Around The Treasure Coast

[John FL]

WPTV's sister station, WFTS-ABC-Tampa Bay is also a class act and they are carrying the Trouble in Paradise series, adding some local content. At one time in the 1990's and early 2000'2 WPTV had a Treasure Coast studio in the Stuart News building, since the Stuart News at that time was a Scripps Howard Newspaper. Now that the Stuart News in a Garnett newspaper, don't know if there is still a WPTV newsroom there or not.......that said Scripps is a class act!

All I know is a few years ago The Stuart News moved to another location. There's HD translator WHDT-DT located in Stuart. I don't believe there is a studio in Stuart any longer. This is a guess as I never see a reference to it. Usually you'd hear someone say from our Treasure Coast bureau or something like that. I've heard that sort of thing in other markets.

Yes, I would think Scripps is a good company to work for considering the tenure of many of the WPTV anchors at 20+ years. How they are as far as salaries go, I wouldn't know. But man, they have a very liberal vacation policy. Kellie alone must have had 12 weeks vacation a year or more. Sometimes that proves more important than more money.

 

[John FL]

As I mentioned earlier, we didn't always see stations from West Palm Beach (for the most part) on the Treasure Coast "beauty contest" ratings for non-subscribers. Now, it does paint a somewhat clearer picture. Perhaps, it's the nature of diary markets, but ratings seem to fluctuate a lot more than the PPM counterparts.

In the latest ratings (Fall '21) iHeartMedia's CHR WLDI (95.5 The Palm Beach's #1 Hit Music Station) is shown as the most listened to station on the Treasure Coast. It gave me a reason to pause and think about how any of us may analyze a market. It's an easy trap to fall into if we think a market is only what we experience. Let me explain.

In my travels with life on the TC, virtually everyone I come in contact with is a senior citizen. People do tend to interact with those they have something in common. Add in the reputation that The Treasure Coast is generally a quiet place that lacks the nightlife of the nearby major cities, and you may understand why I couldn't believe a CHR format would prove popular here.

Perhaps another pitfall is looking at a communities' median age. A median age of 60 perhaps gets us thinking of that age and not the half that are younger. This format has a history of being a good performer on the T.C. Perhaps with population shifts showing families with children moving to the T.C, this is more reality than not.

I wasn't surprised to see iHeart's West Palm Classic Rocker WKGR perform well. There's is a killer signal that I do hear on occasion in places. In West Palm, this station is a solid performer and has been that way a long time.

Hubbard's Urban AC, WMBX (X102.3 Today's R&R Throwbacks) is another solid performer. Interestingly, the city of license is Jensen Beach in Martin County, the southern most county of the T.C. It's transmitter is in Hobe Sound, also Martin County. But with 100,000 watts it's enough power for West Palm and all of the T.C.

With Hubbard's Hot AC, WRMF long being enormously popular in West Palm, I couldn't see why the station was MIA on Treasure Coast ratings. Well, they are there and appear to be a middle of the pack entry.

There's Hubbard's Country format, WIRK. It's long been a solid performer in the Palm Beach's. Given the fact the T.C. has two other local country formats shows the popularity of the format. I suspect this station gets mentions in Martin County as it's heard the best there.

Finally, there's Hubbard's Classic Hits WEAT (Sunny 107.9 The Greatest Hits of the 70s, 80s, and 90s.) It's probably another case where Martin County residents give this station a listen as iHeart's WQOL does not make it all through the very southern T.C. For those who love classic hits, The Treasure Coast is blessed with 2 great stations that can be heard in most of the area.

Living on The Treasure Coast and working in the Palm Beaches or vice versa is quite common. There's a connection between the two markets. We are in one TV market. Whether it makes sense for Palm Beach County and The Treasure Coast to be one market is something I've thought about. Then again, I think if it was such a great thing, it would have happened already.

More to come.

 

[ScottBurns]

As I mentioned earlier, we didn't always see stations from West Palm Beach (for the most part) on the Treasure Coast "beauty contest" ratings for non-subscribers. Now, it does paint a somewhat clearer picture. Perhaps, it's the nature of diary markets, but ratings seem to fluctuate a lot more than the PPM counterparts.

In the latest ratings (Fall '21) iHeartMedia's CHR WLDI (95.5 The Palm Beach's #1 Hit Music Station) is shown as the most listened to station on the Treasure Coast. It gave me a reason to pause and think about how any of us may analyze a market. It's an easy trap to fall into if we think a market is only what we experience. Let me explain.

In my travels with life on the TC, virtually everyone I come in contact with is a senior citizen. People do tend to interact with those they have something in common. Add in the reputation that The Treasure Coast is generally a quiet place that lacks the nightlife of the nearby major cities, and you may understand why I couldn't believe a CHR format would prove popular here.

Perhaps another pitfall is looking at a communities' median age. A median age of 60 perhaps gets us thinking of that age and not the half that are younger. This format has a history of being a good performer on the T.C. Perhaps with population shifts showing families with children moving to the T.C, this is more reality than not.

I wasn't surprised to see iHeart's West Palm Classic Rocker WKGR perform well. There's is a killer signal that I do hear on occasion in places. In West Palm, this station is a solid performer and has been that way a long time.

Hubbard's Urban AC, WMBX (X102.3 Today's R&R Throwbacks) is another solid performer. Interestingly, the city of license is Jensen Beach in Martin County, the southern most county of the T.C. It's transmitter is in Hobe Sound, also Martin County. But with 100,000 watts it's enough power for West Palm and all of the T.C.

