Farmers & Florida Rural Radio

[John FL]

In the “Around The Treasure Coast” string, there was interest expressed in learning more about radio in the rural areas of the state. A logical place to begin is with the farmers and the Florida agricultural industry.

I’m probably typical of most people in that I think of Florida more in terms of the coastal regions and the major theme parks. But there’s a whole other side. Forestry, for example, represents 50% of the state’s total land area. It’s an industry many of us probably don’t associate with Florida given so many crowded areas.

There’s around 47,400 farms and ranches utilizing 9.7 million acres of land throughout the state. This is based on info from the state’s Department of Agriculture. From citrus groves to dairy farms to sugarcane and livestock to vegetable farms, there’s communities and workers that are dependent on these industries. The need for timely information is there. And local radio certainly has a role.

In 2021, The National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) reported that 71% of farmers listen to agricultural radio. Farmers listen to radio 4.7 days per week. In doing a quick review of Florida radio stations that carry farm programing, a specialized news/talk format looks like the common link.

Based on surveys, farmers prefer a station where they can get local and national news, reliable weather reporting, news specific to the farming industry. NAFB reports radio listening takes place while driving or operating farm equipment, 82% while driving a pickup and 64% while operating farm equipment.

Interestingly, 62% listen to AM radio and 53% listen to FM. Less than 20% said they use satellite radio. As David Eduardo mentioned in the other string, the coastal, populated, and revenue-richer regions of Florida gobbled up all the great signals many years ago. This probably explains the AM listening.

Not surprisingly, many farm radio programs are also available as a podcast. This is popular with farmers as they can listen when convenient to them, especially on the weekends.

I read SiriusXM has a Rural Channel. (Rural Radio) I’ve never had the need to listen to it. SiriusXM states it’s “A national radio network for rural America & Canada, featuring agriculture news, western lifestyle, and western sports.”

One of the distinct advantages to terrestrial radio is local, local, local. There is a radio network that caters especially to farmers in the Southeast U.S. There’s numerous Florida stations around the state that offer programing from them. We’ll give them a look in upcoming posts. For the readers who live in these rural areas served by these stations, your perspective would be welcomed!

 

[John FL]

In researching this subject, I located a company whose business is providing information to the farming community. This is AgNet Media, Inc. We'll concentrate on radio. But the company is also involved in print media. Per their website, they indicate they publish three magazines to serve growers of specialty crops, citrus and vegetables.

They also provide breaking news and research articles through their websites, newsletters and social media pages. AgNet Media sponsors annual events held in the state of Florida to provide growers the latest research.

Finally, the company offers marketing services for farm operations and agriculture industry businesses.

As far as radio goes, the Southeast AgNet Radio Network reaches farmers across Alabama, Florida and Georgia in the key agriculture producing regions with over 65 stations. While this information is listed on the company website, I say this with caution as information is only as good if it is updated. You'll soon see what I'm referring to.

There are numerous and different farm news headline programs, each catered to a specific agricultural sector. This is is the type of programing the company offers subscribing radio stations. I can only assume that this is handled like other syndicated programing in that there is a sharing of advertising revenue between the radio station and the company.

The S.E. AgNet Radio Network offers voice talent who have a "rich background in agriculture." That could perhaps mean more than being a farmer. But the company maintains that these are "voices that farmers in the Southeast know and trust."

These are the network affiliates listed by the AgNet Radio Network for Florida. Some are in bold face representing Citrus Broadcasting Stations. As of this writing, I'm not sure what that means or the significance of that. It may represent specific programing such as citrus farming.

What I do know is WSWN-AM in Belle Glade was once a news/talk station, "The Talk." Today, it's a Gospel station. (Sugar 900) There's no information about how that station is programed so if anyone is familiar with radio in Belle Glade, we'd appreciate knowing if farming information is aired there. Belle Glade is obviously a farming area being in sugarcane country.

City​	Station​	Position​
Avon Park	WWOJ-FM	99.1
Belle Glade	WSWN-AM	900
Cocoa	WKQK-AM	1610
Gainesville	WRUF-AM	850
Gainesville	WRUF-FM	103.7
Lake Placid	WWTK-AM	930
Lakeland	WLKF-AM	1430
Live Oak	WQHL-FM	98.1
Marianna	WTOT-AM	980
Marianna	WJAQ-FM	100.9
Ocala	WOCA-AM	1370
Ocala	WOCA-FM	96.3
Palatka	WIYD-FM	99.9
Perry	WZRE-FM	99.3
Port St. Lucie	WPSL-AM	1590
Stuart	WSTU-AM	1450
Wauchula	WAUC-AM	1310

There's a couple of radio stations associated with the Treasure Coast that's worth a look at. That and more on the way as we explore radio stations that are not conventional to say the least.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

Personally, I'm baffled that farm broadcasting still exists. I say this as someone who was a substitute farm broadcaster in rural Indiana some years ago and who has worked at several stations which aired farm programming.

