WFLZ-FM
Encyclopedia
WFLZ-FM is a CHR/Pop station broadcasting in the Tampa Bay area, Florida
, USA. Before the 1990s, the station played the oldies
format before switching to Top 40 to compete against local CHR Q105. The station became 93.3 The Power Pig, and later was re-imaged to 93.3 FLZ. The station is the flagship station for the MJ Morning Show hosted by Todd Schnitt
, which is also played on other Clear Channel
FM stations in Florida
and Missouri
. The station has a class C signal operating at 99,000 watts, and is one of the most powerful FM radio stations in Florida, covering four of the state's radio markets.
WFLZ currently broadcasts in HD
format. 93.3 HD-1 simulcasts the analog WFLZ-FM 93.3 MHz ("93-3 FLZ HD-1 Hit music"), whereas 93.3 HD-2 exclusively broadcasts dance music ("93-3 FLZ HD-2 Club Phusion
").
" format. The station was owned by The Tampa Tribune
, which also owned WFLA
and WFLA-TV
in Tampa. In 1966, the Tribune and its three stations were sold to Richmond Newspapers, which became Media General
in 1969.
In 1981, after spending most of its early life as a Beautiful Music station, it changed to a country format, as WOJC, "Orange Country 93". However, it was unable to compete against country powerhouses at the time, WSUN and WQYK-FM
.
In the mid-1980s, it changed again to a more-conventional adult contemporary format, bringing back the WFLA-FM calls and using the name "93FLA". While it was a little more successful, it still faced competition from WNLT
and WIQI
.
It was then reformatted into WPDS ("Paradise 93"), a soft adult contemporary formatted station, but this too was unsuccessful.
WFLA-FM and its AM sister, WFLA-AM, were purchased by Jacor Broadcasting in 1988. It changed its calls to WFLZ and soon changed to oldies, as "Z93". Competing against WHBO
, it lasted only a year.
and what is now WFUS
. For a few months, WFLZ simulcasted on KHTS-FM
in San Diego as a CHR format was created for San Diego's market. In 1996, Jacor Broadcasting sold its Tampa Bay TV station WTSP-TV to Gannett Broadcasting in exchange for 6 radio stations in 3 markets, one of which was local Hot AC rival WUSA-FM
. Also, Bubba the Love Sponge was promoted to mornings on sister station WXTB
. In 1998, Jacor Broadcasting was acquired by Clear Channel
, putting WFLZ under the same roof as its former competitor, WRBQ, until it was sold off to Infinity Broadcasting. This created an awkward situation, as the staff of WRBQ, who were subject to personal attacks from WFLZ, had moved to higher positions in Clear Channel that oversaw their old rivals at WFLZ.
In 2000, the station underwent a slight re-imaging, adopting a new logo and the slogan "The #1 Hit Music Channel". Meanwhile, Bubba the Love Sponge took former producer Mike Calta (aka Cowhead) to court. Bubba claimed that Calta could not use the Cowhead name at his new position as morning man at WRBQ, but the courts sided with Calta, and he retained the name at Q105. In the same month, long time morning man and operations manager BJ Harris left WFLZ for Cincinnati to do afternoons and PD work. MJ remained at mornings on WFLZ, turning it into The MJ Morning Show
. The next year, MJ started his own afternoon show The Schnitt Show on Clear Channel's heritage talker in Miami, WIOD
, shortly following the September 11 attacks in 2001. MJ/Schnitt continued to do the show from Tampa despite the Miami broadcast. Three months later, the show was added locally to WFLA. Upon the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
' victory at the Super Bowl
, WFLZ changed its branding to 93.3 B-U-C temporarily. In 2004 it earned the "CHR Station of the Year" and "CHR Personality of the Year" (for Kane) awards in the Radio Music Awards.
93.3 FLZ remains the most listened to radio station in the Tampa Bay area with close to 800,000 people tuning in each week.
, in 2010 it was Kris Allen
and in 2011 it was Paper Tongues
. While this event highlights a national recording artist/group, it is also a popular singles mingle event which draws over 1,000 people.
