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New Miami FM - The Shark

Nice to see Entercom making use of that FM signal. I always thought simulcasting the station was a waste of a frequency. If only CBS would split the WFAN simulcast, but as long as ESPN is on 98.7 I don't see that happening. Still can't get used to hearing Sunny on 107.9. It seems to have been on 104.3 forever.
 
benale said:
Nice to see Entercom making use of that FM signal. I always thought simulcasting the station was a waste of a frequency. If only CBS would split the WFAN simulcast, but as long as ESPN is on 98.7 I don't see that happening. Still can't get used to hearing Sunny on 107.9. It seems to have been on 104.3 forever.
Click to expand...

In a market that is nearly 60% Hispanic in 18-49 and 25-54, I wonder how alternative will do. As a rule, alternative is amply rejected across all of Latin America (except for a bit of the crossover CHR stuff).
 
Re:

In reviewing the playlist, this station seems to be more of a weak-sauced Modern AC than a true Alternative Rock outlet.

Daft Punk? Fun? Amy Winehouse? BARF!!!!

Not sure why the station is pandering so heavily for the Hot AC / AC crowd when Big 105.9 (classic rock) sounds soooooooo old & crusty. This isn't like Seattle, K.C. or Sacramento where there's an Active Rock sister station within the same cluster.
 
Because Miami is so adverse to Rock formats, it makes sense to not make The Shark 104.3 too much of a hard-edged, male-only Alternative station. Let's remember that 93.1 was Active Rock for a few years after leaving Smooth Jazz. It didn't work. That left Miami and NYC as the only two significant markets with no contemporary rock station, not Active Rock, not Alternative.

Let's remember that when Alternative/Modern Rock had its biggest success, it was aimed at women as much as men... Blondie, Thompson Twins, Go Gos, Annie Lennox/Eurythmics, etc. Somewhere along the way it became very male and not very pop-leaning. Can this new station rock hard enough for guys but be friendly to female listeners too? As David points out above, the number of non-Hispanic listeners in Miami is not great. So you'd better tailor a Miami Alternative Rock station to be more mass-appeal.
 
et's remember that when Alternative/Modern Rock had its biggest success, it was aimed at women as much as men... Blondie, Thompson Twins, Go Gos, Annie Lennox/Eurythmics, etc.
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Your memory is very different than my own, apparently.

Modern Rock had its biggest success during the grunge and post-grunge eras of the 1990s. It certainly didn't involve ANY of the artists you just named.

"The Shark" isn't a very good name for a station that plays such an overwhelming abundance of wimpy, low energy music.

I do agree that an alternative station makes more sense than a 93 Rock clone, but this version of "alternative" is going to be a ratings loser in the long run unless substantial changes are made to the playlist. A playlist closer to that of Q101 in Chicago, 93.3 in Phoenix or 91X in San Diego would be nice.

Part of me cannot help but wonder if a broad-based Rock station along the lines of WMMR in Philly (far different city I realize) might work in S. Florida, i.e. a station that plays plenty of crossover alternative artists along with mainstream hard & classic rock acts.
 
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DavidEduardo said:


As a rule, alternative is amply rejected across all of Latin America (except for a bit of the crossover CHR stuff).
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This explains why the station has to play more modern AC-based music. It's gotta play the hits if it wants any chance of survival in Miami. I'm surprised it came to Miami to begin with. And remember, the station just debuted. It will largely open with a tight playlist of super-familiar songs. It's what WKQX and KDKB did in the beginning as well. Heck, I remember WRFF playing The Fray and Nickelback in its early days. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
 
MarkW said:
Part of me cannot help but wonder if a broad-based Rock station along the lines of WMMR in Philly (far different city I realize) might work in S. Florida, i.e. a station that plays plenty of crossover alternative artists along with mainstream hard & classic rock acts.
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In Miami?

This is a very different lifestyle than Philly or any post-industrial grungy northeastern city.

And in under-55's, it's 60% Hispanic and nearly 25% African American.

It's been decades since the market had a successful rock station. There is no habit of listening to rock even by most non-Hispanic whites... as few of those as there are now. WMMR is one of the greatest heritage stations in the country, and it has "grown up" with two generations of listeners. There is no comparable chain of continuous, well rated rock radio in Miami.
 
Re:

You are right, of course, that there is no analog to WMMR in S. Florida.

94-9 Zeta was the last successful rock station, and the migration of their successful morning show to 105.9 (as well as CC's desire to better serve the area's large Latino population) basically doomed Zeta.

103.1 The Buzz in WPB never really had a string of impressive ratings books, at least not in the last five-plus years that station was on the air.

There is just such an enormous gulf (music wise) between stations like 98.7 & 105.9 and the new 104.3. I would add there are plenty of folks who reside in S. Florida who are transplants from colder regions of the country such as the northeast and upper midwest. :)

BTW, when Alternative first came back to Chicago on 87.7 (and was later returned to 101.1), the playlist in *both* instances was better programmed than some of the garbage 104.3 is playing. I doubt long disenfranchised modern rock listeners are jumping for joy because a station is playing The Fray, Amy Winehouse, and some overplayed burnt out song from Fun.