With Hubbard's Hot AC, WRMF long being enormously popular in West Palm, I couldn't see why the station was MIA on Treasure Coast ratings. Well, they are there and appear to be a middle of the pack entry.

There's Hubbard's Country format, WIRK. It's long been a solid performer in the Palm Beach's. Given the fact the T.C. has two other local country formats shows the popularity of the format. I suspect this station gets mentions in Martin County as it's heard the best there.

Finally, there's Hubbard's Classic Hits WEAT (Sunny 107.9 The Greatest Hits of the 70s, 80s, and 90s.) It's probably another case where Martin County residents give this station a listen as iHeart's WQOL does not make it all through the very southern T.C. For those who love classic hits, The Treasure Coast is blessed with 2 great stations that can be heard in most of the area.

Living on The Treasure Coast and working in the Palm Beaches or vice versa is quite common. There's a connection between the two markets. We are in one TV market. Whether it makes sense for Palm Beach County and The Treasure Coast to be one market is something I've thought about. Then again, I think if it was such a great thing, it would have happened already.

More to come.

I’d attribute Wild 95.5’s Treasure Coast success partly to its signal. It’s a monster. For years, the station’s COL was Fort Pierce. And that’s where the signal strength was. The station has long marketed itself as a West Palm station, but it always had many listeners on the Treasure Coast.

 

[John FL]

I’d attribute Wild 95.5’s Treasure Coast success partly to its signal. It’s a monster. For years, the station’s COL was Fort Pierce. And that’s where the signal strength was. The station has long marketed itself as a West Palm station, but it always had many listeners on the Treasure Coast.

Wow. That's a very interesting piece of info there. I didn't know this and I' sure the readers who know little about the Treasure Coast feel the same. Thank you!

What I also find interesting is the top most listened to radio stations on the T.C. is practically all iHeartMedia. Hubbard is in there with Urban AC, WMBX. Hubbard also does well in the middle of the pack. Mom & pop local stations are down the list so to speak.

Looking at Wild 95.5 again, local competition is WGYL. Huge difference in numbers. 6+ share vs. 1+ share. What does this say? While I don't listen to WGYL, I would think the on-air presentation and even excitement lacks what's on Wild.

Earlier in this string when I talked about 107.9 Vero's Real Oldies, an iHeartMedia station, I cited the full roster of jocks. The overall sound of the format gives all appearances of a big market player. It's certainly much harder for a smaller company to offer this, including the contests, and the "talk back" feature giving the illusion of typical listeners talking directly to the jock.

The most-listened to non big company station on the T.C. is public radio station is WQCS-FM. This is a station licensed to Indian River State College. This station has seen an audience share drop but there were times in the past they were #1. As I mentioned earlier, there's a lot of fluctuation in diary reports. But perhaps, this is a market that is in news fatigue.

The biggest local station is iHeart's WAVW, a country format. (Wave 92.7 #1 For New Country) It's been a big player on the T.C. for quite a while. In the past, billboards promoting the station blanketed the area. This is not something you typically see smaller operators do.

One of the jocks on WAVW also hosts a daypart on The Treasure Coast's Greatest Hits, 103.7 WQOL. This is common in radio to see a jock in a market to host more than one station. At one time, I was adverse to that sort of thing. Today, I sing a different tune. Virtually everywhere it's all about wearing multiple hats and making yourself a valuable player. It's called employment!

More T.C. talk upcoming.

 

[ScottBurns]

Wow. That's a very interesting piece of info there. I didn't know this and I' sure the readers who know little about the Treasure Coast feel the same. Thank you!

What I also find interesting is the top most listened to radio stations on the T.C. is practically all iHeartMedia. Hubbard is in there with Urban AC, WMBX. Hubbard also does well in the middle of the pack. Mom & pop local stations are down the list so to speak.

Looking at Wild 95.5 again, local competition is WGYL. Huge difference in numbers. 6+ share vs. 1+ share. What does this say? While I don't listen to WGYL, I would think the on-air presentation and even excitement lacks what's on Wild.

Earlier in this string when I talked about 107.9 Vero's Real Oldies, an iHeartMedia station, I cited the full roster of jocks. The overall sound of the format gives all appearances of a big market player. It's certainly much harder for a smaller company to offer this, including the contests, and the "talk back" feature giving the illusion of typical listeners talking directly to the jock.

The most-listened to non big company station on the T.C. is public radio station is WQCS-FM. This is a station licensed to Indian River State College. This station has seen an audience share drop but there were times in the past they were #1. As I mentioned earlier, there's a lot of fluctuation in diary reports. But perhaps, this is a market that is in news fatigue.

The biggest local station is iHeart's WAVW, a country format. (Wave 92.7 #1 For New Country) It's been a big player on the T.C. for quite a while. In the past, billboards promoting the station blanketed the area. This is not something you typically see smaller operators do.

One of the jocks on WAVW also hosts a daypart on The Treasure Coast's Greatest Hits, 103.7 WQOL. This is common in radio to see a jock in a market to host more than one station. At one time, I was adverse to that sort of thing. Today, I sing a different tune. Virtually everywhere it's all about wearing multiple hats and making yourself a valuable player. It's called employment!

More T.C. talk upcoming.