, The Fray
, Jordin Sparks
, Sean Kingston
, Boys Like Girls
, We The Kings
, Ke$ha, Jason Derulo
, Adam Lambert
, 3OH!3
and Iyaz
. In 2010 the performers were Maroon 5
, B.o.B.
, Enrique Iglesias
, Bruno Mars
, Train
, Shontelle
, Dev
, Mike Posner and The Ready Set
.
. The name "Pig Pen" was probably taken from WFLZ's previous station image "The Power Pig." In 2009 this social networking site was discontinued.
(FCC) for a purported prank phone call to Nicollette Sheridan
in the middle of the night made by MJ that took place in November 2004.
.
The first incident began on June 18, 2007, when the station made headlines after the MJ Morning Show placed at least three outdoor advertisements (2 in the Tampa Bay area, one in Jacksonville) featuring Internet photos of Spears with her shaved head, along with the face of Kelli and the slogans "Total Nut Jobs", "Shock Therapy" and "Certifiable". The advertisements were placed on billboards owned by WFLZ's sister company Clear Channel Outdoor
. Evidently being notified about the billboards, Spears and her representatives were not pleased, and threatened to sue Clear Channel if they were not removed immediately. Clear Channel consented and they were removed the following day. The decision to have them removed had Kelli upset that his employers caved in to legal pressure from Spears' representatives.
The second flack would flare up again in January 2009, when the station made headlines by being one of the first to play Spears' controversial single "If You Seek Amy". The title, when said quickly sounds like the singer is spelling out an obscenity, f-u-c-k, followed by the word "me". The station broadcast an edited version, and even created a version with morning host MJ Kelli saying "MJ" in place of "Amy." but that did not stop complaints from The Parents Television Council.
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, USA. Before the 1990s, the station played the oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
format before switching to Top 40 to compete against local CHR Q105. The station became 93.3 The Power Pig, and later was re-imaged to 93.3 FLZ. The station is the flagship station for the MJ Morning Show hosted by Todd Schnitt
Todd Schnitt
Todd Andrew Schnitt is an American radio personality. Schnitt hosts two different shows daily from the Clear Channel Broadcast complex in Tampa, Florida...
, which is also played on other Clear Channel
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...
FM stations in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. The station has a class C signal operating at 99,000 watts, and is one of the most powerful FM radio stations in Florida, covering four of the state's radio markets.
WFLZ currently broadcasts in HD
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
format. 93.3 HD-1 simulcasts the analog WFLZ-FM 93.3 MHz ("93-3 FLZ HD-1 Hit music"), whereas 93.3 HD-2 exclusively broadcasts dance music ("93-3 FLZ HD-2 Club Phusion
Club Phusion
Club Phusion is a HD2 Dance Top 40 station, one of three Dance-formatted HD2 stations programmed by Clear Channel Communications through their Format Lab, a new division set up to expand music formats over their HD2 subcarriers...
").
Early decades
The station began in 1948 as WFLA-FM, one of Tampa Bay's, and Florida's, first FM stations. For most of its early life, WFLA-FM carried a light, "Beautiful musicBeautiful music
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
" format. The station was owned by The Tampa Tribune
The Tampa Tribune
The Tampa Tribune, published in Tampa, Florida, is one of two major newspapers published in the Tampa Bay area, second in circulation and readership to the St. Petersburg Times. The paper's tagline is "Life...
, which also owned WFLA
WFLA (AM)
WFLA is an AM radio station in Tampa, Florida, serving the Arbitron Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater market with additional listenership to the east in the adjacent Lakeland-Winter Haven market and to the south in the adjacent Sarasota-Bradenton market...
and WFLA-TV
WFLA-TV
WFLA-TV, virtual channel 8, is the NBC-affiliated television station in Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida. The station is the flagship station of its owner and operator, Media General. Its transmitter is located in Riverview, Hillsborough County, Florida. WFLA is the only station in the market to be...
in Tampa. In 1966, the Tribune and its three stations were sold to Richmond Newspapers, which became Media General
Media General
Media General, Inc. is a media company based in the Southeastern United States. Its major properties include newspapers such as The Tampa Tribune, the Winston-Salem Journal, and the Richmond Times-Dispatch, as well as numerous television stations, such as flagship station WFLA-TV.The company was...
in 1969.
