TPA to MIA

 The radio dial in Tampa was much as I left it last year. 88.5 WMNF remains the only interesting station on the dial. Btu they seem to have more talk programming every year and are beginning to lost my interest. Further down the coast in Sarasota  96.5 WSLR-LP is still a huge winner. When I tuned in I first heard a few minuted of latin jazz and then an interview with "Mike" of the Yes men, that delightful group of political pranksters. It was really a great piece since they were in the news lately. But reception crapped out just a few exists later leaving me with 90.9 WGCU which might as well be WUSF, they're both NPR zombies.

The AM dial was a bit more interesting down that stretch. "The Avenue" a standards station, broadcasts on 1660 WCNZ-AM and 1440 WWCL-AM. A bit further down the coast, "the Dove" a similar nostalgia station is simulcast on 1320 WDDV-AM, and WSDV-AM 1450 AM. The Dove distinguished itself by playing more show tunes, such as the abominable "Shrimp boats" by Jo Stafford. Also a novelty,  101.1 WAVV was loud and clear all the way into the everglades. They are one of the few remaining "beautiful music stations" and at 100,000 watts.. certainly the most powerful. I actually could hear 88.9 WDNA out of Miami at least intermittently before they faded out completely. Goldengate Florida is the last outpost beore _75 turns into alligator alley and cuts across the Everglades. I stopped for gas and heard a Cuban music pirate on 530 AM.  It might be Radio Rebelde out of Cuba, but it's just as likely a pirate repeating the signal on MW.more here.

Also notable in the glades was 98.7 WFLU-LP. While technically just another Florida Highway Advisory Station, it actually is airing the "Everglades network" a prerecorded set of programs about green tourism and their efforts in the everglades. The station simulcasts on 107.9 WFLU-LP, and the program originates at 90.1 WGCU in Ft. Myers. It was actually surprisingly good programming. More here. 1700-Am WJCC was spinning Latin dance for all the alligators,

In Miami the AM dial just about exploded with activity. Besides killer stations such as WDNA and 90.5 WVUM there were reams of Caribbean stations spinning rhumba, salsa, afro-cuban jazz.. and a myriad of sub-genres. In the rest of the nation Spanish radio inherently means norteno, regional Mexican, and tejano. It's rare the station is quite so selective. But in south Florida it's another bird entirely. WHSR-AM 980 is Radio Haiti, and WLQY-AM 1320 airs mostly creole, some great music. WSRF-AM 1580 has been billing itself as Haitian-American as well, though the station was all talk each time I tuned in.

But I also heard one unidentified oddity on 1590 AM, down in Pinecrest Florida. There was a station running a short loop of good honking saxophone rock n roll oldies and chamber of commerce announcements. It is not licensed. They have a dot gov website here, with the call letters WQFS, which they don't actually own. I am assuming they operate under part 15. I found a town newsletter from 2011 that explains the situation a bit. I quote below

"The Village already has a radio station, which no one knows about or uses. If you look for the signs, near our parks, you will see them promoting "Tune in to Pinecrest Radio 1590 AM." The investment of the equipment and band access by the Village about five years ago was never really maximized the way it could be, but that is about to change..."

This issue here of Florida DX news lists them as an unconfirmed Municipal Information Station operating under Part 15 since 2006, but also as unconfirmed. I hereby confirm it, good work gentlemen.

TPA to RSW

It's important to admit first that there is no radio on the west coast of Florida. It's so bad, the Enterprise rent-a-car map for the region lists only formats and frequencies —no call letters. The map identifies the mighty 88.5 WMNF as "variety." WMNF is audible loud and proud in the Tampa metro but also to the south, through Bradenton, Sarasota and into Port Charlotte where it starts to crap out. University of South Florida owns 89.7 WUSF and runs 100% syndicate NPR programming —nothing local at all. they also own 89.1 WSMR and there air 24/7 classical out of Sarasota.

Most of the rest of the radio band is crap. I had high hopes for 89.3 WKFA being owned by Florida Public Radio but unbeknownst to me they're part of another network of religious stations: WPIO, WEJF, WEGS, KREJ, KSNS, KSKB, KLOX, and WKTO. The religious network was first established in the early 1970s and presently carries programming from Family Life, Moody Bible Broadcasting and The Cavalry Chapel. On Sundays they have a bluegrass show and a polka show but that hardly makes up for sucking the rest of the week.