You're welcome. When 95.5 first signed on the air, it was WIRA-FM and it targeted only the Treasure Coast. In fact, it broadcasted from downtown Fort Pierce. It was not until the 1980s, when the station had the call letters WOVV, that it targeted West Palm Beach. Even when it shifted its focus to West Palm, WOVV still had a presence along the Treasure Coast. Its weather reports featured TC cities, for example. In the late '80s, they ran a liner that said that they served "the Palm Beaches, the Treasure Coast, the Bahamas, and an itty bitty part of the Bermuda Triangle." I can confirm, for what it's worth, that there are parts of the Bahamas in which one can hear 95.5.

Vero's 107.9 is a mere translator. Its reception outside of Vero is nearly non-existent. While I like the format, one can hardly pick it up in PSL, Fort Pierce, or anywhere else.

Wave 92.7 has a long history. For many years - mostly in the '80s and '90s - that station tried to target West Palm Beach, especially when they were WZZR and had a Rock format.

 

[John FL]

Vero's 107.9 is a mere translator. Its reception outside of Vero is nearly non-existent. While I like the format, one can hardly pick it up in PSL, Fort Pierce, or anywhere else.

Oh yes, I realize that but I probably wasn't too clear in my explanation. I doubt this format finds itself on a great signal in iHeart's stations. But, between the music, the imagining, the jocks, the whole package, it shows effort. And for that I applaud all involved.

For way too many years I drove between Jacksonville and Broward County 6, 7, 8 times a year. One of the delights of the trip was hearing iHeart's WQOL-FM. Today it's 103.7 WQOL The Treasure Coast's Greatest Hits. For all those driving years they were branded as oldies.

It was on these many trips that I learned that there are markets that are better than others. That effort I just spoke about is something that can be heard. I had my favorite stations along the way and WQOL was certainly one of them. I so often wished Jacksonville had a radio station like WQOL in my time living there. For a short time, they did. The operative word is short.

WQOL successfully evolved from oldies to classic hits. In my view, Premium Choice programing, at least for Classic Hits, has shown considerable improvement from the time the old Clear Channel in Jax offered Classic Hits in 2010 to today. The jocks have certainly gotten better as well. What's a shame about the business of radio is there are formats that suffer when excellence isn't the norm. But that's when local management rises to the occasion.

The feeling I always got was that WQOL was supported. On that note I was very pleased "The Mo and Sally Show" found a home on WQOL in morning drive. It makes total sense as this show is a very known quantity given the number of people who commute between the Palm Beach's and The Treasure Coast. They have been a fixture on AC WOLL for many years.

When I heard of this addition, I had to laugh. It was 12 years ago that in one of my posts welcoming the new Classic Hits station to Jacksonville, I recommended them for morning drive. You see, there was a connection with WOLL. The MD from there was scheduling the music. Also the first jock to be heard was Mike Perry who hosted back then a midday show on WOLL. He was hired as midday host (VT) for the old WJGH (Magic 107.3). A small world.

I bring this up because I see successful people in the various markets as highly valuable. I'm not sure just how much they are utilized when that same format is launched in another market. Mentoring does exist in various businesses. Just how extensive this is in radio, I'm not sure. But I believe it to be a best practice.

I'm happy I live on Florida's Treasure Coast. It's a great place and radio is actually quite good here overall. Are there format opportunities? We'll explore that upcoming.

 

[ScottBurns]

Oh yes, I realize that but I probably wasn't too clear in my explanation. I doubt this format finds itself on a great signal in iHeart's stations. But, between the music, the imagining, the jocks, the whole package, it shows effort. And for that I applaud all involved.

For way too many years I drove between Jacksonville and Broward County 6, 7, 8 times a year. One of the delights of the trip was hearing iHeart's WQOL-FM. Today it's 103.7 WQOL The Treasure Coast's Greatest Hits. For all those driving years they were branded as oldies.

It was on these many trips that I learned that there are markets that are better than others. That effort I just spoke about is something that can be heard. I had my favorite stations along the way and WQOL was certainly one of them. I so often wished Jacksonville had a radio station like WQOL in my time living there. For a short time, they did. The operative word is short.

WQOL successfully evolved from oldies to classic hits. In my view, Premium Choice programing, at least for Classic Hits, has shown considerable improvement from the time the old Clear Channel in Jax offered Classic Hits in 2010 to today. The jocks have certainly gotten better as well. What's a shame about the business of radio is there are formats that suffer when excellence isn't the norm. But that's when local management rises to the occasion.

The feeling I always got was that WQOL was supported. On that note I was very pleased "The Mo and Sally Show" found a home on WQOL in morning drive. It makes total sense as this show is a very known quantity given the number of people who commute between the Palm Beach's and The Treasure Coast. They have been a fixture on AC WOLL for many years.

When I heard of this addition, I had to laugh. It was 12 years ago that in one of my posts welcoming the new Classic Hits station to Jacksonville, I recommended them for morning drive. You see, there was a connection with WOLL. The MD from there was scheduling the music. Also the first jock to be heard was Mike Perry who hosted back then a midday show on WOLL. He was hired as midday host (VT) for the old WJGH (Magic 107.3). A small world.

I bring this up because I see successful people in the various markets as highly valuable. I'm not sure just how much they are utilized when that same format is launched in another market. Mentoring does exist in various businesses. Just how extensive this is in radio, I'm not sure. But I believe it to be a best practice.

I'm happy I live on Florida's Treasure Coast. It's a great place and radio is actually quite good here overall. Are there format opportunities? We'll explore that upcoming.

