I had noticed something about WFEZ (Easy 93.1) and WLYF (101.5 Lite FM). They're the only Soft AC and Mainstream AC in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale market for the past six years. WFEZ had gradually filled in the gap between Soft AC and Mainstream AC over the past decade as WLYF had quietly became a Mainstream AC completely over the last half of the previous decade. WLYF had been a Soft AC / Mainstream AC hybrid for a long time. At least back when I started streaming it in November 2011.
WLYF had slowly dropped a lot of the Soft AC tracks by Air Supply, Christopher Cross, Leo Sayer, Paul Davis, John Lennon, Barry White, Carole King, Dan Hill, James Ingram, Michael Bolton, and such between 2014 and 2018 that it used to lean heavily on up till 2014. WLYF had always been maintaining a good amount of recurrents and currents. Since 2017, they had been adding more recurrents and currents than they ever did including tracks by DNCE, Rihanna, Imagine Dragons, American Authors, The Chainsmokers, and such. About as much recurrents and currents that most Mainstream AC in the nation play. Since 2015, WLYF also started adding tracks by John Mellencamp, Prince, and Bon Jovi.
Around late 2018, they dropped their "Refreshing" slogan in favor of their current "Real Music Variety" slogan. They still kept the same branding and logo. Since then, WLYF lost its uniqueness that it previously had with the Soft AC hybrid and it just sounds like every Mainstream AC in this nation now, like WLTW, KOST, KMGL, WBEB, KDGE, and KODA. WLYF is still at least a little older leaning AC like WLTW, KOST, KDGE, and KODA. I had known about both WFEZ and WDUV since Fall 2011. I looked at their playlist once in a while since Fall 2011. I just started to stream WFEZ for the first time in April 2020. Not like I listened to WFEZ and WDUV for 5-20 minutes back in 2011 and 2012. I listened to WFEZ for four weeks straight while I study for my classes at home for the rest of the Spring 2020 semester during the quarantine and I thought to myself, this is what WLYF used to sound like back in November 2011. This is the type of music WLYF played back in November 2011 and January 2012.
In the past. Unlike most AC, for each holiday season, WLYF start playing Christmas music on the day before Thanksgiving day, mixes in Christmas songs on weekdays, and play 24 hours of Christmas music on weekends only until Christmas Day. Since the holiday season of 2018, WLYF start playing Christmas music full-time from the day before Thanksgiving straight till Christmas Day.
I believed the WLYF's ownership changes may had contributed to WLYF evolving into a Mainstream AC completely. WLYF used to be a Jefferson-Pilot Broadcasting station (which later became a Lincoln Financial Media station). WLYF became an Entercom station when Entercom purchased Lincoln Financial Media in July 2015. Entercom also purchased CBS Radio in November 2017. But, I still doubt the ownership changes contributed to WLYF evolving into a Mainstream AC completely. Half-of half the Entercom AC stations that weren't CBS stations are old leaning, particularly KKMJ, WLMG, and WRVR. WRVR is very old leaning. I highly believe WLYF decides to evolve on its own.
Between 2011 and 2017, WLYF had maintained second place and often first place in the 6+ ratings of the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale market with shares around 6-8. WFEZ often hold third place or fourth place with shares around 5-6. Since 2018, WLYF had slipped down to fifth place and often swinging between forth place and sixth place with shares around 4-6. WFEZ had often held first or second place, sometimes third place with shares around 6-8.
I think what really contributed to WLYF evolving over the last half of the past decade is the change in competition between the other AC and Hot AC stations in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale market and the nature of both the Soft AC and AC format itself of course. If we look at the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale market in 2010 and before. WLYF was a hybrid Soft AC / AC owned by Lincoln Financial Media, WFLC was a hybrid Hot AC / AC owned by Cox, WMIA was a Hot AC owned by iHeartMedia (which was then Clear Channel). WLYF was a Soft AC since the early 1990s and it evolved into a Mainstream AC by in the early 2000s, but it still retained a lot of its Soft AC aspect in my opinion, making it a Soft AC / AC hybrid throughout the 2000s and the first half of the 2010s. Cox flipped WHDR to Soft AC as WFEZ in December 2010. WFLC gradually evolved into a Hot AC completely over the years between 2010 and 2014 and then it flipped to CHR in January 2014. That left WMIA as the only Hot AC, WFEZ as the only Soft AC, and WLYF as the hybrid Soft AC / AC. Therefore, WLYF had quietly evolved into a Mainstream AC to maintain competition against both iHM's Hot AC WMIA and Cox's Soft AC WFEZ.
