The sad death of Lite

[AMRocks]

When Cox flipped 93.1 to Easy, it almost seemed like a foolish mistake. After all, they were the second banana to the monster at the time, Lite. But Cox did it right. Lots of TV ads and a flip to Christmas when they first came on the air. Then, it was just slow and steady. They started with a few Johnny Mathis' and Barbra Streisand's mixed in and slowly phased them out and hipped up the place.

Then Entercom got ownership of Lite. Cuts happened. (I mean, how many stations actually had a live overnight host? And weekend jocks that carried the same shift both Saturday and Sunday and who were considered part of the staff, like full timers?) They fired Rob Sidney who basically was the reason for that station and it's success. Wasn't he there like 30 years? Ratings slipped, morale dropped.

Now, in the latest ratings, although Lite still has good cume, the share isn't anything it was way back when. WFEZ is now the market's top station. And knowing Cox, they plan to keep it that way.

But wait! Cox is no longer actually Cox. So, we'll see what happens in the AC wars in Miami.

(Yes, my headline of "death" is far from where Lite is, but it's definitely "sick.")

 

[Mikey Radio]

When Cox flipped 93.1 to Easy, it almost seemed like a foolish mistake.

...and I'll admit being one of the people who was PISSED that Miami lost 93 Rock, which as you state transitioned to Christmas music, then emerged the day after Christmas, 2010 as "Easy 93.1". Miami may not have the best demographics to support a proper "rock" station, but pre-streaming and before SiriusXM became readily available in almost every automobile, 93 Rock was one of my go to stations on nights and weekends.

 

[TheBigA]

They started with a few Johnny Mathis' and Barbra Streisand's mixed in and slowly phased them out and hipped up the place.

That music for old people in the 60s. That was 50 years ago.

 

[AMRocks]

That music for old people in the 60s. That was 50 years ago.

Yes. It was/is. But they added those tunes into the mix to get that crowd. The only station on the dial like it. After they grabbed them, they slowly got rid of those "dated" tunes and made the music younger. Old people stayed. Younger people (women) added. I bet, to this day, if you look at the demographics of WFEZ, it's older than Lite. It was a brilliant move that's worked for them in the past in other markets.

 

[strangelove]

Easy was even playing "This Guy's In Love With You" by Herb Alpert when they launched which was more than bit surprising to hear on an FM station in 2010. When Cox blew up 93 Rock I wasn't terribly upset to see it go. Ironically Big 105.9 is playing a lot of the same songs that were in heavy rotation on 93 Rock at the time of its demise and today it's my go-to station.

 

[John FL]

Then Entercom got ownership of Lite. Cuts happened. (I mean, how many stations actually had a live overnight host? And weekend jocks that carried the same shift both Saturday and Sunday and who were considered part of the staff, like full timers?) They fired Rob Sidney who basically was the reason for that station and it's success. Wasn't he there like 30 years? Ratings slipped, morale dropped.

I agree with you in that Rob Sidney was the genius behind WLYF's success. In my view, there not only was excellence but the station was unique to virtually everything else. It wasn't the same old same old and the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale market responded to that in stellar ratings and billing.

But to clarify, Rob Sidney informed me a while back that he left WLYF in December, 2017 (his choice) at the conclusion of his contract. After 27 years at the helm, he was eager for a change. Entercom wished to explore other options as well which included making various changes.

It was also Rob's decision to leave WFEZ in June, 2020 wrapping up 33 years in South Florida radio. Cox Media Group's sale to new owners and with the departure of another programming legend, Gary Williams, Rob simply wanted to leave on his own terms, which is understandable.

 

[strangelove]

But how much of Lite and Easy's listener base are/were people who worked in offices and at businesses where the stations were on all day? If the stations are sick with anything it's probably COVID related. See what I did there?

 

[DavidEduardo]

When Cox flipped 93.1 to Easy, it almost seemed like a foolish mistake. After all, they were the second banana to the monster at the time, Lite. But Cox did it right. Lots of TV ads and a flip to Christmas when they first came on the air. Then, it was just slow and steady. They started with a few Johnny Mathis' and Barbra Streisand's mixed in and slowly phased them out and hipped up the place.

Actually, Cox made a major, catastrophic blunder in making 93.1 into a clone of WDUV in Tampa. They did not realize that Miami had long ago stopped being a slow retirement community and was over 70% ethnic. They programmed for an audience that did not exist.

After several long years, they adapted, particularly to the Hispanic 52% of the market. And suddenly, they were tying and then beating Life. The concept was so favorably seen that they adapted WDUV.

WDUV had been #1 in 12+, but around 15th in revenue and 25-54. They copied the elements of 93.1 and suddenly WDUV shot up in 25-54 and is now in the top couple of market billers.

Then Entercom got ownership of Lite. Cuts happened. (I mean, how many stations actually had a live overnight host? And weekend jocks that carried the same shift both Saturday and Sunday and who were considered part of the staff, like full timers?) They fired Rob Sidney who basically was the reason for that station and it's success. Wasn't he there like 30 years? Ratings slipped, morale dropped.

Now, in the latest ratings, although Lite still has good cume, the share isn't anything it was way back when. WFEZ is now the market's top station. And knowing Cox, they plan to keep it that way.

Entercom has a horrible track record in understanding Hispanics and their tastes. That can be seen in their markets that have higher percentages of Hispanics. They are just oblivious to not just the tastes of Hispanics but how they influence musical tastes in many markets in formats as diverse as CHR and AC, Adult Hits and GOld-based options.