I like 103.7 WQOL and I agree that iHeart's Classic Hits stations have improved, especially the music variety. However, while WQOL has some locally-tracked shifts, the station is not locally-programmed during the majority of hours in any given week. One can hear the same exact songs and presentation on, say, 107.9 WSRZ/Sarasota. I am a fan of local radio, with live and local shows. I know that is a thing of the past, unfortunately.

I agree that some markets are better than others. I like markets that have some smaller-sized owners. Their stations tend to be more unique than the corporate stations that are the same in nearly every market. And some of these stations have unique formats that can't be heard anywhere else. Want an example? This station, Easy 99.1 https://www.easy991.com/, rimshots Boston from Plymouth, MA. It's a cross between Classic Hits, Soft AC, and Variety Hits. It has an extremely wide playlist and all of its shifts are live and local. I'd love to hear something like this on the Treasure Coast or Palm Beach County, where I'm from.

 

[John FL]

I like 103.7 WQOL and I agree that iHeart's Classic Hits stations have improved, especially the music variety. However, while WQOL has some locally-tracked shifts, the station is not locally-programmed during the majority of hours in any given week. One can hear the same exact songs and presentation on, say, 107.9 WSRZ/Sarasota. I am a fan of local radio, with live and local shows. I know that is a thing of the past, unfortunately.

I agree that some markets are better than others. I like markets that have some smaller-sized owners. Their stations tend to be more unique than the corporate stations that are the same in nearly every market. And some of these stations have unique formats that can't be heard anywhere else. Want an example? This station, Easy 99.1 https://www.easy991.com/, rimshots Boston from Plymouth, MA. It's a cross between Classic Hits, Soft AC, and Variety Hits. It has an extremely wide playlist and all of its shifts are live and local. I'd love to hear something like this on the Treasure Coast or Palm Beach County, where I'm from.

I became aware of WQOL not being locally programmed sometime last year. Obviously, these are cost-saving moves but with it comes not only benefits but risks. Programing mistakes, going through the motions, growing stale, and on and on can have negative effects on a lot of stations. Listeners have lots of choices. The folks will listen to what they enjoy.

I've bookmarked Easy 99.1 and look forward to some extensive listening to it. I glanced at some of the song selections from yesterday and I see your point. Yesterday, despite the weather hysteria, I was in Royal Palm Beach for an appointment and that consumed a lot of my time.

Interestingly, your bringing up "Easy" was something I wanted to discuss in part anyway. It was sometime last year, TC station WHLG flipped from a traditional AC format branded as The Coast to Contemporary Christian now known as The Joy FM. At first this move surprised me but then again when I see how many churches are on the Treasure Coast, I'm sure there's demand.

Unless there's a station I'm not aware of, it would appear that the TC lacks an AC format similar to a WOLL in PB, WLYF and WFEZ in Miami. Oh yes, there's WOSN (Ocean 97.1). Although the ratings reports indicate the format as AC, it's far from it. It's more a Soft AC featuring music that's quite old - nothing more "contemporary" than the 80s. When I first arrived at the TC 4 years ago, it was my go-to station. Today, I don't listen to it much because little changes there. It's grown stagnant IMO.

I think of all the young families moving to the T.C. with the so called soccer moms and I see the merits of a good quality AC format. Anyway, just a thought.

I also wonder if the T.C. would see benefit in a WAMR type station. This is a Spanish AC with an emphasis on Love songs. Just how many Spanish-speaking residents live on the TC, I don't know. I suppose if there's an audience, someone may consider this. During the holidays, I give the station a listen. I've joked it's easy to learn Spanish as the station plays traditional Christmas tunes we all know and love but in Spanish. A lot of it is done quite well.

Finally, when you describe Easy 99.1 as a cross between Classic Hits, Soft AC, and Variety Hits, I have to smile. During my many travels between Jax and South Florida, I would scan the dial and sometimes come up with a gem especially when I was in more of the rural parts of I-95. There's some interesting radio out there.

In a lot of my posts when I was in Jacksonville, I envisioned a different version of classic hits format. What you described is kind of what I talked about. When the former Clear Channel brought Classic Hits to Jax, I saw considerable song overlap with AC WEJZ and Classic Hits (In Name Only) WJGL. I felt "Magic 107.3" needed to differentiate itself more in order to attract listeners. It's why I posted so many song lists there.

But the reality is a big company like that wasn't going to go off creating a unique brand for just one market. It was far easier to pull the plug. And so it goes in radio.

 

[ScottBurns]

I became aware of WQOL not being locally programmed sometime last year. Obviously, these are cost-saving moves but with it comes not only benefits but risks. Programing mistakes, going through the motions, growing stale, and on and on can have negative effects on a lot of stations. Listeners have lots of choices. The folks will listen to what they enjoy.

I've bookmarked Easy 99.1 and look forward to some extensive listening to it. I glanced at some of the song selections from yesterday and I see your point. Yesterday, despite the weather hysteria, I was in Royal Palm Beach for an appointment and that consumed a lot of my time.

Interestingly, your bringing up "Easy" was something I wanted to discuss in part anyway. It was sometime last year, TC station WHLG flipped from a traditional AC format branded as The Coast to Contemporary Christian now known as The Joy FM. At first this move surprised me but then again when I see how many churches are on the Treasure Coast, I'm sure there's demand.

