Thoughts on S. Fla. Radio from a visiting Bostonian

[Mickey37]

I spent a few days in Boca Raton recently.
As usual, I found the FM band to be red-hot, absolutely sizzling with energy. No shortage of dance/hip-hop/pop music outlets.
Not as many Classic Rock stations as I expected.
Glad to be able to find NPR stations, also.
On the AM band, which I usually turn to for news, I noticed there aren't many options for local news. There "is" local programming, thankfully. I even called in to one of the talk shows hosted by a woman transplanted from New York.
I couldn't find an all-news signal. Did I miss it?
The FM band is where S. Florida radio shines, though. You've got something good there.

 

[Faraway]

Funny how all the "locals" complain that FM is a wasteland, absent variety and creativity. Not saying you're wrong, because there IS some notable radio in South Florida. What's the expression? "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence...?" As for the AM band, there's kind of a triple whammy working against them -
1) Demographic make up is not real conducive to the English speaking male leaning talk which is typical of the AM spoken word formats
2) The "big" sticks are deep in Dade County - the growth is in North Broward
3) All News has been done a number of times - very well in fact - with minimal ratings.
In Miami market, WLRN and WIOD are the only stations with news departments. WLRN relies on the Miami Herald reporters, WIOD recently cut back personnel but best I cant tell is still staffed 24/7, which is unusual for radio news. In Palm Beach County, it's WJNO, but I think it's skeletal.

 

[The-Major]

I spent a few days in Boca Raton recently.
As usual, I found the FM band to be red-hot, absolutely sizzling with energy. No shortage of dance/hip-hop/pop music outlets.
Not as many Classic Rock stations as I expected.
Glad to be able to find NPR stations, also.
The FM band is where S. Florida radio shines, though. You've got something good there.

Our radio market aqui in this subtropical paradise known as South Florida is one of the most diverse, vibrant, and energetic in the entire nation. Just ask any of the hundreds of thousands of tourists that visit us each year (especially this time of the year). Of course there are many 'locals' that appreciate it as well. They should post more often on this board.

Last Sunday I returned from a 9-day / 1,600-mile road-trip that took me up the east coast of Florida to the Jacksonville area, through most of Georgia (along I-75), into the Atlanta area for about 4 days, down the western portion of Georgia into southeastern Alabama, into the northern fringes of the Panama City area, and then finally along I-10, I-75, and Florida's Turnpike back home to Homestead.

My conclusion after listening to 9 days of FM radio on the road ?

South Florida radio tops them all - by far. I'm glad that we have it.

THE MAJOR

 

[Mickey37]

I remember hearing SHE-FM when I was younger. Great station, back in the day.
On my recent visit, I was glad to hear 850-AM still largely local. As I recall, they're either owned by or affiliated with the Sun-Sentinel.
I drove to Miami one day, and was quite glad to hear traffic reports practically every five minutes. I forget the station, but it was mighty helpful. 95 is as much of a mess there as it is around the Boston area.
Lots of Gator-related programming. College sports are apparently big in Florida.
My theory is that all-news doesn't work in S. Florida because it isn't as important to folks down there. That's not a slam, just an observation. You can't force a format on people if they don't want it.
As I said earlier, though, I really liked what I heard there.

 

[ScottBurns]

As much as I think the South Florida (I am counting Miami-Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach here) is above average, I don't think it is the best. Here are some thoughts by format:
News/Talk - we are above average here. Despite an overabundance of sydicated shows, there is at least a good balance here between conservative and liberal talk radio, both in Miami and West Palm (WJNO balances it nicely). Moreover, South Florida is still the radio home to Neil Rogers, arguably one of the most talented radio personalities in all of history.

CHR - Major will be upset to hear this, but I think Y100 is a below-average CHR, for reasons I have previously stated and for other reasons I will discuss at a later time. On the other hand, I think Wild in West Palm is slightly above average. We are average overall in this category.

Rock (Classic Rock, AOR, Alternative) - 93 Rock is a lousy station - boring jocks, repetitive music, no personality as a station. Big 105.9 is standard fare for a Classic Rocker. In West Palm, the Gater is slightly above average for a Classic Rocker, playing a better variety of music than most. The Buzz out of West Palm is a decent Alternative station, probably slightly above average. Overall grade: Average.