There are three problems:

1. Ag programs on the radio are irrelevant to 95% or more of the listeners, even in rural areas. There just aren't that many people who actually sell on the commodity markets. That makes the ag programs clutter to most of the audience. Worse, if you listen to an ag report, it's like listening to the coded output of an Enygma machine. Here's an example Ag report you might hear after the close of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange:

"This is Brownfield. Today at the close at the CME, pork rallied after being down early with some early morning profit-taking. Wheat was lower with improving drought conditions across the western plains. Corn closed at six-sixteen, up one and a quarter. Soybeans up eight at 1486. Wheat lower across the board, August wheat down four and a half to seven-fifty-eight. Live cattle, up a half to 141 and three quarters. Lean hogs 98 and a half down one and a half; December lean hogs 88.43 up three-quarters; feeder cattle 183 and a quarter up two, and September feeder cattle 187 and three quarters"

2. The price that matters to a farmer isn't the price at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. It is the price at their nearby grain broker or wholesaler. That broker probably has a website or sends out a regular email blast with their prices. If the farmer wants the CME prices, they are accessible on a phone or computer at any time. Yes, in 2022, mobile phones work in rural areas.

3. There isn't much revenue associated with ag programming, because the ag community is pretty consolidated and there is a lot of loyalty. Much of the revenue that is available, largely from farm implement manufacturers, seed companies and chemical companies, are sucked up by the syndication.

 

[b-turner]

Just a note on Ag programming I carried: programming was offered bartered with station required to broadcast the ag programmer's commercials. The station normally have about the same number of commercial slots they could sell. One ag program provider would even voice a commercial for you...up to 1 a month...free.

In areas where farming is the occupation, these stations that specialize in farm programming seem to do very well. I recall an AM that went all Ag programming during the day and high school, college and pro sports play-by-play. In fact, they began with a format of about 30% Ag programming an hour, about 15% commercial avails and 55% classic rock. I recall telling my Dad it was sure odd hearing Freebird followed by a Cotton Futures report or a report of area livestock yard sale prices realized. My Dad reminded me those folks on their John Deere were now about my age so it made sense.

One of the things I noticed was some of the general ag news programs seemed more personal than sterile news delivery. I recall one fellow who was really respected and loved by listeners who mentioned various observations and personal information amid the info. His show was run from his home and one morning he mentioned the grandkids were there and made some remarks about that. He did lots of live reads and personal endorsements.

 

[Mikey Radio]

Personally, I'm baffled that farm broadcasting still exists. I say this as someone who was a substitute farm broadcaster in rural Indiana some years ago and who has worked at several stations which aired farm programming.

There are three problems:

1. Ag programs on the radio are irrelevant to 95% or more of the listeners, even in rural areas. There just aren't that many people who actually sell on the commodity markets. That makes the ag programs clutter to most of the audience. Worse, if you listen to an ag report, it's like listening to the coded output of an Enygma machine. Here's an example Ag report you might hear after the close of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange:

"This is Brownfield. Today at the close at the CME, pork rallied after being down early with some early morning profit-taking. Wheat was lower with improving drought conditions across the western plains. Corn closed at six-sixteen, up one and a quarter. Soybeans up eight at 1486. Wheat lower across the board, August wheat down four and a half to seven-fifty-eight. Live cattle, up a half to 141 and three quarters. Lean hogs 98 and a half down one and a half; December lean hogs 88.43 up three-quarters; feeder cattle 183 and a quarter up two, and September feeder cattle 187 and three quarters"

2. The price that matters to a farmer isn't the price at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. It is the price at their nearby grain broker or wholesaler. That broker probably has a website or sends out a regular email blast with their prices. If the farmer wants the CME prices, they are accessible on a phone or computer at any time. Yes, in 2022, mobile phones work in rural areas.

3. There isn't much revenue associated with ag programming, because the ag community is pretty consolidated and there is a lot of loyalty. Much of the revenue that is available, largely from farm implement manufacturers, seed companies and chemical companies, are sucked up by the syndication.

Not only that, but in 2022, Ag Radio seems a bit antiquated, with most all that same information available immediately via other sources including apps and the web. At least a dozen years ago I saw a program which explained that many farmers, including larger independents, even back then had their heavy equipment outfitted with specialized GPS devices that ensured they seeded, harvested and plowed, etc. evenly and covered all ares of their land in the most efficient manner. That was just one of the newer technologies farmers had adopted. It was an up-front expense that would pay off in the longer-term.