In 1981, after spending most of its early life as a Beautiful Music station, it changed to a country format, as WOJC, "Orange Country 93". However, it was unable to compete against country powerhouses at the time, WSUN and WQYK-FM
WQYK-FM
WQYK-FM is a commercial country music radio station in Tampa, Florida. It is currently under ownership of CBS Radio.-External links:*...
.
In the mid-1980s, it changed again to a more-conventional adult contemporary format, bringing back the WFLA-FM calls and using the name "93FLA". While it was a little more successful, it still faced competition from WNLT
WBTP
WBTP is a Urban Contemporary radio station that serves the Tampa Bay area that plays hip-hop, R&B, and soul music that aims towards the African American community. Its target audience is African Americans between the ages of 18-34, but its main competitors are WLLD which has a very similar target...
and WIQI
WMTX
WMTX is a Hot AC radio station in Tampa, Florida known as "Mix 100.7". It plays a variety of current hits along with some hit music from the past, as far back as the 1980s.-Station history:...
.
It was then reformatted into WPDS ("Paradise 93"), a soft adult contemporary formatted station, but this too was unsuccessful.
WFLA-FM and its AM sister, WFLA-AM, were purchased by Jacor Broadcasting in 1988. It changed its calls to WFLZ and soon changed to oldies, as "Z93". Competing against WHBO
WWBA
WHBO is a sports radio station licensed to Pinellas Park, Florida, USA, serving the Tampa Bay area. The station is currently owned by Genesis Communications.-Programming:...
, it lasted only a year.
93-3 FLZ
In March 1995, The Power Pig dropped its aggressive image and change to 93-3 FLZ. Its slogan was "The New Music Revolution". FLZ disc jockey Bubba soon syndicated to WJBT in Jacksonville for 2 hours. In 1996, Jacor Communications absorbed Citicasters, Inc, and WXTBWXTB
WXTB — branded 98 Rock — is a commercial radio station in the Tampa, Florida area. However the station can be heard as far north as Ocala and Williston due to its strong signal...
and what is now WFUS
WFUS
WFUS is a country music radio station in Tampa, Florida. It has been the flagship station of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 2004.WFUS is one of the eight stations in the Tampa Bay market owned by Clear Channel Communications....
. For a few months, WFLZ simulcasted on KHTS-FM
KHTS-FM
KHTS-FM, also known as "Channel 933" or simply "nine-three-three", is a Contemporary Hit Radio station in San Diego, California, broadcasting in analog and digital HD Radio...
in San Diego as a CHR format was created for San Diego's market. In 1996, Jacor Broadcasting sold its Tampa Bay TV station WTSP-TV to Gannett Broadcasting in exchange for 6 radio stations in 3 markets, one of which was local Hot AC rival WUSA-FM
WMTX
WMTX is a Hot AC radio station in Tampa, Florida known as "Mix 100.7". It plays a variety of current hits along with some hit music from the past, as far back as the 1980s.-Station history:...
. Also, Bubba the Love Sponge was promoted to mornings on sister station WXTB
WXTB
WXTB — branded 98 Rock — is a commercial radio station in the Tampa, Florida area. However the station can be heard as far north as Ocala and Williston due to its strong signal...
. In 1998, Jacor Broadcasting was acquired by Clear Channel
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...
, putting WFLZ under the same roof as its former competitor, WRBQ, until it was sold off to Infinity Broadcasting. This created an awkward situation, as the staff of WRBQ, who were subject to personal attacks from WFLZ, had moved to higher positions in Clear Channel that oversaw their old rivals at WFLZ.
In 2000, the station underwent a slight re-imaging, adopting a new logo and the slogan "The #1 Hit Music Channel". Meanwhile, Bubba the Love Sponge took former producer Mike Calta (aka Cowhead) to court. Bubba claimed that Calta could not use the Cowhead name at his new position as morning man at WRBQ, but the courts sided with Calta, and he retained the name at Q105. In the same month, long time morning man and operations manager BJ Harris left WFLZ for Cincinnati to do afternoons and PD work. MJ remained at mornings on WFLZ, turning it into The MJ Morning Show
The MJ Morning Show
"The MJ Morning Show" is a morning radio show that originates from 93.3 FLZ in Tampa, FL and is also broadcast in cities such as St. Louis, Jacksonville, and Melbourne. The show was previously known as "The MJ and BJ Morning Show" until former cohost BJ Harris left the show...