Unless there's a station I'm not aware of, it would appear that the TC lacks an AC format similar to a WOLL in PB, WLYF and WFEZ in Miami. Oh yes, there's WOSN (Ocean 97.1). Although the ratings reports indicate the format as AC, it's far from it. It's more a Soft AC featuring music that's quite old - nothing more "contemporary" than the 80s. When I first arrived at the TC 4 years ago, it was my go-to station. Today, I don't listen to it much because little changes there. It's grown stagnant IMO.

I think of all the young families moving to the T.C. with the so called soccer moms and I see the merits of a good quality AC format. Anyway, just a thought.

I also wonder if the T.C. would see benefit in a WAMR type station. This is a Spanish AC with an emphasis on Love songs. Just how many Spanish-speaking residents live on the TC, I don't know. I suppose if there's an audience, someone may consider this. During the holidays, I give the station a listen. I've joked it's easy to learn Spanish as the station plays traditional Christmas tunes we all know and love but in Spanish. A lot of it is done quite well.

Finally, when you describe Easy 99.1 as a cross between Classic Hits, Soft AC, and Variety Hits, I have to smile. During my many travels between Jax and South Florida, I would scan the dial and sometimes come up with a gem especially when I was in more of the rural parts of I-95. There's some interesting radio out there.

In a lot of my posts when I was in Jacksonville, I envisioned a different version of classic hits format. What you described is kind of what I talked about. When the former Clear Channel brought Classic Hits to Jax, I saw considerable song overlap with AC WEJZ and Classic Hits (In Name Only) WJGL. I felt "Magic 107.3" needed to differentiate itself more in order to attract listeners. It's why I posted so many song lists there.

But the reality is a big company like that wasn't going to go off creating a unique brand for just one market. It was far easier to pull the plug. And so it goes in radio.

Thanks for a thoughtful reply. I’ll admit that iHeart does a good job keeping their Classic Hits stations somewhat fresh. They have definitely done this musically. In addition, I like how iHeart uses local identifiers in its voiceovers.

I’m eager to hear your review of Easy 99.1. They have nightly “decades” hours - ‘60s at 6 through 90s at 9. You’ll hear songs you haven’t heard in decades.

WOLL, historically, has been programmed locally. It’s been a good mix between AC and Classic Hits, but it’s trended more AC in recent years (WEAT has evolved into Classic Hits). The local staff at WOLL has been gutted, unfortunately, in favor of nationally tracked iHeart jocks.

Do you consider WJGL to be Classic Rock instead of Classic Hits? That station - along with its sister on 107.3 in Tampa - is so repetitive that it’s virtually unlistenable to me.

 

[drt]

I like 103.7 WQOL and I agree that iHeart's Classic Hits stations have improved, especially the music variety. However, while WQOL has some locally-tracked shifts, the station is not locally-programmed during the majority of hours in any given week. One can hear the same exact songs and presentation on, say, 107.9 WSRZ/Sarasota. I am a fan of local radio, with live and local shows. I know that is a thing of the past, unfortunately.

I agree that some markets are better than others. I like markets that have some smaller-sized owners. Their stations tend to be more unique than the corporate stations that are the same in nearly every market. And some of these stations have unique formats that can't be heard anywhere else. Want an example? This station, Easy 99.1 https://www.easy991.com/, rimshots Boston from Plymouth, MA. It's a cross between Classic Hits, Soft AC, and Variety Hits. It has an extremely wide playlist and all of its shifts are live and local. I'd love to hear something like this on the Treasure Coast or Palm Beach County, where I'm from.

 

[drt]

Until this past October I lived in the s.e. quadrant of Saint Petersburg and I listened to WSRZ (less than when they were on 106.5-a much stronger signal in most of St Petersburg).......at any rate, I can remember when they first went to overnight automation, there were many complaints and a radio columnist from the Sarasota Herald Tribune also shamed them and for a while they went back to a local overnight crew, until i_Heart thought they would try it again and of course, now, it is 24/7 automation (don't think they have a love morning crew), but I have to admit I would still listen if they were receivable OTA in my new location.

 

[ScottBurns]

Until this past October I lived in the s.e. quadrant of Saint Petersburg and I listened to WSRZ (less than when they were on 106.5-a much stronger signal in most of St Petersburg).......at any rate, I can remember when they first went to overnight automation, there were many complaints and a radio columnist from the Sarasota Herald Tribune also shamed them and for a while they went back to a local overnight crew, until i_Heart thought they would try it again and of course, now, it is 24/7 automation (don't think they have a love morning crew), but I have to admit I would still listen if they were receivable OTA in my new location.

If iHeart wanted, they could track every shift at WSRZ with talent from their Tampa cluster or even their Fort Myers cluster. But instead, 100% of WSRZ's shifts are tracked with national iHeart jocks. It's too bad.

 

[drt]

Wow. That's a very interesting piece of info there. I didn't know this and I' sure the readers who know little about the Treasure Coast feel the same. Thank you!

What I also find interesting is the top most listened to radio stations on the T.C. is practically all iHeartMedia. Hubbard is in there with Urban AC, WMBX. Hubbard also does well in the middle of the pack. Mom & pop local stations are down the list so to speak.

Looking at Wild 95.5 again, local competition is WGYL. Huge difference in numbers. 6+ share vs. 1+ share. What does this say? While I don't listen to WGYL, I would think the on-air presentation and even excitement lacks what's on Wild.

Earlier in this string when I talked about 107.9 Vero's Real Oldies, an iHeartMedia station, I cited the full roster of jocks. The overall sound of the format gives all appearances of a big market player. It's certainly much harder for a smaller company to offer this, including the contests, and the "talk back" feature giving the illusion of typical listeners talking directly to the jock.

