Radio entrepreneur John Lynch hopes to expand station stockpile

It’s been six years and a recession since John Lynch, now 62, got back in the radio-owning business.

And it’s been fun, but challenging. Lynch is the president and CEO of the Broadcast Company of the Americas, a company that owns and operates three independent San Diego radio stations –
XX1090 Sports Radio, talk station 1700 AM, and pop music FM station 105.7 The Walrus.

Radio has been a passion of his for most of his adult life. But some days, because of the current recession, he wishes he had followed the example of many of his buddies who, when their gray hairs sprouted, had semi or fully retired to playing golf three or four times a week.

That being said, John Lynch, has no plans to retire until he builds a group of 100 independent
stations strong enough to withstand the competitive pressures of the conglomerates and public
companies currently dominating the U.S. radio market.

“The challenge is great,” Lynch conceded, “however, I believe that the pendulum has swung …. and what the economy has yielded is an opportunity for smaller broadcast companies like us.”

We interviewed Lynch in his office and broadcast studios nestled in a commercial building in the heart of Mira Mesa and providing employment for a staff of 50 full-timers and 20 part-timers. This profile is a continuation of one we did on Lynch back in April, 2003. At that time, he was just literally getting back on his feet after undergoing two knee replacement operations and had just re-entered the radio business after having sold the 20-station Noble Broadcast Group seven years earlier.

The new knees corrected injuries Lynch had sustained decades earlier while playing college
football and the re-entry into radio came on the urging of a former financial partner from New York who wanted to buy or create a small, feisty niche station in the lucrative San Diego market.

Great idea, but no San Diego-based stations were for sale.

So Lynch and his partner ended up buying three established Baja California stations — two
AM stations and an FM station — with transmission signals aimed into the U.S.

In 2003, he turned XPRSAM 1090 into “Double X 1090 Sports Radio”; later XKTT-AM 1700 into a business talk radio station, initially called CASH Radio, now simply “San Diego 1700
AM,” focusing on political talk; and just last year XBCE-FM 105.7 into “The Walrus” 105.7 FM,
a music station featuring 1970s and 1980s music.

Both the sports station and The Walrus music station are thriving despite the recession that has cut into overall San Diego media advertising revenues by about 25 percent.

“With Double X, we were quick to secure the [broadcast] rights to the Padres and became the Padres home station,” he said. “We have built the station really around that and it has grown
tremendously and has become a very significant station here in San Diego. We do have our challenges,” he admitted, “now that the Padres are struggling a little bit, but with the new ballpark and all, it’s been a very strong station. I’m proud. It’s one of the top sports stations in this country.”

Double X 1090’s AM coverage extends up into most of California and 105.7 FM coverage blankets most of San Diego County.

San Diego 1700 AM is another story.

“Because there’s not much cash out there, it’s not doing very well,” Lynch said. “We started as a financial station and it was doing fine, but, with the crash of the markets, it has suffered. So we’re searching on that, looking for a [new] format.”

Asked why he started a second and then a third station, he said: “My initial plan was just to get into sports radio, and I think once you’re in it, you might as well be in it. There was an opportunity for another station and I thought we could have more balance and be less prone to challenges from competitors.

“But the fact is, because of the challenging economic time, I really believe it’s an excellent time now to buy some additional stations, not only in San Diego, but potentially in other markets.”

Lynch was born and raised in suburban Chicago in an Irish-Catholic family. His grandparents had emigrated from Ireland and were so proud of becoming American citizens that they named their son, Lynch’s father, John Pershing Lynch, after the famed World War I American general “Black Jack’ Pershing.

Lynch moved to San Diego when he was 25 with his high school sweetheart bride, Cathy, and their two toddlers. Initially, Lynch thought he had a career in pro football after being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers based on his college play at Duke University. Only problem was the worsening knee injuries that intensified during his one season of Steelers’ training camp and forced him to consider another line of work.

