The radio stations in Buffalo spend plenty of time talking about the Bills, and now they’ll be talking about the Bills suing the owners of two of the radio stations in Buffalo.
According to Patrick Lakamp of the Buffalo News, the Bills have sued Cumulus Media and Citadel Broadcasting Co., seeking more than $1 million in fees that the team believes are still owed for broadcasts of games played in 2011.
Two stations owned by Cumulus aired the team’s games from 1998 through 2011: 97 Rock and 103.3 The Edge.
The Bills allege that Cumulus, which bought the stations from Citadel in 2011, failed to pay so-called incentive rights fees for 2011. Coincidentally (or not), Cumulus lost the rights to the Bills games for 2012 and beyond to WGR 550. Which made 2011 the final year of the Cumulus deal. Which sets the stage for actual or perceived shorting of the Bills for the final year of the deal, given that there’s no relationship between the two parties going forward.
Though it’s unclear whether the Bills’ lawsuit has any real merit, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to learn that, given the termination of a 13-year relationship, Cumulus has decided not to go out of its way to settle up with the team. Which forces the Bills to go out of their way to try to get the money they believe they’re owed.