WQOL - 103.7 - Vero Beach is now "Coast 103.7" with an 80s-90s music format....
kw - Melbourne FL
kw - Melbourne FL
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Treasure Coast WQOL
- Thread starter Battenkill50
- Start date
As usual, Radio Insight provided some good info on this.
radioinsight.com
I can confirm that the music, the talent and virtually everything about the station remains the same. This is Premium Choice programming. It's the same "station" you'd find in Sarasota, for example, but with different talent.
What I never knew was Health West, WQOL's midday host and someone I've spoken very highly about over the years, is WQOL's PD. He's also a talent and PD over at their sister country station "Wave 92.7." Good for him!
In all my trips up and down the east coast of Florida, it was always a delight when I was able to pull in the station. Perhaps not a surprise but the station went on the air in 1991. I imagine The Treasure Coast from years ago ago and being sparsely populated got its fair share of signals from nearby markets.
One of the downsides of smaller market radio is that it kind of just exists but doesn't get a lot of attention or even the ability to get info on the internet. It was in one of iHeart's downsizing initiatives that I read a talent talk about "the good old days of WQOL" and how it was it all live and local and how much fun the nighttime show was. From what I can tell, there was probably a request show.
After hearing about the rebranding, I listened to the station here and there. There are still an occasional 60s songs but there's still some 70s in the mix too so it's not all 80s and 90s. I understand why WQOL is not the same station I truly loved at one time. WQOL is a heritage station and still I'm happy they are keeping the format going for those listeners who are now old enough to hear their favorite music.
WQOL Rebrands As Coast 103.7 - RadioInsight
iHeartMedia has relaunched Classic Hits 103.7 WQOL Vero Beach FL as “Coast 103.7“. The rebrand brings the “Coast” brand back to the Treasure Coast where it was previously used by AC “Coast 101.3” WHLG Port St. Lucie until its sale to Radio Training Network in 2021. WQOL is now positioning as...
radioinsight.com
I can confirm that the music, the talent and virtually everything about the station remains the same. This is Premium Choice programming. It's the same "station" you'd find in Sarasota, for example, but with different talent.
What I never knew was Health West, WQOL's midday host and someone I've spoken very highly about over the years, is WQOL's PD. He's also a talent and PD over at their sister country station "Wave 92.7." Good for him!
In all my trips up and down the east coast of Florida, it was always a delight when I was able to pull in the station. Perhaps not a surprise but the station went on the air in 1991. I imagine The Treasure Coast from years ago ago and being sparsely populated got its fair share of signals from nearby markets.
One of the downsides of smaller market radio is that it kind of just exists but doesn't get a lot of attention or even the ability to get info on the internet. It was in one of iHeart's downsizing initiatives that I read a talent talk about "the good old days of WQOL" and how it was it all live and local and how much fun the nighttime show was. From what I can tell, there was probably a request show.
After hearing about the rebranding, I listened to the station here and there. There are still an occasional 60s songs but there's still some 70s in the mix too so it's not all 80s and 90s. I understand why WQOL is not the same station I truly loved at one time. WQOL is a heritage station and still I'm happy they are keeping the format going for those listeners who are now old enough to hear their favorite music.
It's been a while since I listened to WQOL (I never appreciated their switch from Oldies to Classic Hits -- missing all the great music and groups from the '60s!; without an Oldies station on the Treasure Coast, I listen much more to Sirius channels now), but I did tune in for an extended period on a recent drive. I found my experience to be similar to John's. The branding I heard boasted of "varety from the 80's and '90s," but I heard PLENTY of tracks from the '70s, which surprised me. Why would they promote the '80s and '90s so heavily/exclusively, but retain the mix that includes the '70s?
As an avid FM DXer, I can attest to the Treasure Coast being a great place to pick up stations. It is an oddball market in that it is home to transmitters that serve another market. The strongest stations, at least in Stuart, PSL, and Fort Pierce, serve West Palm Beach (WLDI and WKGR, among others). But depending on where one is located along the Treasure Coast, it is relatively easy to DX stations out of West Palm Beach, Orlando, Melbourne, and even, at times, Tampa. Tropo events can bring in stations from Jacksonville to Charleston.
when i lived in cocoa, i worked at 1300 and didnt do am dxing.. cuse i lived at the tower site. i did have a big ass tv antenna on the roof with a rotor... i seem to recall i could get some Jacksonville and Miami stations
For many years I drove between Jacksonville & the Ft. Lauderdale area. One of the highlights of the trip was getting on the Turnpike in Ft. Pierce. This was at the time you had to wait for a ticket or pay. While many probably complained about the lines, I took advantage of scanning for stations near & far. And like you said, sometimes even Tampa came in. Most times I was alone in the car. Others would never understand my fascination with picking up stations from far away.
It must be a common practice in radio as I've heard many stations do this sort of thing. Also, there's some branding that will list a couple decades but add "and more" to cover other periods.
I would suspect that iHeart looked at the markets served by Premium Choice Classic Hits programming and decided including 70s in the mix made sense given demos in those markets served.
I spend a lot of time in doctors' offices lately and WQOL can be heard in the background in many. I'm sure a lot of research has gone in to their playlist and being heard in offices and waiting rooms is a good strategy for a Classic Hits format.
Being shockingly flat with 100kw stations 1600 feet up will do that.
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