Farmers and ranchers still listening to Ag Radio in 2022 to get timely information seems akin to people thinking parents and children still get up early on snowy days to listen to the radio to find out if school is delayed or cancelled - When in fact many districts send a message via text or other means directly to people with kids enrolled at their schools within moments of that decision being made.

 

[John FL]

I appreciate the varied responses from the previous three posters. The subject of Ag Radio is a new one to me. I've come literally with a blank slate as this one is certainly out of my comfort zone. But that's how we learn more about radio and other things.

Actually, the first time I was aware of "farm reports" so to speak was in more youthful days many eons ago. On those weekdays that I needed to get up extra early, WABC the powerhouse NYC hit music station of the day, aired farming info during its 5:25 AM newscast. At the time, it made little sense to me.

But I didn't know the ways of mass appeal where radio stations would target virtually everyone who had a pulse. WABC's great signal went way beyond the city and burbs and into the farmlands. Interestingly, that feature was the first to go. As FM challenges grew, non-music features such as news and sports shrank and shrank in favor allowing more music to be featured instead.

Today, radio stations would have to look at Ag Radio broadcasts to determine if it makes sense. In Florida, much has changed. As population keeps growing, land becomes more valuable. Here on the Treasure Coast, I notice farmlands up for sale.

Here on The Treasure Coast are two AM radio stations that are listed as being a part of The AgNet Radio Network for Florida. One is WSTU-AM out of Stuart (Martin County) no surprise and the other WPSL-AM out of Port St. Lucie/St. Lucie County. No brainier there either. WSTU-AM is 1000 watts. WPSL-AM is 5000 watts during the day and 63 watts at night. Both stations have a long history on the Treasure Coast. But the area was once very different.

Martin County last year reported over 40,000 acres of citrus. They ranked in the top ten in the state for citrus and vegetable production. Sugar cane, ornamental plants and cattle production, combined with an egg farm producing over 10 million dozen eggs per year, a flour milling facility, juice concentrate plant and cabbage farm round out the agriculture segment. This year we learned hundreds of acres were rezoned from agricultural to residential. A new community is on the way with several hundred houses.

In St. Lucie County, there's now less than 400 farms as more and more land gets gobbled up by developers. The county represents about 2% of the total agricultural sales.

The two aforementioned radio stations are both news/talk formats which on the surface makes sense for Ag reporting. I suspect there is limited reporting but just enough to give the stations appeal at being different. There's varied programing on both and a good emphasis on sports, especially with local games, high school events etc.

Both stations have great local appeal. In looking at programing for both, it's obvious WSTU-AM offers more conservative syndicated programing than WPSL-AM. Martin County is very conservative overall. St. Lucie County is more like the country at large. They go back and forth between Republicans and Democrats and are known as a bellweather county. How St. Lucie County votes often determines how the state votes.

In thinking about farmers, they probably don't behave any differently than most radio listeners. Many people have their earbuds on or a little radio in their cubicle. Virtually all farm equipment has radio capability. No different. Radio is companionship at work. I've yet to see construction workers without radio on in the background.

Ag Radio may itself be in decline as farms decline in Florida. I do realize that when I looked through the website of the company, they are there to put their best foot forward to get business. I don't rely on the information as being totally factual. But a good starting point.

Finally, it's important to remember that the Treasure Coast didn't always have 1-95 going through it. For some of you who have been in Florida a long time will know there was once a big gap between the Melbourne and Jupiter areas. The connection was made in the late 80s. In what we know today as S. Lucie West and Tradition were once farmlands as far as the eye could see. Today, they are major population areas.

I'm thinking about venturing to the northern part of the state for what may be an entirely different view or maybe not. Stay tuned for that. And thanks for your comments for those who have knowledge of Ag programing.

 

[Battenkill50]

WKQK-AM is/was on 1300 KHz - has been silent for several months....

KTW

 

[Battenkill50]

590 WAFC in Clewiston "Pure Country" has a fair daytime signal into Melbourne....

KTw

 

[John FL]

WKQK-AM is/was on 1300 KHz - has been silent for several months....

KTW

Good to know! One station off the Ag list!

590 WAFC in Clewiston "Pure Country" has a fair daytime signal into Melbourne....

KTw

I didn't see WAFC-AM on the Ag station list. Did they have different calls or is this just informational?

 

[Battenkill50]

Good to know! One station off the Ag list!

I didn't see WAFC-AM on the Ag station list. Did they have different calls or is this just informational?

just informational....

 

[John FL]

As I've delved more into the subject of "Ag Radio," I suggest you take a look at PTBoardOp's post as well as MikeyRadio's reply. I think their commentary is spot on, especially seeing how Ag Radio has become antiquated for lack of a better word.

I promised a look at radio in one of the markets in North Florida that is agriculture-based. We'll get to that in time. But for now, I'd like to stay in the southern part of the state.