WLYF had slowly dropped a lot of the Soft AC tracks by Air Supply, Christopher Cross, Leo Sayer, Paul Davis, John Lennon, Barry White, Carole King, Dan Hill, James Ingram, Michael Bolton, and such between 2014 and 2018 that it used to lean heavily on up till 2014. WLYF had always been maintaining a good amount of recurrents and currents. Since 2017, they had been adding more recurrents and currents than they ever did including tracks by DNCE, Rihanna, Imagine Dragons, American Authors, The Chainsmokers, and such. About as much recurrents and currents that most Mainstream AC in the nation play. Since 2015, WLYF also started adding tracks by John Mellencamp, Prince, and Bon Jovi.
Around late 2018, they dropped their "Refreshing" slogan in favor of their current "Real Music Variety" slogan. They still kept the same branding and logo. Since then, WLYF lost its uniqueness that it previously had with the Soft AC hybrid and it just sounds like every Mainstream AC in this nation now, like WLTW, KOST, KMGL, WBEB, KDGE, and KODA. WLYF is still at least a little older leaning AC like WLTW, KOST, KDGE, and KODA. I had known about both WFEZ and WDUV since Fall 2011. I looked at their playlist once in a while since Fall 2011. I just started to stream WFEZ for the first time in April 2020. Not like I listened to WFEZ and WDUV for 5-20 minutes back in 2011 and 2012. I listened to WFEZ for four weeks straight while I study for my classes at home for the rest of the Spring 2020 semester during the quarantine and I thought to myself, this is what WLYF used to sound like back in November 2011. This is the type of music WLYF played back in November 2011 and January 2012.
In the past. Unlike most AC, for each holiday season, WLYF start playing Christmas music on the day before Thanksgiving day, mixes in Christmas songs on weekdays, and play 24 hours of Christmas music on weekends only until Christmas Day. Since the holiday season of 2018, WLYF start playing Christmas music full-time from the day before Thanksgiving straight till Christmas Day.
I believed the WLYF's ownership changes may had contributed to WLYF evolving into a Mainstream AC completely. WLYF used to be a Jefferson-Pilot Broadcasting station (which later became a Lincoln Financial Media station). WLYF became an Entercom station when Entercom purchased Lincoln Financial Media in July 2015. Entercom also purchased CBS Radio in November 2017. But, I still doubt the ownership changes contributed to WLYF evolving into a Mainstream AC completely. Half-of half the Entercom AC stations that weren't CBS stations are old leaning, particularly KKMJ, WLMG, and WRVR. WRVR is very old leaning. I highly believe WLYF decides to evolve on its own.
Between 2011 and 2017, WLYF had maintained second place and often first place in the 6+ ratings of the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale market with shares around 6-8. WFEZ often hold third place or fourth place with shares around 5-6. Since 2018, WLYF had slipped down to fifth place and often swinging between forth place and sixth place with shares around 4-6. WFEZ had often held first or second place, sometimes third place with shares around 6-8.
I think what really contributed to WLYF evolving over the last half of the past decade is the change in competition between the other AC and Hot AC stations in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale market and the nature of both the Soft AC and AC format itself of course. If we look at the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale market in 2010 and before. WLYF was a hybrid Soft AC / AC owned by Lincoln Financial Media, WFLC was a hybrid Hot AC / AC owned by Cox, WMIA was a Hot AC owned by iHeartMedia (which was then Clear Channel). WLYF was a Soft AC since the early 1990s and it evolved into a Mainstream AC by in the early 2000s, but it still retained a lot of its Soft AC aspect in my opinion, making it a Soft AC / AC hybrid throughout the 2000s and the first half of the 2010s. Cox flipped WHDR to Soft AC as WFEZ in December 2010. WFLC gradually evolved into a Hot AC completely over the years between 2010 and 2014 and then it flipped to CHR in January 2014. That left WMIA as the only Hot AC, WFEZ as the only Soft AC, and WLYF as the hybrid Soft AC / AC. Therefore, WLYF had quietly evolved into a Mainstream AC to maintain competition against both iHM's Hot AC WMIA and Cox's Soft AC WFEZ.
