell my house and cash in the 401K I’ll have a significant down payment. Perhaps you have some money you’d care to invest, or maybe you’re looking for a job. I’ll be hiring a reporter or two, and if you don’t mind doing a little yard work, this could be a great opportunity.
Oh, and we’ll definitely need to work on the website.
UPDATE: Hmmm… looks like the eBay listing has been removed. Oh, well…
Assuming you would be the Wayne in “Rob’s World” show, who would be your Garth? Ed Dague?
Kristi Gustafson, definitely.
They would love her out there. Right across the lake from Wisconsin.
I’m in. Let’s call it The DuMont Television Network 2.0
I’ve lived in Muskegon for 37 years and didn’t know WMKG existed. The studio looks something like the inside of my garage and I’m going to check in the morning to make sure it isn’t; maybe I could have been charging rent. The problem may be that the TV cable runs over the garage, but not into it.
#5: Wayne, a year from now you’ll wonder how you got by without it.
Kevin: Anything with “2.0” added to the name is automatically cool.
I neglected to mention in my post that Mr. Kelley hasn’t bothered to upgrade his station to digital yet. That’s gonna cost about $100K for just the transmitter, but we can probably use this to drive the price down.
Oh, and make sure you have that yellow starry night backdrop that’s shown in the picture. If that doesn’t come with the station, I’m pulling me and my group of investors out.
I emailed the guy who owns the station…
eBay took down his listing because it wasn’t set up correctly, but it will be back soon.
The photo reminds me of Ch.13 news back
in the 70s…when it was still WAST.
How much for just the license, pending FCC approval? I think I have enough gear in my office to handle the rest of the operation.
Sam: we could probably figure out a way to run it right out of Schenectady or someplace. We’d just need to hire a master control operator/janitor to keep an eye on things in Muskegon.