As I looked at various statistics for the Belle Glade area, the glaring big elephant in the room is the poverty rate which hovers at around 40%. That paints one helluva sad picture for a community. Belle Glade is a big sugarcane farming area. It's also home to vegetable farming in winter. The soil there is regarded as muck in which sugarcane thrives. I did not know this but that area was once a part of "The River of Grass" known as The Everglades.

A large number of radio stations there can be heard decently enough from coastal Palm Beach County. But, given the ethnicity, that doesn't mean much in radio listening. There's a significantly large Black and/or African-American population that hovers around 60%. White (Hispanic) (28%), White (Non-Hispanic) (8.29%).

There's just a handful of what we'd call local radio stations. The local formats for FM and AM including translators are: Jazz, Christian Contemporary, Classic Country, Dance, and Gospel Music.

One of our priests who was born in Haiti was reassigned to a Catholic Church in Belle Glade. He speaks Creole. He explained the needs of the community to the congregation. Unless embedded in one of the formats listed, I didn't notice a Creole type format.

For years, I didn't realize Belle Glade is in Palm Beach County. I'm not the best in geography but thought that community was part of Okeechobee County. Perhaps Lake O there caused the confusion.

In the little amount of research I've done thus far, I'm seeing a tough way of life for those who live in farming areas. Perhaps not germane to this topic but I saw a side of human behavior that was disturbing. This was probably some time last year when Covid vaccines were distributed.

Communities such as Belle Glade didn't have the same access to the vaccine as much as the coastal and more populated areas. So, that was changed. But instead of the local community getting the benefits early on, our local news (WPTV) showed streams of high-end vehicles making the trip from Palm Beach shutting out everyone else. It was like watching a Twilight Zone episode.

As far as AgRadio goes in the community, that probably existed when there was a local news/talk format in the market with JVC Broadcasters. When they got out of the market, the new owner flipped to Gospel. Doubtful there are any farm reports on the limited number of local stations remaining.

Okeechobee County to the north is worth taking a look at as well. That's upcoming.

 

[John FL]

As promised, a look at Okeechobee County.

Okeechobee County is located west of the counties that make up the Treasure Coast. Indian River County, however, borders not only Okeechobee County but Osceola County that is considered part of Central Florida. Okeechobee County is considered part of Florida's Heartland along with the counties that border coastal S.W. Florida.

It was about a decade ago that I learned of one of my manager's passing away. He had moved to the city of Okeechobee and I formulated an opinion of the area that appears to be a correct one. He once lived in Lighthouse Point which is near Pompano Beach in South Florida. A beautiful home on a canal, a boat,the whole ball of wax. He got divorced and it cost him a fortune. According to his son, he became an alcoholic and moved to a trailer park where rent was very low.

In fact, compared to rents on the Treasure Coast and certainly nearby Palm Beach County, rents still average under $1000 in Okeechobee. The median property value is way lower than its coastal county neighbors being in the low $100,000 range. We saw a poverty level rate of over 40% to the south in Belle Glade. In the Okeechobee area, it's just under 20%.

Unlike the Belle Glade area to the south, Okeechobee County is mostly white. White (Non-Hispanic) (63.2%), White (Hispanic) (22.2%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (7.69%) specifically. One can assume a lot of wide open spaces, including farms exist. It's "big city" Okeechobee only has a little more than 5000 people. The entire county is over 40,000 people and rising. Perhaps with the cost of living being what it is to the east, this may be an option, just like my manager chose.

Interestingly, the median age is in the early 40s. Some sites say it's late 30s but either way far younger than the adjacent Treasure Coast.

From a radio station perspective, once again, there aren't many local options. Between AM, FM and translator use, I noted only the following local formats: Religious, Classic Country, and Regional Mexican. Unlike Belle Glade to the south that can "hear" West Palm radio stations well enough, radio stations on the Treasure Coast are not as powerful as many in West Palm.

AM stations that have at least a "moderate signal" into Okeechobee include Classic Country WAFC and WAQI from Miami offering Spanish News. FM includes public radio WQCS, Religious WCNO, Top 40 (strong signal) WLDI, Classic Rock WKGR, Urban Contemporary WBMX, and WFLM.

There's just under 600 farms accounting for 3% of total agricultural sales. Livestock, poultry, and products represents the biggest piece of the agricultural pie. Pastureland represents an overwhelming largest use of land. As we also see in other Florida counties, farming is in decline.

Who knows what the future will bring? But I'm thinking for those who desire affordable housing and a rural setting, Okeechobee County may be among Florida's best kept secrets.

 

[John FL]

I'd like to offer a little deviation and venture into what would be suburbia radio and not truly rural. Nearby to every major city is suburban sprawl. Those who live in communities outside of major metropolitan areas look to radio as everyone does. The question is, does radio do an adequate job in the towns outside of "the big city?"