Being a good talker, sales seemed a natural way to go.

After a start with the Chicago Tribune in advertising sales, he landed his first job in radio sales with Westinghouse Radio’s WIND-AM in Chicago. His big break came in 1972 when he was sent to San Diego as sales manager of the then struggling KFMB radio station.

Lynch’s ability and high-energy enthusiasm converted KFMB AM/FM into the top rated station in the market within five years.

In 1978, Lynch was approached by candy mogul Ed Noble with an offer of 5 percent ownership to start a San Diego-based broadcast company, the Noble Broadcast Group. When Ed Noble died in 1985, Lynch bought the company and over the next decade expanded it into 20 stations in 12 markets across the U.S.

“I think it’s time to do something like that again,” he said. “And what this tough economic period has shown me, you really can fall prey to these large companies. They can group their stations together and make it very difficult on a small operator. So I want to try to get some additional
strength and, since I’m in it, I want to be fully committed and try to build a significant company again.

Ideally, he said, he would like the Broadcast Company of the Americas to be in 15 to 20 markets with five or six stations in each, “so around 100 stations.”

“That is what has motivated me to go out and try to put together some financing support to grow our business. I believe tremendously in the future and vitality of radio. Radio, more than any other medium, has really integrated well with the Internet. We have hundreds of thousands of people coming to our Web sites so we have many new streams of revenue. So I’m very excited about the future of radio.”

Lynch is convinced there is a new medium being created that is a combination of digital offerings driven by radio and vice versa. In 1996, Lynch sold Noble Broadcast to the similar-sized Jacor
Communications broadcast group for $152 million. The Texas-based Clear Channel, then on a buying spree, subsequently acquired Jacor.

After a short time with Clear Channel, Lynch left and kept himself busy buying and selling media properties in California and Idaho and trying unsuccessfully to lead the Catholic Radio Network’s efforts to expand nationally based on promoting Catholic family values.

“We got caught in the middle of the enormous politics within the church between conservative family values and liberal family values and the same type of politics that is pervasive throughout America on the abortion issues and things like that.

“After really wasting time and money, I threw up my hands. I was working without remuneration to give back. We bought 10 or 12 stations around the country and had a network up, but there was such interference…it didn’t work. It was one of the great frustrations of my life.”

True to his outspoken nature, Lynch is a great believer in media taking editorial stances on what is going on in communities. Mega companies often don’t allow their radio station general managers or operators to editorialize, he said.

“I believe it’s a very important part of what you are,” he said. “If you’re going to be an important player in the community, you’ve got to editorialize.”

He editorialized on the stadium issue and endorsed mayoral candidates.

“We backed [Republican businessman] Steve Francis at the beginning, but ultimately Jerry Sanders and worked diligently [but unsuccessfully] to defeat [Democrat] Donna Frye who we thought would have been very bad for the city and business and our positions.”

He urges community newspapers also to editorialize.

“I think it’s a great way to distinguish yourself from the other media,” said Lynch. “Otherwise, you’ll fold into the wall. It’s a way to get involved and take strong positions. I think it creates readership and listenership. I know it does. You got to speak out otherwise nothing will ever change.”

Every Saturday morning, you’ll find Lynch on the golf course.

“I love to golf. I have regular golf game at Fairbanks Ranch every Saturday morning. We’ve been the 7:15 - 7:20 tee off time since Fairbanks opened 25 years ago. I have the same group of friends I’ve been playing with for a number of years. Unfair to me, most of them are semiretired
or retired and get to play three or four times a week and I’m still working so I get to play only on Saturday.”

He shoots in the mid-80s, high 80s and low 90s.

Arthur Lightbourn writes for the Carmel Valley News, where the story was first published. XX1090, The Walrus 105.7 and San Diego 1700 are SDNN media partners.

Tags: 1090 Sports Radio, 1700 AM, John Lynch, San Diego radio, SDNN, The Walrus radio

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