I’ve written recently about how you can usually get a handle on a station quickly, but it took me about 20 minutes of listening to WAYF West Palm Beach, the South Florida affiliate of the Way-FM network, to get a true sense of the station. That was when midday host Carder launched into a phone topic that reminded me of Canada’s “Join the Conversation” format. Then there were two promos with very different tones that got my attention.
Ross on Radio station monitors are usually music with an occasional aside about what I noticed about (or heard between) the songs. But I wanted to share what I’d heard over the course of an hour of the station. Other Christian AC programmers may find much of it familiar. By themselves, many of the elements might seem routine, although a few, especially the station’s credo promo, were attention-getting.
The cumulative effect of many little touches, though, was that I felt like I had a radio experience when I came away from Way-FM. There was no attempt to hide the station being national, particularly with a promo that talked about that specifically, but there were also elements that bound it to South Florida. There was, in the whole, a feeling of effort that makes it worth sharing, and relevant to stations in every format.
Network PD Steve Shore has been overseeing Way-FM since its merger with KSBJ Houston into the Hope Media Group, when PD Ron Harrell became chief of programming for all stations.
Here’s Way-FM on the afternoon of Sept. 26:
2:00 – Legal ID/sponsorship: “Uplifting your workday . . . presented by Trinity Intl. University Florida on 88.1 Way-FM, WAYF West Palm Beach/Ft. Lauderdale” into “Uplifting Way FM” jingle.
Lauren Daigle, “Hold On to Me”
2:03 – Caller offers a food storage hack for the office. (Put a paper towel over a salad in the fridge to absorb the moisture.)
Unspoken, “Start a Fire”
2:06 – Sweeper: “When you need that music that speaks right to what you’re going through, Uplifting Way-FM”
Katy Nicole, “In Jesus Name”
2:10 – Jingle: “Uplifting Way-FM”
Elevation Workshop, “See A Victory”
2:14 –Carder sets up listener calls on how toddlers are like difficult co-workers, and things you might say to both in frustration: “That is not in my job description”; “I have more experience in this than you do”; “Listen to all my words”; “You are not the boss of me.”
2:15 – A promo for Way-FM’s flyaway to the Gospel Music Assn.’s Dove Awards, full of deliberately painful bird jokes. “You’ll wing your way to the show”; “You’ll meet artists like Mercy Me-eep-Meep, Casting Crows, or Steven Curtis Chirpman, but don’t tweet, text.”; “Just another reason we’re [a pause] uplifting.”
2:16 – 2:18 – Stopset
2:18 – Zach, the “director of fun” promotes two upcoming South Florida shows: We the Kingdom/Cory Asbury and the Newsboys.
Hillsong United, “Who You Say I Am”
2:23 – More listener calls on the “children or co-workers” topic. Listener Alan contributes “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” “Alan is the work dad everywhere he goes,” says Carder.
Mercy Me, “On Our Way”
2:26 – Jingle: “Uplifting Way-FM”
Big Daddy Weave, I Know
2:30 – A local, conversational sounding female-voiced break promoting “WayFMSouthFlorida” on Instagram.
We the Kingdom, “Child of Love”
2:35 – Carder reminds listeners to “have your babysitter check the schedule because you could win a trip to Nashville next month to the Dove Awards.”
For King + Country, “For God Is with Us”’
2:38 – A promo asks “did you know that Way-FM can be heard on the radio in communities on 42 signals throughout the United States?” The promo goes on to mention how the original Way-FM in October 1987 “right here in Florida. That’s something special? When was the last time you really thought about the community you live in? We have just about every kind of community you can think of, from the richest of the rich to the poorest of the poor, and everything in between. Community isn’t just where we live, but where we work, play, observe, and worship every day. Life without that kind of community can be overwhelming, and most people have a hard time finding a source of encouragement and hope. At Way-FM, we point you to Jesus Christ with meaningful music and honest conversation, so that communities can experience strength and joy during life’s challenges. Hope, it’s why we’re here.”
2:39 – 2:42 – Stopset
2:42 – Sweep-starter with listener and other drop-ins, into the “Uplifting Way-FM” jingle.
Jordan Feliz, “Jesus Is Coming Back”
2:46 – Carder promotes morning host Wally’s podcast: “You know [how when] you meet your friend’s mom you get to ask the embarrassing questions [about them]? That’s what we get to do with Wally. His mom was on a podcast and we’ll send it to you. Text the word ‘live’ to 91979.”
Bethel Music, “Raise a Hallelujah”
2:50 – Sweeper, augmented by listener drops. “Another uplifting song starts now on Uplifting 88.1 Way-FM.”
Cory Asbury, “Reckless Love”
2:54 – Carder frontsells new song Blessing Offer, “Brighter Days” as “a little hope to start the week.” Cold segue to Matt Maher, “Run to the Father.”
That original flagship station referred to in the mission statement promo was WAYJ Fort Myers, Fla. The above monitor was before the devastation of Hurricane Ian in that market. I listened again on October 5 to newly teamed afternoon hosts Joy & Bekah. That afternoon, the team was talking to each other, not callers, although there were still more than a half-dozen jock breaks over the course of the hour.
In one break, Joy & Bekah encouraged listeners to “pray for Fort Myers” but wanted to share positive news–in this case, the Kroger employees who had found the only birthday cake in the store so that a child’s party could go on. There was also a promo thanking listeners for their generosity, whether in natural disasters or just small kindnesses. “You never fail to surprise us.”