Adult Contemporary - a terrible format in South Florida. Tending to demographics, these stations are more effective than Nyquil in putting people to sleep. Look at West Palm: Classy 92.1, Kool 105.5, Sunny 104.3 - all very boring. WRMF is much better, but still not great. Lite FM in Miami is also far too conservative, as is Coast (although I wouldn't classify Coast as AC per se). Overall grade: Below average.

CHR/Rhythmic and Rhythmic AC - a great format for this area. We have so many choices, many of which are good: 99 Jamz, Power 96 (although this station is a far cry of what it once was), the Beat, X102.3 in West Palm, and WNEW in West Palm (although this station is a bit too adult). Overall grade: Above average.

 

[The-Major]

CHR - Major will be upset to hear this, but I think Y100 is a below-average CHR, for reasons I have previously stated and for other reasons I will discuss at a later time. On the other hand, I think Wild in West Palm is slightly above average. We are average overall in this category.

I am not upset at your comments regarding Y-100 because I agree with you. They have made substantial improvements to their overall sound and style since last year, but they still have some more progress that needs to be made to restore the heritage. This is not the same groundbreaking Y-100 that I loved and adored like a habit 10 years ago, and they may never return to that lofty status. But I still listen to them while I am at my workplace because it's the best overall station that I can pick-up on my radio there.

Adult Contemporary - a terrible format in South Florida. Tending to demographics, these stations are more effective than Nyquil in putting people to sleep. Look at West Palm: Classy 92.1, Kool 105.5, Sunny 104.3 - all very boring. WRMF is much better, but still not great. Lite FM in Miami is also far too conservative, as is Coast (although I wouldn't classify Coast as AC per se). Overall grade: Below average.

97.9-WRMF is a great HOT-A.C. station for the Palm Beaches and points north. I wish that we had it down here en Miami-Dade. The Coast is a difficult station to classify. I don't consider it to be HOT-A.C. because they play way too much old material from the 1980s into the 1990s. They are not plain A.C. because they are a bit too hard for that. They seem to have an identity crisis, but it will probably stay that way for awhile because they are successful in what they do. I'd like to see a HOT-A.C. station pop-up here in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale market that stays true to the concept of the HOT-A.C. format while also playing some of the great dance hits of the 1990s that made Y-100 so special back in the day. Make it sort of like a Y-100 for the grown-ups. I'd be 'MOVIN' to that !

THE MAJOR

 

[radiolover78]

Major, what are your thoughts on Lite FM?

I'm not sure what Scott exactly meant on the AC stations being 'conservative'. Care to elaborate?

As far as 101.5 Lite FM goes, I would have to say it is one of my favorite AC stations in the entire nation. The station is programmed very professionally. It really is a perfect station for backround listening. The jocks are "smooth" and low key, yet they still have personality and talk about interesting topics sometimes.

 

[The-Major]

Major, what are your thoughts on Lite FM?
As far as 101.5 Lite FM goes, I would have to say it is one of my favorite AC stations in the entire nation. The station is programmed very professionally. It really is a perfect station for backround listening. The jocks are "smooth" and low key, yet they still have personality and talk about interesting topics sometimes.

I don't personally listen to 101.5-LITE-FM; however, one of my favourite Homestead area Chinese restaurants almost always has it playing (quite loudly) on their intercom system. Based on the sampling that I have heard of it during the lunchtime hour I can honestly state that it is one solidly hip and modern A.C. station. They play an above average amount of currents and recurrents for an A.C. Sometimes they even play a song or two that if played on 97.3-THE-COAST it could possibly scare away a listener or two over there. They seem to have a good thing going over there !

MAJOR LITE

 

[radiolover78]

I don't personally listen to 101.5-LITE-FM; however, one of my favourite Homestead area Chinese restaurants almost always has it playing (quite loudly) on their intercom system. Based on the sampling that I have heard of it during the lunchtime hour I can honestly state that it is one solidly hip and modern A.C. station. They play an above average amount of currents and recurrents for an A.C. Sometimes they even play a song or two that if played on 97.3-THE-COAST it could possibly scare away a listener or two over there. They seem to have a good thing going over there !

MAJOR LITE

Great points. I agree. Everything over there is very professional. The studios are state of the art too. I was invited to visit sometime, but I don't know if I'll be able to anytime soon.