Hopefully 104.3 works out the rough patches and the music starts to sound better in the days & weeks ahead.
 
Gregg. said:
Let's remember that 93.1 was Active Rock for a few years after leaving Smooth Jazz.
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When did the 93.1 in Miami play smooth jazz?
Remember, the number after the decimal is important!
 
MarkW said:
I would add there are plenty of folks who reside in S. Florida who are transplants from colder regions of the country such as the northeast and upper midwest. .
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In truth, there is not that vast pool of northern Non-Hispanic whites you are referring to.

Miami

South Florida is Marco Rubio, not Mark Fornillo from Philly or Mike O'Shea from Boston. It's not a destination for people from the Northeast and has not been for many decades.

The best chance with alternative... if there is one at all... is to be somewhere between the rhythmic CHR stations and core alternative music for those who want what would really be closer to an alternative Top 40. That might capture a significant enough number of Hispanic listeners to make the station a success.
 
93.1 never played Smooth Jazz. You might have been thinking of 93.9(Love 94) 93.1 was Classical until 2001. Then they went to a dance format and hard rock before "Easy 93" several years ago. Am I missing a format inbetween?
 
David - I respect what you have to say, and you probably know S. Florida (and any market with a large Hispanic population) about as well as anyone. So, I would be curious to know if you personally believe this was a wise format decision, or if Entercom should've went in a different direction with 104.3.

Other than some sort of "hot talk" format or Variety Hits (already was tried by iHeart with 103.5 with only lukewarm success), I really don't see any other viable English language format available for the taking. The urban, CHR, Hot AC, AdCon, Country and Classic Hits/Rock audiences are already served well in both Miami-Ft. Lauderdale and the Palm Beaches.

It *is* interesting to me that Miami lacks a Hot Talk station along the lines of Real Radio, or 102.5 The Bone, etc.
 
With Entercom running WAXY as an alternative station, it will do just fine with it's targeted audience, and just may pick up many more listeners with it's 100k signal
 
I really thought the palm beach market would
Get an alternative station first. Although
I live in Boynton and 104.3 comes
In clear with an HD SIGNAL. I wonder if south palm beach will help ratings. I also
Wonder how far north the signal will reach.
 
adambaer2879 said:
I really thought the palm beach market would
Get an alternative station first.
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The new Entercom PD in Miami was previously an alternative PD in WPB for CBS, before they sold their stations there. Apparently the format failed there.

I remember listening to 104.3 when I lived in Boynton.
 
My mistake. As said above, 93.9 was Smooth Jazz for many years. 93.1 was Classical for many years, then briefly Dance, then for a while Active Rock.

I seem to remember Alternative/Modern Rock being at its biggest in the 80s. A good chunk of the Top 40 was Alt/Modern, Culture Club, U2, REM, Tears for Fears, plus all the women-led groups I mentioned above. (I forgot Human League, which had both male and female lead singers. And both The Pretenders and 10,000 Maniacs, also led by women.) KROQ LA, 91X San Diego, KITS San Francisco were all top 10 stations. Even Z100 in NYC went Modern Top 40 for a while before going back to mainstream.

But we know how programmers are. If Miami hasn't had a Contemporary or Alternative Rock station in a long time, someone will try it, just as every few years, someone tries it in NYC. If it works in virtually every other U.S. market, big or medium, a programming consultant will wonder, why not Miami or NYC? LA is about as Hispanic as Miami, yet has TWO Alternative Rock stations. As said above, what other Anglo format is not airing in Miami?
 
Gregg. said:
But we know how programmers are. If Miami hasn't had a Contemporary or Alternative Rock station in a long time, someone will try it, just as every few years, someone tries it in NYC. If it works in virtually every other U.S. market, big or medium, a programming consultant will wonder, why not Miami or NYC?
Click to expand...

A company should evaluate the possible holes and weaknesses, and then confirm them with a format search or some form of perceptual research on identifiable core groups and music genres.

LA is about as Hispanic as Miami, yet has TWO Alternative Rock stations.
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But Miami is a totally Hispanic flavored. For example, 75% of the bank executives in Miami/Dade are Hispanic, and Hispanics own a number of them. More than half the businesses in the county are Hispanic owned and managed. The clubs, the museums, the concerts and cultural activities are predominantly focused on and patronized by Hispanics.

LA is 40% Hispanic. Miami/Dade is two thirds Hispanic and the MSA is over 50% Hispanic. And that does not count the perhaps 100,000 Hispanic families from all over Latin America who have second homes in Miami. On the business side, most of the Miami economy is based on selling goods and services to Latin America, further increasing the Hispanic influence.

Finally, keep in mind that a huge percentage of Miami / Miami MSA Hispanics or their parents came here as refugees from the political and economic problems of Colombia, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba. They are predominantly of an affluent background and better educated, and those from Colombia and Venezuela often came with large amounts of investment capital. This is totally unlike the Los Angeles community, where, per the 2010 Census, over 50% of foreign born Hispanics had less than a 6th grade education.

As said above, what other Anglo format is not airing in Miami?
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Most new formats in congested markets are wedges in between two or more existing stations and formats, picking off the settlers on each with a slightly different approach.
 
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