Waiter, may I have the crow, please?

[davideduardo]

When Cox changed the rock format to “smooth AC” (my term for lack of another) on 93.1 and changed calls to WFEZ, I did not think they would have too much Hispanic appeal as the playlist has a lot of songs that were definitely not hits in Cuba (where the bulk of Hispanics in the 45+ demo are from).

I sure misjudged that one, as it turns out that WFEZ has a 35% Hispanic composition in January, nearly three quarters of which is Spanish dominant!

I’m wondering if the issue is texture, the playing of nice-feeling songs that are not played out or something else. Perhaps it's the "safe choice" for the workplace that people of any background could accept. I know I was recently in a cab in Miami, and the Hispanic driver was listening, and he liked the mood, and knew his riders would not find it inappropriate.

 

[jbrasco951]

You know David, the station is playing to a demographic that might have caught all of these songs when they were all "gold" records during the 60s, 70s and 80s, and were regularly played on any top 40 station in America. Along with a pretty broad playlist, the songs played have a feel of some of the music you would hear in Miami on Joy 107, Love 94, WAXY 106, and Majic 102.7 when those stations were under an AC format.

Plus, some of these artists (i.e. Barry Manilow) still play frequently down here, and just maybe the Time Life paid commercials on TV helped drive the programming to where they are going with it.

The station sounds like it's made for our market. Cox found the right format to run a billable automated low maintenance station on a low-budget. I like it and I hope it stays around.

 

[Groove1670]

I have many friends from the Mariel boat lift. Many listened to WKIZ & WEOW when I was there (We played many of the core artists on FEZ). I got that occasional call from Cuba (requesting Stevie Wonder, ABBA, Chicago, Etc.) I don't know, just a guess.

I know that meter thing is the new standard now, and it is the gospel. I doubt the accuracy. A leading media company did a survey on the meter thing, and the results were scary.

It seemed that points and money were more of a factor. Listening wasn't. One person put their thingy on a ceiling fan because it was moving. ???

As a 22 year old. FEZ music was not appealing to me, but it was my first radio job. Fast forward 20 years later, I now appreciate those songs.

FEZ could be a test. Maybe the radio industry doesn't know what we want to hear. I think many of us thought the FEZ change was a big risk (I did). Only time will tell. It could be a fluke.

Wow. Barry Manilow push button wars in Miami. I thought I would never see that.

Population wise, the 55+ market will have the lions share of revenue at least for the next 10-15 years. Most are set in the buying decisions. How to market to them is the question.

Is FEZ is the result of things to come. Classic Hits, Soft AC, NT) Anyone

 

[Mike Sheridan]

WFEZ does it right, nice blend of proven hits. There are lots of people who don't fit the little predefined boxes that researchers try to put is in. That would be too easy and people are more complicated than that.

Cox simply found the need and filled it.....

 

[Ai4i]

(Please ignore this posting, we didn't know it was accepted)

 

[Ai4i]

Should we be expecting Gloria and Julio to be popping ther heads up soon on the station?

 

[davideduardo]

Should we be expecting Gloria and Julio to be popping ther heads up soon on the station?

Unlikely. The pure Spanish stations don't play them anymore...

 

[cd637299]

Not being in the radio biz, I just wanna chime in and say that the tempo of music is what makes WFEZ different. You don't have to speak English. You could be Cuban, Haitian, Greek, Romanian, etc., and like the music.

Stressing the music itself, and not the artists, is the right thing to do. Relaxing, easy-on-the-ears!

There are Spanish-language EZ stations (even mellower than WFEZ) which I occasionally hear:

www.fabuestereo.com (Guatemala)
www.radioelmundo.com.sv (El Salvador)
www.raicesradio.org.do (Dominican Republic)
Radio Enciclopedia, Cuba (a car pre-set here!)

cd

BTW I am sure that Gloria has stuff on WFEZ right now, and although it's unlikely you will hear a Julio solo, I do believe that WFEZ plays "All of You," his duet w/ Diana Ross.

cd

 

[Ai4i]

You don't have to speak English....and like the music.
cd

I think this is truer with more instrumental-heavy stations. One of the other local stations (maybe the original Super Q?) alternated English, instrumental, Spanish, instrumental, etc.

 

[Ai4i]

WFEZ has a 35% Hispanic composition in January, nearly three quarters of which is Spanish dominant!

Yet slip one Spanish song in on an English language station and buttons will be hit by the hundreds of thousands.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

WFEZ has a 35% Hispanic composition in January, nearly three quarters of which is Spanish dominant!

Yet slip one Spanish song in on an English language station and buttons will be hit by the hundreds of thousands.

Ah not me, I miss the Cuban rhythms since I no longer live is South Florida. I can't understand a word of it but I think the song "No Se Tu" by Louis Miguel is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. The emotion that comes through in the song transcends language.

I'm in no way an expert but as far as I know we have a few Mexican stations where I live but it's just not the same.

 

[cd637299]

WFEZ has a 35% Hispanic composition in January, nearly three quarters of which is Spanish dominant!

Yet slip one Spanish song in on an English language station and buttons will be hit by the hundreds of thousands.

Ah not me, I miss the Cuban rhythms since I no longer live is South Florida. I can't understand a word of it but I think the song "No Se Tu" by Louis Miguel is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. The emotion that comes through in the song transcends language.

I'm in no way an expert but as far as I know we have a few Mexican stations where I live but it's just not the same.

Mike, check the links I provided on p 1....not all songs on those stations are instrumental.

As bad as Christina A. mangled the National Anthem, she did a duet (w/ Andrea Bocelli? can't remember) called "Somos Novios," which we know as Perry Como's "It's Impossible".....she can sing, if she really wants to. <shrug> An EZ station in Myrtle Beach played it!!

cd

 

[Ai4i]

Bocelli has done duets on vivo per lei with everyone.
He sings Italian and the other one sings in his, her, or its native language.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Not being in the radio biz, I just wanna chime in and say that the tempo of music is what makes WFEZ different. You don't have to speak English. You could be Cuban, Haitian, Greek, Romanian, etc., and like the music.

Stressing the music itself, and not the artists, is the right thing to do. Relaxing, easy-on-the-ears!

There are Spanish-language EZ stations (even mellower than WFEZ) which I occasionally hear:

www.fabuestereo.com (Guatemala)
www.radioelmundo.com.sv (El Salvador)
www.raicesradio.org.do (Dominican Republic)
Radio Enciclopedia, Cuba (a car pre-set here!)

cd

BTW I am sure that Gloria has stuff on WFEZ right now, and although it's unlikely you will hear a Julio solo, I do believe that WFEZ plays "All of You," his duet w/ Diana Ross.

cd

They probably play "To All the Girls I've Loved Before" with Willie Nelson.

My station plays Gloria but in a lot of cases, I believe they shouldn't. Annoying instrumentals. They don't do "Bad Boys", but WFEZ certainly could.

 

[vchimpanzee]

WFEZ has a 35% Hispanic composition in January, nearly three quarters of which is Spanish dominant!

Yet slip one Spanish song in on an English language station and buttons will be hit by the hundreds of thousands.

My station plays several songs that aren't in English. "Sukiyaki", for exmaple. A Taste of Honey did that later in English, but Kyu Sakmoto did it first.

 

[vchimpanzee]

One more thing: let's hope this station doesn't follow the lead of WLOW and WYEZ in SC and take the name of this thread literally--meaning Sheryl.