On 1320 WDDV-AM simulcasts really bland nostalgia with 1450 WSDV-AM. It is so mild, and forgettable it could almost be beautiful music, there was no beat whatsoever. 1230 WONN-AM and 720 WRZN-AM are hardly better. To me with the aging population this metro seems like a candidate for an adult standards station that can swing, something like KCEA-FM out in Atherton. The most lively thing on the AM dial in Tampa was an ethnic Greek station, 1520 WXYB-AM, which does not simulcast on their sister station 1500 WPSO-AM north of Tampa in Port Ritchie. Yes, Tampa has two different ethnic Greek music stations, and that is pretty awesome. On the way out of town I realized that gospel station 1590 WRXB-AM is also on 96.5 FM in Bradenton, via translator W243AK.

In Sarasota I found a real gem. 96.5 WSLR-LP. Sadly it gets interference on the north side from the highly dubious W243AK (see above.)  WSLR operates at a modest 23 watts and is only clear intermittently along I-75. But wow, what a station. When I tuned in Friday, they were airing Democracy now, then on Sunday,  all-Dixieland which had to be the Louisiana Gumbo Show with John Osgood. Had I passed through at other times I'd have been equally likely to find Hawaiian music as the Blues. That is the kind of station that every town needs.*Also just learned that they also carry two Native American radio programs, a rarity!

It was the last decent station I heard. In Punta Gorda WCVU's easy listening format is a novelty but not really listenable. in Ft. Meyers christian propaganda airs on every frequency from the bottom to the top of the educational band. 88.1 to 91.9 with the sole exception of 90.9 WGCU which just airs all NPR like WUSF. They have a single local program on Sunday's, a call-in program called Gulf Coast Live. But really, that brief window of WSLR around exit 210 on I-75 was the highlight of the drive.

Orlando and points south

Orlando is home to Rollins College 91.5 WPRK a modest 1300 watts and not much else. Were it not for the depressing flatness of Florida PRK wouldn't be audible outside their city limits. By comparison Tampa's 88.5 WMNF reaches deep into the neighboring markets of Lakeland-Winterhaven, Sarasota, and even Sebring.

Of course Orlando has about a dozen theme parks so who needs radio right? Well Disney world does. They use up an incredible number of frequencies under a very special contract with the state of Florida. Disney runs their own fire, and police departments that operate as quasi legal agencies within their property. Everything is radio interfaced, float mics, security, audio greetings, stunt technicians, transportation carts, maintenance, janitorial services etc.
and speaking of that, here are some of their codes:

100 - Delayed opening
101 - Attraction is Down - Routine
102 - Attraction is up - Routine
104 - Attraction is operating at reduced capacity
105 - Attraction is operating at full capacity
902 - Traffic Accident
904 - Fire
90 - Temperature has reached 90°, loosen clothing
P,XX - VIP importance where P stands for Priority... and the x's indicate importance.
Code "V" vomit
Code "P","U" Urine
Code "H" horse crap

So were you to jam KUL486 on the frequency of 464.625 and announce "PXXX, 904, Code H, V and P, you could shut down epcot center. hypothetically. For the record, I am not encouraging anyone. This is generally a bad idea to antagonize anyone with as much money as Disney. More here.

Everybody Klezmer!

Everyone likes klezmer. They just don't know it yet.

In the 1930's there used to be dozens of Yiddish radio stations and hundreds more individual radio programs. There were 30 just in new York city! Not all were playing Klezmer but you get the idea. Today there are only a few in the whole world. Many only squeeze as time leased programming. Nothing wrong with time leased programming mind you. It's just not exactly the bee's knee's as time slots go usually. Below is a small selection of these programs

WUNR 1600 AM Boston, MA
"The Yiddish Voice"
Runs a weekly, hour-long Yiddish-language radio show serving Boston's Yiddish-speaking community since 1994.

WNWR AM 1540 Philadelphia, PA
"The Barry Reisman Show"
...On the air Monday - Friday from 3-4 weekday afternoons. Reisman's blend of klezmer, Yiddish, and Israeli music along with interviews and listener phone calls have made his program a fixture in the Philadelphia radio market since 1965.

WMRD 1150 AM Middletown, CT/WLIS-AM 1420 Old Saybrook, CT
"N'Shoma"
A music program focused on eclectic and contemporary Klezmer & Jewish music. They announce listings of activities from local synagogues and organizations

WMNF 88.5 Tampa, FL
"Sunday Simcha"
Music, local announcements, Dvar Torah, interviews, etc. The audience has grown over the years and includes many non-Jews as well. The music is a mix of Klezmer, Chassidic, Israeli, Yiddish, Ladino, Mizrachi and more.

KEOS 89.1 College Station, TX
"Rejuvenating Heritage"
A weekly radio program exploring all types of Jewish music. It features a mix of Israeli pop/rock, Yiddish, Klezmer, as well as other Jewish inspired music.

And don't forget this...
THE YIDDISH RADIO PROJECT
http://www.yiddishradioproject.org/
http://www.yiddishculture.org/radio/
Damn that was a good CD, a great reason to donate to NPR.