. The next year, MJ started his own afternoon show The Schnitt Show on Clear Channel's heritage talker in Miami, WIOD
WIOD
WIOD is a news/talk formatted radio station in Miami, Florida. For over 80 years, it has been a major information station in South Florida...
, shortly following the September 11 attacks in 2001. MJ/Schnitt continued to do the show from Tampa despite the Miami broadcast. Three months later, the show was added locally to WFLA. Upon the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
' victory at the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
, WFLZ changed its branding to 93.3 B-U-C temporarily. In 2004 it earned the "CHR Station of the Year" and "CHR Personality of the Year" (for Kane) awards in the Radio Music Awards.
93.3 FLZ remains the most listened to radio station in the Tampa Bay area with close to 800,000 people tuning in each week.
Meet Ball Concerts
In 2009, the station conducted it's first "Meet Ball" concert on Valentine's Weekend. In 2009 the performing artist was Gavin DeGrawGavin DeGraw
Gavin Shane DeGraw is an American musician and singer-songwriter. He is known for his songs "Chariot", "Follow Through", "I Don't Want to Be" , "In Love with a Girl", and "Not Over You".-Early life:DeGraw grew up in the Catskills in South Fallsburg,...
, in 2010 it was Kris Allen
Kris Allen
Kristopher Neil "Kris" Allen is an American musician and singer-songwriter from Conway, Arkansas, and the winner of the eighth season of American Idol...
and in 2011 it was Paper Tongues
Paper Tongues
Paper Tongues is an American rap rock band from Charlotte, North Carolina. The band consists of Aswan North , Devin Forbes , Joey Signa , Daniel Santell , Luke Anderson , Clayton Simon , and Cody Blackler...
. While this event highlights a national recording artist/group, it is also a popular singles mingle event which draws over 1,000 people.
Jingle Ball Concerts
In 2009, the station conducted it's first "Jingle Ball" concert which is now held annually in December. The performing artists were PitbullPitbull (rapper)
Armando Christian Pérez , better known by his stage name Pitbull, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer. His first recorded performance was from the Lil Jon album Kings of Crunk in 2002, after which he released his debut album in 2004 titled M.I.A.M.I. under TVT Records...
, The Fray
The Fray
-Literature:*Fray, a phenomenon in Terry Pratchett's The Carpet People*Fray , a comic book series by Joss Whedon**Melaka Fray, titular character of the comic book series-Music:*"Fray", a song from the album 14 Shades of Grey by Staind...
, Jordin Sparks
Jordin Sparks
Jordin Brianna Sparks is an American pop / R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She hails from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in Idol history...
, Sean Kingston
Sean Kingston
Sean Kingston is a Jamaican-American singer. He pursued a music career and debuted in 2007 with the album Sean Kingston.-Early life:...
, Boys Like Girls
Boys Like Girls
Boys Like Girls is an American rock band from Massachusetts. Formed in 2005, the group gained mainstream recognition when it released its self-titled debut album. Boys Like Girls was the co-headliner with Good Charlotte for the Soundtrack of Your Summer Tour 2008 that toured across the United...
, We The Kings
We the Kings
We the Kings is an American powerpop band formed in 2005 from Bradenton, Florida, currently signed to record label S-Curve Records. The group released their self-titled full-length debut album in 2007, which peaked at No. 151 on the Billboard 200. Their second full-length album, Smile Kid, was...
, Ke$ha, Jason Derulo
Jason Derulo
Jason Joel Desrouleaux , better known by his stage name Jason Derülo, is an American singer-songwriter, actor and dancer. After producing records for several artists and writing songs for Cash Money Records, co-founder of the label Birdman, Young Money Entertainment owner Lil Wayne and rapper...
, Adam Lambert
Adam Lambert
Adam Mitchel Lambert is an American singer, songwriter, and actor from San Diego, California. In May 2009, he finished as the runner-up on the eighth season of American Idol...