The area south of Jacksonville and north of Daytona Beach is comprised of St. John's and Flagler County. These are coastal counties and typically they have been growing in population for quite some time. Flagler Broadcasting came along and certainly filled many gaps. St. John's and Flagler are not a radio market.

In fact St. John's County is part of Jacksonville's MSA. Fagler County is included in the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL metropolitan statistical area, and is also included in the Orlando-Deltona-Daytona Beach, FL Combined Statistical Area. Perhaps the closest association for residents is Daytona.

Among the first stations Flagler Broadcasting brought to Flagler County (Flagler Beach, Palm Coast) was a news/talk format. WNZF 1550 AM translates on 94.9 back in 2008. It was a brilliant move. Although residents could hear news/talk from Jacksonville and Orlando, no one could cover local traffic and weather like a WNZF.

We often hear the expression of "big fish in a small pond." Let's just say a lot of radio experience and demonstrated skills were a part of Flagler Broadcasting from Day One. Their commitment to super-serving the local community paid off. In time, more and more stations were born creating quite an interesting cluster.

4000 watt WAKX-FM became Kix Country 98.7 around 2012 or so. Perhaps not typical of smaller companies but I can recall the many billboards the company placed around I-95. Again, the company saw the value in promotion and spending $ wisely for the best return.

Today, there are two Adult Hits formats branded as Beach. One serves Flagler County/northern Volusia (5500 watt WBHQ 92.7 and the other the St. Augustine area. They are programmed seperatly BTW. 16,000 watt WBHU 105.5 FM was purchased back in 2012. As you can see, there was a cautious but methodical growth from 2006 onward.

In numerous posts, I talked about that 105.5 frequency because with previous owners, there were so many format flips that to this day I have no idea how many formats were actually there over just a 10-year period. BTW, St. Augustine's Beach 105.5 reaches well into the southern part of Duval County. (Jacksonville) As one poster put it, "Beach is the best station you've probably never heard." While I'm not a fan of Adult Hits, the public has reacted quite favorably in reviews. No way are their Beach brands like Jack FM. They appear to be classic hits but have Hot AC leans and occasional wow songs that spring out of nowhere. Time and effort in the programing for sure.

Rounding out the cluster is a hybrid classic hits/oldies format "Kool 100.9" that serves the Flagler area and their newest radio station that offers the country format for the St. Augustine area. This is "St. Augustine Country 106.3. They certainly make the best use of translators and Class A sticks.

For years, I saw a lot of potential and opportunity go down the drain as Jacksonville radio stations never took advantage of many of the St. Augustine events. If you know anything about St. Augustine, it's they know how to promote themselves. They have some really good outdoor events throughout the year that brings throngs of people. With St. Augustine literally being down the road from Jacksonville, you'd think you'd Jax radio stations would have taken advantage of that. Flagler Radio did and they are successful.

As we've been discussing poverty rates, both St. John's County and Flagler County are under 10%. Agriculture in Flagler is practically non-existent (just over 100farms) with tree farms being the main one. The western parts of Flagler are mostly woodlands. St. John's County has over 250 farms representing 1% of agriculture sales, most land use is crop land.

Both Flagler and St. John's Counties are interesting places with lots to do in N.E. Florida. Like other places, both counties have seen lots of new residents find home there. No doubt, radio serves the community a lot better than before they had a local cluster to call their own. More to come.

 

[gr8oldies]

Not only that, but in 2022, Ag Radio seems a bit antiquated, with most all that same information available immediately via other sources including apps and the web. At least a dozen years ago I saw a program which explained that many farmers, including larger independents, even back then had their heavy equipment outfitted with specialized GPS devices that ensured they seeded, harvested and plowed, etc. evenly and covered all ares of their land in the most efficient manner. That was just one of the newer technologies farmers had adopted. It was an up-front expense that would pay off in the longer-term.

Farmers and ranchers still listening to Ag Radio in 2022 to get timely information seems akin to people thinking parents and children still get up early on snowy days to listen to the radio to find out if school is delayed or cancelled - When in fact many districts send a message via text or other means directly to people with kids enrolled at their schools within moments of that decision being made.

I'm sorry if I'm repeating a post somewhere else on the board, but I was told by the manager of the local Landmark, which bought farm advertising all over Ohio including a lot of radio, back in 2007 or 08 that farmers didn't need farm reports on radio, they got all that info on their laptops. When I started in radio in Ohio, Ed Johnson of the Agri-Broadcasting Network was king on every small market station.

 

[John FL]

Before moving on to another locale of North Florida that would be considered rural, some more thoughts on Flagler and St. John's Counties and radio overall.