The most-listened to non big company station on the T.C. is public radio station is WQCS-FM. This is a station licensed to Indian River State College. This station has seen an audience share drop but there were times in the past they were #1. As I mentioned earlier, there's a lot of fluctuation in diary reports. But perhaps, this is a market that is in news fatigue.

The biggest local station is iHeart's WAVW, a country format. (Wave 92.7 #1 For New Country) It's been a big player on the T.C. for quite a while. In the past, billboards promoting the station blanketed the area. This is not something you typically see smaller operators do.

One of the jocks on WAVW also hosts a daypart on The Treasure Coast's Greatest Hits, 103.7 WQOL. This is common in radio to see a jock in a market to host more than one station. At one time, I was adverse to that sort of thing. Today, I sing a different tune. Virtually everywhere it's all about wearing multiple hats and making yourself a valuable player. It's called employment!

More T.C. talk upcoming.

John, first allow me to say, I really enjoy your posts/columns, it replaces news of Florida radio, that used to be published in nearly every Florida newspaper decades ago, when both newspapers and radio were in better shape!

As for WQCS, I won't even pretend to know as much about radio as you and Mr. Burns, but do you think that part of WQCS's decline in ratings might be due to the change in format; changing from the hybrid news/Classical 24 to the primary signal being news and news programming (like fellow NPR affiliated stations in Orlando, Miami, Fort Myers and Tampa/St Pete/Sarasota) and putting the Classical 24 on a separate signal at 91.1? I'm thinking that older listeners might be less inclined to welcome any change in format; at least initially.

 

[John FL]

Thanks for a thoughtful reply. I’ll admit that iHeart does a good job keeping their Classic Hits stations somewhat fresh. They have definitely done this musically. In addition, I like how iHeart uses local identifiers in its voiceovers.

I’m eager to hear your review of Easy 99.1. They have nightly “decades” hours - ‘60s at 6 through 90s at 9. You’ll hear songs you haven’t heard in decades.

WOLL, historically, has been programmed locally. It’s been a good mix between AC and Classic Hits, but it’s trended more AC in recent years (WEAT has evolved into Classic Hits). The local staff at WOLL has been gutted, unfortunately, in favor of nationally tracked iHeart jocks.

Do you consider WJGL to be Classic Rock instead of Classic Hits? That station - along with its sister on 107.3 in Tampa - is so repetitive that it’s virtually unlistenable to me.

You're welcome, Scott. If you don't mind, I just may send you a DM regarding Easy 99.1 sometime next week. This will give me enough time to sample the station. Not sure if discussion about that station is appropriate on this board unless I can tie it into a Florida station. I just may be able to do that, you never know!

I've long enjoyed listening to WOLL. That was another station I listened to on my travels. As you probably know, they were once an oldies format. Many calls that have "O" in it was common for oldies. Even with the change of music directions over the years, they still use the "KOOL" branding which I find fascinating. Chalk this up to a case where average listeners don't care what you call yourself. That's a radio thing. If they like the music, they listen.

I've devoted many posts to stations such as WJGL (96.9 The Eagle) that call themselves classic hits. I never thought the Classic Hits designation fit the playlist. Now, Classic Rock HITS, that's another matter. Unlike it's variety-based counterpart, the ones like Eagle are a one-note. It's rock and rock 'n roll.

How can a format can be called classic hits that never played artists like Michael Jackson, and Madonna to name just two? I prefer to think of Classic Hits as a Retro Top 40. The Classics Hits designation for those seem okay.

Look at Orlando, Tampa and everywhere in between that offer two classic hits stations in the market. There's a world of difference in the playlist between Variety based and Rock Only. I would have thought from even an advertising perspective, clear distinctions between the two would have been made long ago. There's AC, Hot AC, Soft AC, Rhythmic AC. There's AC for Urban audiences and Hispanic audiences. Lots of designations. That makes sense. For Classic Hits designations, I don't agree.

 

[John FL]

John, first allow me to say, I really enjoy your posts/columns, it replaces news of Florida radio, that used to be published in nearly every Florida newspaper decades ago, when both newspapers and radio were in better shape!

As for WQCS, I won't even pretend to know as much about radio as you and Mr. Burns, but do you think that part of WQCS's decline in ratings might be due to the change in format; changing from the hybrid news/Classical 24 to the primary signal being news and news programming (like fellow NPR affiliated stations in Orlando, Miami, Fort Myers and Tampa/St Pete/Sarasota) and putting the Classical 24 on a separate signal at 91.1? I'm thinking that older listeners might be less inclined to welcome any change in format; at least initially.

Much appreciated!

As far as WQCS goes, what I can say with certainty is that whenever changes occur in virtually any format, it can cause some listeners to get uncomfortable and move on to something else. When it's just a temporary thing, it's not a bid deal. Also, it's probably better to look at performance over time, especially for a diary market. There's so much fluctuation like I mentioned earlier.

One of the posters on this board, Alex Browne, is very knowledgeable regarding WQCS. If I'm not mistaken, he works there. He would be far better than me to offer insight into this station and format. Hopefully he'll see these posts and comment.

 

[ScottBurns]

You're welcome, Scott. If you don't mind, I just may send you a DM regarding Easy 99.1 sometime next week. This will give me enough time to sample the station. Not sure if discussion about that station is appropriate on this board unless I can tie it into a Florida station. I just may be able to do that, you never know!

