OrlandoGM said:
The reasons WPCV would not come into Orlando is simple. WPCV already tried once some years ago to come in and do so. They even set up a satellite office in Orlando but failed miserably because they do not cover the entire DMA. Going northeast they do not have a Grade A signal.
An excellent point. Owner Hall Communications apparantly learned it's lesson and decided to focus on it's local audience. That loyalty has been returned in spades, as it often is the ONLY station earning double digit ratings numbers in the Lakeland/Winter Haven (Polk County) market. Why would you want to compete and be the number two or three country station in either Tampa/St. Petersburg or Orlando when you can be king of the hill in your own decent sized market? While Hall could possibly make slightly more money from the higher rates they could charge, the actual amount would be minimal.
Besides, when you really look at it, Polk County is actually UNDERSERVED. There are only three commercial FMs licensed to Polk County; WPCV, sister station "Max 98.3" WWRZ (licensed to Fort Meade, it was formerly known as "The Rose"), and "Smooth Jazz" 94.1 WSJT (licensed to Lakeland, it is owned by CBS Radio and focuses on Tampa/St. Petersburg).
BTW: I found a nice, humourous virtual tour of the Hall Communications building in downtown Lakeland on it's Web site. It's worth a look at
http://www.halllakeland.com/NewTour/TourEnter.htm
Besides Hall, IMHO the only truly good broadcaster in Polk County is Thornburg Communications, a family company that operates WWBF-AM 1130 in Bartow
http://www.wwbf.com/. Although they run a satellite oldies format, WWBF does quite a bit of local programming that to many would seem a throwback to days gone by. Yeah, we're talking about Bartow HS sports and a hugely popular morning "Shopper" call-in show hosted by the owner's son/CE (He was also our contract CE when I worked at Winter Haven's WHNR in the 1990s), but people listen loyally...and it makes money. A number of other broadcasters, including some of the big boys, can listen and learn about quality from a simple family-run operation in Bartow, Florida.