, 3OH!3
3OH!3
3OH!3 is an American electro hop duo from Boulder, Colorado, made up of Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte. They are best known for their single "Don't Trust Me" from their album Want, which reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100...
and Iyaz
Iyaz
Keidran Jones , better known by his stage name Iyaz, is a singer signed with the record label Beluga Heights Records from the British Virgin Islands. His debut single "Replay", was released in 2009 and reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, number-one in the UK, Australia and the top ten...
. In 2010 the performers were Maroon 5
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...
, B.o.B.
B.O.B.
B.O.B. is a video game that was released in 1993. It is a side-scrolling game developed by Gray Matter Interactive and Foley Hi-Tech Systems, and published by Electronic Arts. It is both a 2D shooter and a platform game, and is available for both the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega...
, Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias is a Spanish pop music singer, a son of singer Julio Iglesias.Enrique started his musical career on Mexican label Fonovisa...
, Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez , better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an Filipino-American singer-songwriter and record producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age...
, Train
Train (band)
Train is an American pop rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1994. The band currently comprises a core trio of Patrick Monahan , Jimmy Stafford and Scott Underwood ....
, Shontelle
Shontelle
Shontelle Layne , known professionally as Shontelle, is a Barbadian singer, and songwriter. She released her debut album Shontelligence in November 2008. Her sophomore album, No Gravity, was released in September 2010...
, Dev
Dev
Dev may refer to:People:* Dev Anand, a Indian Hindi movie actor* Dev, an Indian* Dev , Indian Bengali actor* Dev Patel, British actor, star of Slumdog Millionaire and Skins...
, Mike Posner and The Ready Set
The Ready Set
The Ready Set was formed on November 17, 2007. Jordan Witzigreuter is the vocalist and sole member of the act. Witzigreuter generally writes and records on his own, using a backup band when on tour...
.
The Pig Pen Social Network
In 2006, 93.3 FLZ created a social networking site called "The Pig Pen". The station promoted the Pig Pen as the "local" version of MySpaceMySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
. The name "Pig Pen" was probably taken from WFLZ's previous station image "The Power Pig." In 2009 this social networking site was discontinued.
Nicollette Sheridan Incident
On January 31, 2007, the station was fined $10,000 by the Federal Communications CommissionFederal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) for a purported prank phone call to Nicollette Sheridan
Nicollette Sheridan
Nicollette Sheridan is an English film and television actress. She is best known for her roles as Edie Britt on Desperate Housewives and as Paige Matheson on Knots Landing.-Early life:...
in the middle of the night made by MJ that took place in November 2004.
Controversy with Britney Spears
When it comes to poking fun at celebrities at a Top 40 station, WFLZ is famous for it. One of the celebrities the station has targeted is Britney SpearsBritney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
.
The first incident began on June 18, 2007, when the station made headlines after the MJ Morning Show placed at least three outdoor advertisements (2 in the Tampa Bay area, one in Jacksonville) featuring Internet photos of Spears with her shaved head, along with the face of Kelli and the slogans "Total Nut Jobs", "Shock Therapy" and "Certifiable". The advertisements were placed on billboards owned by WFLZ's sister company Clear Channel Outdoor
Clear Channel Outdoor
Clear Channel Outdoor , is a company controlled by Clear Channel Communications and is one of the world's largest outdoor advertising corporations. The company is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona and has operations in six of the seven continents....
. Evidently being notified about the billboards, Spears and her representatives were not pleased, and threatened to sue Clear Channel if they were not removed immediately. Clear Channel consented and they were removed the following day. The decision to have them removed had Kelli upset that his employers caved in to legal pressure from Spears' representatives.
The second flack would flare up again in January 2009, when the station made headlines by being one of the first to play Spears' controversial single "If You Seek Amy". The title, when said quickly sounds like the singer is spelling out an obscenity, f-u-c-k, followed by the word "me". The station broadcast an edited version, and even created a version with morning host MJ Kelli saying "MJ" in place of "Amy." but that did not stop complaints from The Parents Television Council.
External links
- 93.3 FLZ website
- 93.3 FLZ Facebook Fan Page
- 93.3 FLZ Twitter Feed
- 93.3 FLZ YouTube Channel
- The Power Pig WFLZ Tribute site. 200+ audio clips, stories, pictures and more.