 

[Groove1670]

...and I'll admit being one of the people who was PISSED that Miami lost 93 Rock, which as you state transitioned to Christmas music, then emerged the day after Christmas, 2010 as "Easy 93.1". Miami may not have the best demographics to support a proper "rock" station, but pre-streaming and before SiriusXM became readily available in almost every automobile, 93 Rock was one of my go to stations on nights and weekends.

The numbers were horrible when they were dance, and they were horrible when it was rock. They invested millions on this station. They had to find something that would work. As they say, the rest is history.

 

[Mikey Radio]

The numbers were horrible when they were dance, and they were horrible when it was rock. They invested millions on this station. They had to find something that would work. As they say, the rest is history.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not accusing them of making a bad decision by switching from "93 Rock" to "Easy 93.1" by any means, and obviously as the ratings (and I'm sure their billing) prove, it worked out tremendously for them in the long-term. I personally was just unhappy at the time to lose a station I liked. They could've reduced the repetition and added more songs to their playlist, but otherwise I enjoyed listening to it. That said, as stated before, the overall demographics of the Miami/Lauderdale market aren't favorable to a proper rocker.

 

[sfradio]

Lite is not really dead, in the last ratings that matters in 25-54 WLYF was #4 while WFEZ was #5, in 18-34 WLYF was #3 while WFEZ was #4, in 18-34 WLYF was #2 while WFEZ was #4.

 

[andrewduong77]

WDUV had been #1 in 12+, but around 15th in revenue and 25-54. They copied the elements of 93.1 and suddenly WDUV shot up in 25-54 and is now in the top couple of market billers.

I believe every Soft AC has to evolve at some point if they want to remain viable in 25-54. Many of the Soft AC including KISQ, KBEB, WISX, KSWD, and WLIT are adopting their Soft AC to how WFEZ is doing it. Same with WDZH before it flipped to Alternative. Who knows if WFEZ is adopting its Soft AC to how KISQ, WLIT, and the rest of iHM's and Entercom's Soft AC are doing it.

 

[DavidEduardo]

I believe every Soft AC has to evolve at some point if they want to remain viable in 25-54. Many of the Soft AC including KISQ, KBEB, WISX, KSWD, and WLIT are adopting their Soft AC to how WFEZ is doing it. Same with WDZH before it flipped to Alternative. Who knows if WFEZ is adopting its Soft AC to how KISQ, WLIT, and the rest of iHM's and Entercom's Soft AC are doing it.

The major difference in Miami is not music-based but ethnic based. WFEZ has obviously researched both non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics, because Miami's market is now over 50% Hispanic and the "mood" of the market is very Latin flavored. WFEZ does better with Hispanics, not as well with non-Hispanics.

But the majority of businesses, banks, car dealers and such in Miami a Hispanic owned and it's the only mainland US market where Hispanic average family income is higher than that of non-Hispanic whites. So favoring Hispanics there makes big sense.

 

[victorres43]

The major difference in Miami is not music-based but ethnic based. WFEZ has obviously researched both non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics, because Miami's market is now over 50% Hispanic and the "mood" of the market is very Latin flavored. WFEZ does better with Hispanics, not as well with non-Hispanics.

But the majority of businesses, banks, car dealers and such in Miami a Hispanic owned and it's the only mainland US market where Hispanic average family income is higher than that of non-Hispanic whites. So favoring Hispanics there makes big sense.

That's perhaps why WFEZ has played songs such as Back For Good and Virtual Insanity, songs that were hits internationally but much less so in the US.

Aside from the Hispanic audience, isn't Easy 93.1 also successful (to a lesser extent) as a result of picking up old 97.3 the Coast listeners? Especially considering that Easy plays a lot of songs that were prominent on Coast.

 

[itsTheRolyPoly]

That's perhaps why WFEZ has played songs such as Back For Good and Virtual Insanity, songs that were hits internationally but much less so in the US.

Aside from the Hispanic audience, isn't Easy 93.1 also successful (to a lesser extent) as a result of picking up old 97.3 the Coast listeners? Especially considering that Easy plays a lot of songs that were prominent on Coast.

I live in South Florida... To answer the question: Yes. It is successful in doing so and I say that because I'm one of them that have since made the switch to Easy, especially when after WFLC switched over to Top 40 as Hits. I really did love The Coast for a long time, switching between them and Lite FM after I stopped listening to Party 93.1 when they switched over to Rock (that wasn't so hot) and Easy reminds me of those times a lot.

 

[strangelove]

I never thought I'd see the day where I had Easy and Lite on my presets but lately I've been able to find something I like hearing on both stations. I liked The Coast in the early 90s when it launched but later only listened when they did they Totally 80s Weekend. That was a fun listen.

 

[101tm]

WLYF - another heritage station Audacy has no idea what the heck they’re doing with.

 

[itsTheRolyPoly]

I never thought I'd see the day where I had Easy and Lite on my presets but lately I've been able to find something I like hearing on both stations. I liked The Coast in the early 90s when it launched but later only listened when they did they Totally 80s Weekend. That was a fun listen.

The Totally 80s Channel - 97.3 The Coast (WFLC-HD2).

 

[strangelove]

The Totally 80s Channel - 97.3 The Coast (WFLC-HD2).

I used to listen to that when I had an HD radio in my car but I was so unimpressed with the audio quality of HD I made sure to get a regular head unit when it came time to replace it.

 

[DavidEduardo]

WLYF - another heritage station Audacy has no idea what the heck they’re doing with.

What they are doing is making money. In 2019 (ignoring the more recent pandemic year) WLYF was tied with WAMR as the market's highest billing radio station.

In a 4-month rolling average, WLYF is second only to WHQT in 25-54, although in that second place it is tied with WFEZ.

Ratings are not an election. There can be a dozen or more winners. And in Miami there is certainly room for two more traditional AC formats. Both are doing well and are quite healthy.