When my employer relocated me to Jacksonville in the Project Management arena, my eyes were opened on many levels. This included radio as well. There was a wealth of demographic info I had at my fingertips for virtually all of N.E. Florida. In the Palm Coast area of Flagler County, I learned that retired NYC police officers were moving there in large numbers. Why was that?

I never learned the true answer from the data, but I suspect a lot has to do with people wanting to relocate to a place where they can assimilate fairly quickly. When I lived "up north," I recall newspapers, magazines etc. almost always advertising for land opportunities, especially in more of the rural areas. Perhaps that's how it starts. Then there's word-of-mouth. Others (law enforcement) check out the area and like what they see. That's one explanation. Palm Coast reminds me of Port St. Lucie, just a nice place to live.

Perhaps it was 20 years ago, but I noticed strong indications that Jacksonville was a city that was on the verge of change. The demographics were changing, and quickly I might add. I remember the posters giving me a hard time when I talked about Jacksonville eventually flipping "blue." I was reminded Jax is a solid Republican city and I had no idea what I was talking about. Truth is, I was correct about many things. But I was often out on my own in the opinions department.

It's very hard changing perceptions that Jacksonville is South Georgia. It's the stuff of nearby rural areas, but Jacksonville today is a very different city than when I first arrived there in the 90s. To this day, radio still lags behind truly being representative of the community. It has gotten better but unfortunately opinions of formats that weren't run well and didn't succeed as a result has made "this or that format doesn't work well here" mentality. And it's hard to break.

Radio is an industry that relies on a lot of data too. A company such as Flagler Communications has been a proven model of success. I suspect extraordinary teamwork exists. Perfect they are not. No one is. The format that didn't work for them was Soft AC. When I first heard the station, I didn't think it was their best effort. And so it goes. Today it's a 60s, 70s, and 80s oldies/classic hits format that's done well. Lessons are learned constantly. I think it's a natural for the demos of Flagler County.

No matter the skill sets of professionals in virtually every industry, it's easy to be swayed by public opinion. I was just as guilty as many others offering my recommendations for music and playlists. Wannabe PDs run rampant. But even the project management team I joined reminded me that the best of intentions and well-thought out courses of action don't always equate to success.

The company spent a fortune installing bank branches inside supermarkets such as Publix. It bombed big time for lots of reasons. With all the smart minds and extensive experience in interpreting customer data, no one anticipated technology would enhance online banking to the point it is today. Talk about convenience, even I love depositing checks via my phone.

Finally, some thoughts about St. Augustine. If there is one thing I miss about living in North Florida, it's St. Augustine. I may have visited there 100 times and each time I noticed something different. When Renda Broadcasting still ran WSOS-FM from St. Augustine as a Soft AC, I thought there was lost opportunity.

As the nation's oldest city, I thought an oldies format was like hand in glove. The calls even said it. St. Augustine's Oldies Station. I posted that idea numerous times. To this day, I always felt WSOS-FM should have been some kind of nostalgia format. It turns out one of the jocks who worked at Renda floated that same idea. Obviously, it never went anywhere. Nether did the station as it was ultimately sold.

I often wonder if we would have been proven correct. We'll never know. Decisions in radio happen all the time. But if you think about it, every radio market is the product of many, many years of decisions, good or bad. Analyzing data and interpreting it correctly is not always easy. But obviously, there are those who have better batting average than others.

 

[John FL]

Our next stop is Live Oak in Suwannee County, east of Tallahassee in North Central Florida. This area is certainly rural and agricultural. This county is ranked 1st in Florida by sales of livestock, poultry, and their products, and is the 7th ranked county by value of all farm products sold. The number of farms is over 1200 and considerably higher than what we've seen elsewhere so far.

Unlike what we've seen in other parts of Florida, farming is holding its own and actually showing gains in certain sectors over the last few years. Cropland represents the greatest use of land. And interestingly, peanuts is considered a major crop for the region. Peanuts are associated with Georgia farming but here the Georgia border is only one county away to the north.

The entire county has a population of just over 40,000 people. As we've seen elsewhere where agriculture is the dominant industry in the community, the poverty rate is high. In this case, it's over 20%. Whites represent 72% of the population, Black/African American at 11%, the same as Hispanics.

Although there is not much population, the area appears to gets way more than its share of radio signals. The community has three LPFM's comprised of two religious and one Gospel music format. WQHL-AM offers classic hits and translates on 103.1. I couldn't find any information about the station. But what's probably true is this is a rock version of the format.

In the early part of this string, WQHL-FM was listed as a station that at least at one time aired agricultural reports.

It's long been hard finding a variety-based classic hits station in North Florida. There's a station east of Live Oak that can be heard well enough and that's Lake City's 106.5 WCJX branded as The X and Lake City's Greatest Hits. How long this has been going on, I couldn't find any info. Gainesville did the format for quite some time too. Nice to see but North Florida rarely gives these formats enough of a chance.

