Update 1/17: At 10am, WFLC flipped to CHR “Hits 97.3“.
The Kevin, Virginia, and Jason morning show and the remainder of the airstaff will remain in place at WFLC with the change as the station places more of an emphasis in competing against Clear Channel’s “Y100” WHYI.
The station is emphasizing that listeners will be able to “pick the hits” via a new station app that will enable them to vote on songs to play and leave messages for the station.
Listen to the launch of Hits 97.3 at FormatChange.com.
The first hour of the new “Hits 97.3” consisted of:
Pitbull / Ke$ha – Timber
One Republic – Counting Stars
Eminem / Rhianna – The Monster
Ellie Goulding – Burn
Jay Z / Justin Timberlake – Holy Grail
Lorde – Team
Macklemore / Ryan Lewis – Thrift Shop
Katy Perry – Roar
Bruno Mars – Young Girls
Zedd / Hayley Williams – Stay The Night
Sean Paul – Temperature
Robin Thicke – Blurred Lines
Miley Cyrus – Adore You
Lady Gaga / R Kelly – Do What U Want
“When we developed Hits 97-3, we asked women in South Florida what they want in a radio station,” said CMG Miami VP and Market Manager Rob Babin. “This feedback inspired our team to design a radio station that plays today’s best hit music and provides an engaged listener experience with live and local personalities.”
The 100,000-watt FM will serve Miami-Dade and Broward counties as well as parts of Palm Beaches and the Upper Florida Keys. The lineup includes familiar South Florida personalities:
The Kevin, Virginia & Jason Morning Show (Mornings)
Toni Gonzalez (Middays)
Mike Kruz (Afternoons)
Ashley O (Nights)
Nikki Ramirez (Weekends)
Vic Mendez (Weekends)
Dru Vega (Weekends)“HITS 97-3 was conceived by South Floridians and will reflect the lifestyle, attitude, and atmosphere of life in South Florida,” said Program Director Tom Calococci. “Listeners told us they wanted more opportunities to pick the hits. With our new app, they can vote on their favorite songs and even record messages through the ‘open mic’ feature that will be played on the air.”
Original Report: 1/16: Cox Hot AC “97.3 The Coast” WFLC Miami is counting down to 10:00am on Friday, January 17.
1 day, 38 minutes, 10 seconds
— 97-3 The Coast (@973TheCoast) January 16, 2014
At that time it appears the station will rebrand as “Hits 97.3” as Hits973.com was transferred to the Cox servers this morning. Could a shift more towards CHR accompany the change?
WFLC brought on the Kevin, Virginia, and Jason show for mornings from “Wild 95.5” WLDI West Palm Beach last summer and has shifted towards a more current/recurrent based presentation since then. In the December 2013 PPM monthly the station was tenth overall in the market with a 3.6 share.
Jay Rudko 
South Florida needs a CHR station that’s completely local. WFLC doesn’t rely on voice-tracking from other markets; all jocks are local, and the music reflects the tastes of the region. The only other full-time CHR station in the market relies on voice tracking from New York, and that can hardly meet the interests of the local target audience. Kudos to Cox Radio for making this change, which will better serve South Florida.