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Classic Country in Ft Myers/Naples

S

swfl

Not sure when this happened but I noticed this morning that 1410 in Ft Myers and 1660 in Naples/Marco are now playing a Classic Country format. They also have added a FM translator at 106.7. I am not sure if this is a permanent arrangement or some sort of short term thing. Hard to tell with the bizarre recent history of these stations. I know they were for sale a couple of months back. Does anyone know if they were sold or have any other information on what is going on with these stations?

They do appear to have a new website advertising the Classic Country format: http://www.wmyrcountry.com/
 
Enjoyed the Avenue many times driving home late from work down 75...in Tampa... when it would come in just before complete sundown, almost crystal clear on the 1660 station.

And wow, now a trimulcast of classic country instead? I understand from the site they are back as Ft. Myers' Original Country Station. Whatever pays the bills I guess. It just has to actually pay the bills, in the long run. Would expect this setup in more northern portions of the state though.

Someone may have forgotten to update that new website's copyright tag footer. Says © 2013 Timeless Cool Custom Programming, unless this a new venture for Timeless Cool.

Byron
 
Timeless Cool now does have a country format, but I have not heard it.
 
Although 1410 did have a country music format at one time prior to now, WMYR is not the area's original country station. WMYR was Top 40 long before it became a country station although its former country formatted sister station - WMYR-FM 101.9 and later WHEW-FM 101.9; now WWGR - has always been the area's country FM.
 
btw, really digging back in time, wasn't WCAI/1350 (nee WCRM) the original Country station in FMY?? Thought that MYR-FM dabbled in "Progressive Rock" before they went C&W.

I could be wrong, I'm working on memory.
 
radiosanchez said:
btw, really digging back in time, wasn't WCAI/1350 (nee WCRM) the original Country station in FMY?? Thought that MYR-FM dabbled in "Progressive Rock" before they went C&W.

I could be wrong, I'm working on memory.
Click to expand...

I am not sure if WCAI was before or after WMYR FM/WHEW got into country or not. WCAI was around a long time so they may have been ahead of WMYR FM/WHEW country format. WCAI was a daytimer if I recall correctly. I do know that WHEW was around as far back as the 1970's with a country format. WCAI was also Country into the 1980's.

WMYR was the big Top 40 station in Ft Myers for many years until the FM's took over. It was sometime in the late 1980's that WMYR 1410 dropped Top 40 and switched to country format. They did they own thing for a while then simulcasted WHEW for a while. WHEW was sold off in the mid 1990's and became WWGR Gator Country which it still is to this day. WMYR continued with Country for a while after that and was sold off and since has gone through a mired of formats and ownership's.
 
radiosanchez said:
btw, really digging back in time, wasn't WCAI/1350 (nee WCRM) the original Country station in FMY?? Thought that MYR-FM dabbled in "Progressive Rock" before they went C&W.

I could be wrong, I'm working on memory.
Click to expand...

Although WMYR was country formatted shorty after Robert Hecksher sold WHEW, WMYR is the area's original Hot Rockin' all hit music station; and, yes, WCAI 1350 was a country formatted station long before WMYR 1410. WMYR-FM may have initally programmed progressive rock; however, same as with WCAI, it became a country formatted station long before WMYR-AM. The point is WMYR-AM is not the original country station in the Fort Myers-Naples market. WCAI, however, is the original AM country station while WMYR-FM / WHEW-FM - now WWGR - is the original FM country station; both in the format years before WMYR-AM.
 
I had them as late as March 27th still with The Avenue format. Curiously, since checking from April 6+ I can't pull them up here in central Pinellas County, two miles from the coast. They must have reduced their power or chopped off their ground radials just fun to coincide with the format flip. I'll have to try for them directly on the Gulf.
 
TerryKay,
I asked a friend of mine who used to work for WMYR and still ives in Fort Myers to let me know what the new format sounded like. He called me today and said he tried listening over the weekend and from his home in Fort Myers he said if was difficult to hear them. He was gonna try the translator today.

A quick check of the FCC database shows that they filed for an STA for reduced power on 1/3/13 due to a lightning hit, running 1.25kw non-directional day and night. However, one year ago they filed ANOTHER STA for reduced power due to equipment malfunction, and a couple of years before that another STA for issues with their directional array. Methinks they might have an expensive repair to the DA that they are trying to put off for as long as possible!
 
Their translator, on 106.7, gets out pretty well. It is at the maximum power of 250 watts. The new format is one of several from the Timeless Cool boys. Oddly, the liners (which do stretch the truth about the artists they "introduced" to Ft. Myers) mention WMYR, with a few mentioning the translator. The Translator shows WMYR on its RDS. No mention of the two Collier County AM's, also running the same format. And they do brag about being "commercial free". Duh...

The music is decent, going back as far as Hank Williams. The only totally out of place song is the awful Kid Rock song channeling "Sweet Home Alabama". Neither classic nor country. But, I would expect no less of that bunch.

There already is a Classic Country AM in the market. WKII 1070, owned by Clear Channel, has CC's Classic Country (CC's CC!) on and sounds decent.

Noticed this morning that all four stations (1410, 1480, 1660 and 106.7) were in dead air. Some things never change.
 
I am not quite sure to make of the Fort Myers/Naples AM selection. 1240/1270 are STILL trimulcasting 92.5 several years into the switch? Music is a hard sell on AM, and 1410 et.al. switch to a limited appeal format that already has an AM competitor with decent coverage?

Would it not make sense for 1240/1270 to do some rock-ola oldies locally, or plug in True Oldies Channel? Cheap and unique in the market.

Would it not make sense to put second tier talk on 1410? Compete with 92.5 and fits AM capabilities.
 
^ True Oldies Channel is carried in Clewiston on AM 590. Although it's about an hour's drive, Shannon may have a hold there on the Ft. M. market with WAFC.

cd
 
No, he doesn't. Besides a high-powered Cuban on 590 renders WAFC unlistenable over here.
 
HadYourPhil said:
No, he doesn't. Besides a high-powered Cuban on 590 renders WAFC unlistenable over here.
Click to expand...

OK, was wondering if the Cuban had any influence in the daytime---I know it does at night.

But, hasn't the oldies format been run into the ground on 1410/1480 prior to the Avenue?

Oh BTW, according to the NRC AM Log 1996 (FWIW), the 590 had a CP to move to Cape Coral with 5 k U. Apparently that bit the dust; format notwithstanding.

cd
 
Yep It looks like that CP will be gone. Too bad. It would've been a killer signal!
1410 never had the TOC, but one or both Naples frequencies had the TOC. I'd love to see it surface again although I don't enjoy most of the 80's music he's added.
 
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