On Tuesday (9/26) WMFE in
Orlando announced they had purchased WKSG 89.5 FM, licensed to Cedar Creek,
Florida. The price was $900,000. WKSG is/was an independent public radio
station with a jazz, big band swing format that calls itself The Boulevard.
There is already
speculation about what type of programming will be on 89.5. I attended the Super Regional this week.
There, I had the chance to talk with WMFE’s General Manager LaFontaine Oliver
about WMFE’s plans. He told me they truly are undecided.
Classical is the obvious
first choice because WMFE has had a longtime relationship with Orlando’s
Classical music community. For many
years WMFE had a dual NPR News/Talk and Classical. As the years gone by, the station evolved
into full-time News/Talk, much to the chagrin of Classical fans.
89.5's projected coverage area |
There is one downside to
owning 89.5 FM. It’s signal reaches only parts of the geographically large
Orlando metro. The projected coverage
area for 89.5 is on the right. Oliver says WMFE has just begun looking at
options to deliver a more robust signal. On the other hand, 89.5 can be heard
by many in the city and northern suburbs.
Oliver seemed to indicate
that using 89.5 as a repeater to extend WMFE’s coverage to the north is a
viable option. He told the Orlando Sentinel [link]:
LaFontaine Oliver |
“The new
station allows us to expand the footprint of our public service journalism. Forming this network will also make us stronger and more
sustainable, as we are able to spread our existing costs over two systems.”
The Sentinel report theorized:
Public radio station 90.7 WMFE is going to reach
more listeners by purchasing WKSG-FM 89.5 and forming a network. The chief
beneficiaries include The Villages as well
as more of Lake, Volusia, Marion and Sumter counties.
Jazz is certainly not an
option because Orlando’s WUCF has a long history in the format. When I asked
him, Oliver didn’t seem warm to Triple A. Oliver told me going with Classical
on 89.5 is on the list:
“We need to ascertain the interest and support of
the Classical music community before proceeding further.”
The deal is pending FCC
for approval. WFME will likely take over
89.5 early in 2018.
WMFE is taking format
suggestions by email. Listeners (or even
you) can offer your advice to Oliver by sending an email to: wmfe@wmfe.org.
.”
No comments:
Post a Comment