WQHL-FM offers a country format. Radio-Located accounted for six Country music formats. But only two have a very strong signal, the obvious local stations. An AC from Georgia (WQPW-FM) and a Hot AC (WNFB-FM) from Lake City have good signals into the Live Oak area. There's Top 40 WXHT-FM from Mdison Fl, Urban Contemporary WSTI-FM from Georgia that comes in strong.

At first, I was pleased to see the community appear to have a local news/talk format with WJZS-FM. But some sources listed the format as Contemporary Christian. That's probably now the case. I was blown away when I saw this in the station's history: Effective February 1, 2018, Newman Broadcasting sold WJZS to Paul Stone's Southern Communications, LLC for $5,000. This was for a 2600 watt radio station. Heck, I could have written the check. Honestly, I just don't think of radio stations being sold for so little money.

Radio in rural places such as Live Oak and Suwannee County looks like it's a lot tougher than working a farm. If anyone can contribute more about this region, please do. I found it quite revealing. We may head to Central Florida next....

 

[John FL]

We’re off to Lake County, an area in Central Florida that is just west of Orlando and all the theme parks and urban sprawl. Lake County is included in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area.

What separates Lake County from other areas where farming is a major sector in the economy is the poverty rate, under 10%, is more in line with coastal communities than many inland ones. There’s just under 400,000 residents. Clermont is the largest city offering suburbia with a nearby rural area.

Mount Dora is a charming place and popular with tourists, especially if you’re into antique shops and year-round festivals. With the average commute to and from Orlando being around 45 minutes or less via Florida’s Turnpike, employment opportunities and entertainment venues are plentiful.

Demos for the area are white alone, around 66%. Black/African American around 12%. Hispanic/Latino, around 18%. For the most part, Lake County can hear virtually all the Orlando radio stations well enough.

Besides the largest city, Clermont, there’s also Leesburg which isn’t too far from The Villages. It brings an interesting radio station dynamic. Depending on where you are in this large land area county, there’s different stations that can be picked up.

It seems some communities have ‘slim pickings’ when it comes to the number of formats. It's certainly not the case in Lake County. What’s worth noting is the local stations tend to offer religious and ethnic programing. Lake County is not minority-rich so some of that was surprising. But then again, perhaps there is demand for this kind of programing. There's formats listed as ethnic programing, and I’m not exactly sure what comprises that.

Because Lake County is literally saturated with radio signals from near and far, and it would hard to do the area justice, here are two links for Clermont and Leesburg that provie a good visual: : Radio Stations in Clermont, Florida. Radio Stations in Leesburg, Florida.

The typical home value of homes in Clermont is $431,364. There’s communities on the Treasure Coast that offer more affordable housing than that! No doubt, the more rural areas would probably be more affordable. With population increasing in Florida, places like Lake County may prove to be a good substitute from coastal living. Nearby Orlando is probably a drawer.

The county accounts for 3% of total agricultural sales with crops being the number one commodity. As land becomes more and more valuable, pressures on the future of agriculture in the economy will no doubt be felt. This is certainly a market worth watching. It's an interesting area for sure.

 

[davideduardo]

Our next stop is Live Oak in Suwannee County, east of Tallahassee in North Central Florida.

There is actually a mini-market there: Live Oak and Lake City.

For a while, there was one good FM in each, a local daytimer in Live Oak and two AMs in Lake City. They all did pretty well... untill Docket 80-90 tripled the number of FMs and made it unprofitable for everyone.

The company I was with in Puerto Rico bought the AM/FM in Lake City just before 80-90. It was a good revenue producer and fun to operate as the stations did lots of local service. We sold it at a huge loss some years later, due to all the new stations selling $1 spots and ruining local service participation.

 

[John FL]

There is actually a mini-market there: Live Oak and Lake City.

Interesting and certainly not something that many of us probably knew.

One of the challenges of posting about rural radio is the lack of information. There is no substitute for being able to sample a local radio station while driving around OR a poster who has good knowledge and expertise about a market in question. I would have enjoyed learning more about WCJX "Lake City's Greatest Hits." That type of classic hits format is a rarity in North Florida.

For that station and plenty of others, their websites don't say much. For cost reasons, you don't find many that stream or post recently played tunes, offer blogs etc. Maintaining a good and interactive social page is an expense mom & pop operators in very small markets can't afford or justify.

We go from there. Florida has 67 counties. And what makes Florida an interesting radio state in my opinion is that a lot of it reflects huge differences in communities. The majority of Florida counties have some aspects of agriculture. Obviously, we can't discuss every county. We may have reached the saturation point already.

