Oregon Media Insiders

The other day, John Bell, OPB's membership director, said that he hopes to pull 75,000 new members from the new Eugene station (KOPB-AM, the old KASH/KOPT). People say that OPB paid a half million for the station; some question why. As usual, the story is in the numbers. Seventy-five thousand paying members seems to be optimistic in a market of -- perhaps -- 200,000, so let's take a third of that -- 25,000. Multiply that by an average $50 annual contribution (seems to be a safe number, but only a guess), and you get $1,250,000. Per year. Not a bad investment, that.