I've long enjoyed listening to WOLL. That was another station I listened to on my travels. As you probably know, they were once an oldies format. Many calls that have "O" in it was common for oldies. Even with the change of music directions over the years, they still use the "KOOL" branding which I find fascinating. Chalk this up to a case where average listeners don't care what you call yourself. That's a radio thing. If they like the music, they listen.

I've devoted many posts to stations such as WJGL (96.9 The Eagle) that call themselves classic hits. I never thought the Classic Hits designation fit the playlist. Now, Classic Rock HITS, that's another matter. Unlike it's variety-based counterpart, the ones like Eagle are a one-note. It's rock and rock 'n roll.

How can a format can be called classic hits that never played artists like Michael Jackson, and Madonna to name just two? I prefer to think of Classic Hits as a Retro Top 40. The Classics Hits designation for those seem okay.

Look at Orlando, Tampa and everywhere in between that offer two classic hits stations in the market. There's a world of difference in the playlist between Variety based and Rock Only. I would have thought from even an advertising perspective, clear distinctions between the two would have been made long ago. There's AC, Hot AC, Soft AC, Rhythmic AC. There's AC for Urban audiences and Hispanic audiences. Lots of designations. That makes sense. For Classic Hits designations, I don't agree.

Sure thing. Feel free to send a message after you listen to the station.

I remember when WOLL was on 94.3 (which is now Spanish). The Oldies format was successful here in Palm Beach County. But WOLL really evolved with the times, even adding contemporary Hot AC tracks in order to hold off WEAT. There’s some overlap today between WOLL and WEAT, but the latter is more Classic Hits than WOLL, which blends Classic Hits and AC,

I agree about the Eagle stations and WMMO. Classic Hits stations, however, are programmed to their market when they are programmed well. For example, Miami’s 102.7 The Beach should be programmed differently than WQOL.

 

[Alex Browne]

Much appreciated!

As far as WQCS goes, what I can say with certainty is that whenever changes occur in virtually any format, it can cause some listeners to get uncomfortable and move on to something else. When it's just a temporary thing, it's not a bid deal. Also, it's probably better to look at performance over time, especially for a diary market. There's so much fluctuation like I mentioned earlier.

One of the posters on this board, Alex Browne, is very knowledgeable regarding WQCS. If I'm not mistaken, he works there. He would be far better than me to offer insight into this station and format. Hopefully he'll see these posts and comment.

John, first allow me to say, I really enjoy your posts/columns, it replaces news of Florida radio, that used to be published in nearly every Florida newspaper decades ago, when both newspapers and radio were in better shape!

As for WQCS, I won't even pretend to know as much about radio as you and Mr. Burns, but do you think that part of WQCS's decline in ratings might be due to the change in format; changing from the hybrid news/Classical 24 to the primary signal being news and news programming (like fellow NPR affiliated stations in Orlando, Miami, Fort Myers and Tampa/St Pete/Sarasota) and putting the Classical 24 on a separate signal at 91.1? I'm thinking that older listeners might be less inclined to welcome any change in format; at least initially.

First of all -- I agree with drt's comment about John's posts. Living in a market that has limited (really, next-to-no) radio analysis in local media, I always look forward to John's thoughtful and informative posts!

I am somewhat knowledgable about WQCS/WQCP because I have volunteered there over the years, not because I'm an employee. I have worked in public broadcasting in other markets before retiring to the Treasure Coast, and value public radio immensely. I don't have any particular insight into the dip in WQCS's ratings, but I agree with John that you've got to look at how this settles down over time. As far as I know, WQCP has not yet popped up in the Nielsens, although I don't expect its audience to be anywhere as large as WQCS's.

The former WQCS hybrid format used to be the standard format for NPR stations across the country (it was EXACTLY the format -- classical music/"Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered"/some specialty shows including jazz on weekends -- when I was the program manager of a small-city NPR station 40 years ago!). When WQCS acquired the second station and split its hybrid format into two, it was following the lead of NPR stations in many many markets: the primary station became all-news and talk, the secondary station became (primarily) classical music. That's now the norm in public radio. This is just word of mouth -- I don't have any data to support this -- but the fellow listeners with whom I've spoken are not switching back and forth between WQCS and WQCP: if they enjoyed the old WQCS for news, they're sticking with it; if they enjoyed the old WQCS for classical (and other types of) music, they are now listening primarily to WQCP. If that is the reality it means that while the majority of its listeners have stuck with WQCS, a portion of its listeners have tuned out and found a new home on WQCP -- and the result could be a smaller total audience for WQCS.

I do have one observation about how WQCS approaches news/public affairs that differs from the way stations in larger markets are doing it -- and I think WQCS's approach may negatively affect its ratings. In other markets, there is typically some local presence in long-form programming: a daily interview or conversation or call-in program that focuses on local issues and personalities. WQCS has a news director who puts together reports that are dropped into "Morning Edition," but that's about it. With the exception of a few short special periodic segments (Audubon Society, IRSC Planetarium, etc.), the rest of the day the station is basically plugged in to solely to NPR national news and interview shows -- and while many of them are excellent, there is virtually no coverage of local issues. (I guess I should note that on WQCP, as well, NONE of the daily classical music shows is locally produced, although several of the weekend jazz/standards programs are.)