But what does exist is communities that depend on just one sector, such as agriculture, look like they have higher incidences of those living in poverty.

I'd like to swing back to Palm Beach County. When I discussed Belle Glade, I also forgot to mention that Palm Beach County is the #1 agricultural market in Florida. It leads the nation in the production of sugarcane, fresh sweet corn, and sweet bell peppers. It leads the State in the production of rice, lettuce, radishes, Chinese vegetables, specialty leaf veggies, and celery.

The sugarcane industry has many lobbyists and the industry wields a lot of power. You may have heard the term "Big Sugar." It's not just the recent past regarding environmental issues that have put the industry in the center of things. Since the 1930s, the U.S. government has supported the domestic sugar industry through an import quota and price support system. The program essentially guarantees the domestic sugar industry 85% of the domestic market. A lot of money is involved.

Yet, when we think of Palm Beach County many of us probably think of everything else but agriculture. Palm Beach County, as in other places, has extremes from one end of the county to another. There's extraordinary wealth on the island of Palm Beach but not far from there and certainly 40-50 miles further west, there's abject poverty in the rural areas around Lake O. Talk about a contrast, there's Sugarcane loaded with so much while the community has so little.

At first, I thought why mention this as it has little to do with radio. But in a number of respects, it does. It's the nature of the beast. Radio is not a non-profit so all the great signals and more extensive formats are found where the money is. Again, it doesn't make the radio industry bad but it's just reality.

There is a county that is not far behind Palm Beach when it comes to agricultural sales. At first, it surprised me. But then again, we need to not forget that a county is not just the big cities. We'll get to that upcoming and perhaps final thoughts after that.

 

[John FL]

Yesterday marked the 30th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew slamming into South Florida, especially south of Miami. One of the areas most devastated was Homestead which is south and west of Miami. This is the second oldest city in Miami-Dade after Miami of course. It reminds us that farmers and those who work in the industry are very much tied to weather conditions.

Homestead as of all of South Florida recovered. At the time we had relatives that lived south of Miami. I don't remember what the area was called but they were near Coral Reef Drive. About a month after Andrew hit, we went down to visit. Their complex was once a Mango Farm. What was beautiful about that community was the streets were lined with mango trees.

Seeing the trees literally reduced to just trunks and many houses in the area becoming inhabitable, and watching news accounts of the destruction to the farming communities such as Homestead, it can leave you speechless and paralyzed.

As in the case of Palm Beach County, few probably don't think of Miami-Dade County in terms of agriculture but it's HUGE and it represents a very close second to Palm Beach in terms of sales. Miami-Dade County's agricultural industry is one of the most diverse in the country. And the main reason is latitude. While weather such as hurricanes bring negative impacts, Homestead is blessed with warm weather all year long providing a year-round growing season.

Besides the usual vegetable crops, Homestead also has extensive tree farms and garden shops. What also separates Homestead from other Florida farming communities is their production of tropical fruits that require warm weather. Employing more than 20,000 people and producing more than $2.7 billion in economic impact each year, the industry is a valuable resource for Miami-Dade County, coupled with economic benefits, environmental and aesthetic advantages.

Tourism is another economic sector. With Homestead right "next door" to the entrance to the Everglades, there's lots of touristy things. In town, there's many historic sites and attractions. Those visiting Miami will certainly get a different perspective of Florida visiting Homestead.

I visited there twice. Once was an unscheduled trip when my parents' neighbors (Tamarac, Broward County) were heading their to pick up all kinds of tropical plants and flowers. It was a long trip to just go to a garden shop but once you see what's there, you understand serious gardeners will travel far and wide to go there. Despite the number of tree farms where I live on the Treasure Coast, my own landscaper gets virtually all his plantings from Homestead. Four of my palm trees and some Florida natives all came from Homestead. Yes, a big industry there.

Hispanic or Latino represents 68% of Homestead's population. Black/African American is around 17% and Non-Hispanic Whites is just under 11%. The poverty level hovers around 23% which is almost twice "better" than what we saw in Belle Glade and about twice as "bad" as what we see typically in Florida's coastal communities.

From a radio perspective, Homestead receives a very large number of signals. What I noted was the availability of AM stations that have strong signals. I think it's the most I've seen anywhere. Just in AM stations alone, I counted 7 Spanish News formats. There's a couple Spanish Christian stations and even Spanish sports!

There's extensive FM stations that have decent signals into Homestead. With the city literally not being too far from Miami, (26-40 miles) full-market signals are heard quite well. For those interested, you can see the full picture here:

Radio Stations in Homestead, Florida.

Homestead is yet another example of a small city that has large impacts on the local and state's economy. It's also another peg in the uniqueness and diversity of Florida. Some closing thoughts and looking back at how much has changed in just one other county coming up.