Interestingly enough, that parallels the discussion you've been having about voice-tracking on different stations in the commercial radio world. While it is not critical that a classic hits DJ be local, when you do a news/public affairs format, you should try to localize it. The staff of WQCS/WQCP is a small one, and I believe their budget will not allow them to localize their programming in the way I have suggested, so I don't mean this as significant criticism. The two stations are gems on the Treasure Coast, offering services that no commercial (or other non-commercial) station does. We are lucky to have them!

 

[John FL]

Thank you, Alex for rising to the occasion. Your passion and enthusiasm for NPR Radio is refreshing. I think of all those who make a living in radio broadcasting. One can only hope they bring passion into their work as well. As with any career, to some, it's just a job or biding their time until something else comes along. A job in radio should be more than just completing tasks as if on a checklist.

Poster Scott Burns invited me to listen to a station in the Plymouth Massachusetts area. This is WPLM (Easy 99.1). The calls sound like they belong in Florida, right? But seriously, this gave me pause to think about playlists.

Playlists are not a topic I like talking about as they are one of those burned out subjects. But, I see music as the bread and butter of any station. It got me thinking about radio in Florida. I'm in one of those "I think I know what I want to say" but I'm not sure how to say it" moments. So, until I get my act together, there's lots to talk about regarding Treasure Coast and West Palm radio. So go for it!

 

[ScottBurns]

Thank you, Alex for rising to the occasion. Your passion and enthusiasm for NPR Radio is refreshing. I think of all those who make a living in radio broadcasting. One can only hope they bring passion into their work as well. As with any career, to some, it's just a job or biding their time until something else comes along. A job in radio should be more than just completing tasks as if on a checklist.

Poster Scott Burns invited me to listen to a station in the Plymouth Massachusetts area. This is WPLM (Easy 99.1). The calls sound like they belong in Florida, right? But seriously, this gave me pause to think about playlists.

Playlists are not a topic I like talking about as they are one of those burned out subjects. But, I see music as the bread and butter of any station. It got me thinking about radio in Florida. I'm in one of those "I think I know what I want to say" but I'm not sure how to say it" moments. So, until I get my act together, there's lots to talk about regarding Treasure Coast and West Palm radio. So go for it!

Just to sort of set the table on the conversation, my opinion on playlists differs from many of the most prolific posters on this website. I understand their perspective. Playlists must be "tight" and focused around research about which titles have the greatest appeal. The reason for tight playlists is due to the fact that most people don't listen to the radio for long periods of time and because people want to hear songs that they know they will like.

Perhaps I am different than most, but I do like to listen to the radio in long chunks. Moreover, perhaps we have more traffic problems here in Florida than many other areas, but I am usually in the car for a good chunk of time every day. So many stations have playlists that are so tight and repetitive that I can't listen to those stations. Some examples:
1. 97.9 WRFM - if it were not for the KVJ show, this station would not be listenable. It is too repetitive and boring.
2. Sunny 107.9 WEAT - again, a tight playlist for a station that claims that it plays songs from three decades.
3. B103.9/Fort Myers - CHR stations are supposed to have tight playlists, but this station takes it to a different level.

I can go on, but you get the point. Some of these stations actually have large music libraries. The problem is that they repeat the same songs and fail to play some of the rest of the library sufficiently often.

The reason I love stations like WPLM is because I love not knowing what I'll hear next. I love being surprised by a song I haven't heard in 20 years. The station is fresh and interesting. WRMF is not.

 

[John FL]

Well said, Scott.

I have long been an advocate of specialty programing, especially in nostalgia-based formats. The best example of that happened in New York City when WCBS-FM became a classic hits station after its time being Jack FM. There was a core playlist but each day had a special feature. It was only one or two songs an hour but with proper rotations and attention to the playlist, the format never got stale under his leadership.

Today, about the most variety-based classic hits stations do is a decades type weekend such as the 80s with an occasional wow song thrown in. I've tended to blame listeners more than radio management. Despite what some listeners say about repetition, they keep listening. A few years after Jacksonville's Eagle launched (WJGL) I was amused reading listening reviews. They went something like this: "They play a lot of the same songs over and over but I like the music they play."

It's like that "everybody in radio may hate that 300 song playlist" but they understand the merits and benefits of those tight playlists.

As I have been listening to WPLM, I must say it's like specialty programing on steroids. There are so many songs I have forgotten. I think it was yesterday but I caught "New York Mining Disaster" song. It was so long ago that I heard it, for a moment I thought that was the Beatles. But it was the Bee Gees. The masses have no idea the Bee Gees were not just Saturday Night Fever. Turns out this was part of a Lost 45 syndicated show. It was quite informative. But, would the masses enjoy it as much as I did? I doubt it.

As I listened to the station, I saw opportunity for WOSN here on the T.C. to enhance their Soft AC playlist. WPLM also did a 70s and 80s weekend feature. Too many wow songs to list but I especially liked how the station doesn't shun the early 70s. Personal taste but the very early 70s is the best part of the decade as far as I'm concerned.

I have mellowed my positions about playlists over the years. The reason is that this forum is not the best place to express views that are contrary to all the rules of radio. But I do maintain that many radio stations get very stale and repetitive. There's also the "C" word that's almost taboo. If one talks about "C"reative playlists, it can follow with a lecture from someone that points to music tests and no deviation. It all get old and boring as some radio station do.

So to sum it up. I get the importance core playlists. But there's always room for that occasional wow song and elements of surprise. Song rotations should be updated more frequently too. It helps keeps things interesting. Many PDs and MDs have very little control. I also think fear has paralyzed a lot of the industry.