93.3 Tampa began as WFLA in 1948 and was one of the earliest stations in the Tampa Market. At the Time the station was owned by the Tampa Tribune and its tagline was the “Beautiful Music” station. 93.3 were eventually sold to Media General in 1969. In 1981 93.3 became WJOC and were known as Orange Country 93. It remained Orange Country until 1988 when the station was acquired by Jacor Broadcasting. In 1989 93.3 became WFLZ and switched its format to ‘pop’ music and its tag was Power 93 The Power Pig. Shortly after changing formats 93.3 became number 1 in the 18-34 listener bracket.
The Power Pig boasted many aggressive, controversial air personalities including Bubba the Love Sponge. The station eventually hired MJ Kelli who together with BJ Harris formed the MJ and BJ show (now The MJ show).
In 1995 The Power Pig dropped its name and became known as 93.3 “The New Music Revolution.” Bubba the Love Sponge soon syndicated to Jacksonville and other regions in northern Florida. In 1998 the station was acquired by Clearchannel radio. In 2000 93.3 changed its tag and is now known as “The #1 Hit Music Channel”. Bubba the Love Sponge and BJ Harris have since departed from 93.3 FLZ.
Today 93.3 shares the same building as FM stations 95.7 The Beat, 98 Rock, and Mix one hundred as well as 103.5. Many of the promotional directors work for more than one station. Clearchannel owns all the stations in the building. 93.3 is also the flagship station for the MJ Morning Show which is played in many parts of Florida as well as Missouri. The MJ Morning Show has been widely listened to and has had its fair share of controversy during its existence. In 2007 MJ was fined $10000 due to a prank call MJ had made to Nicollete Sheridan in the later part of 2004. In addition to this MJ was a defendant in a lawsuit filed by Brittany Spears. In 2007 the MJ morning show posted 3 outdoor billboards of MJ Kelli and Brittany Spears. The photo of Spears featured her controversial shaved head. The tagline of the billboard was “total nut jobs.” The ads were placed on Clearchannel owned billboards. Ms. Spears and her representatives threatened to sue if the ads were not removed and as a result Clearchannel obliged.
The first week at the Clearchannel office was overwhelming. Every hallway led to three different hallways that could only be differentiated from one another due to the color of the paint on the walls. Each day I walked in a different direction and quickly became lost. Kim Cusmano directed my internship and she often joked that the first task an intern is assigned is the task of finding our way around the office. This was quite a difficult task.
There were many tasks that we as interns could have on any given date. My first assignment as an intern was to help Tyson the promotions director at 95.7 clean his prize closet. Inside the closet was a disaster area. There were cd’s dated from the early 90′s to 2008 as well as movies/dvds, books and promotional material equally as old. I was well aware of the need to start from the bottom and reveled in the idea of helping in any way I could.
Later on in the day I was asked to create a “Pig Pen” id. The Pig Pen is a format similar to myspace that encourages communication between fans of the radio station. It was a great opportunity to communicate with other fans of the station as well as members of the FLZ community. At some point during every day we interned we were asked to spend some time in the FLZ chat room and some time posting on the FLZ blogs.
In addition to the Pig Pen we had the daily assignment of completing prize baskets for 93.3 promotions. There were at least 5 promotions a week and every promotional area was slightly different. Some of the more common promotions were FLZ’s weekly promotions at Banana Joes and Shepard’s of Clearwater. Often times we would spend a bit of time rummaging through the FLZ prize closet in order to find an assortment of prizes that would appeal to the demographics of each promotion. We also had to be sure and remember that different venues have different rules. The Ford Amphitheatre for instance, does not allow stickers to be given away on its property. So when preparing each bucket we learned a little bit about the business and the importance of remembering the rules. This may seem trivial but I have come to learn that being meticulous and attentive to detail goes a long way in the radio industry.
Perhaps my favorite part of my internship was the times I went to various promotions. As a result of Clearchannel’s organizational structure, it is not uncommon for members of a particular promotional team to assist members of a different station. As a result I attended a concert for 98 Rock at Bourbon Street in Fort Meyers. The concert featured the band Drowning Pool and Non-Point. I was thrilled to be able to assist in setting up for the show because I am a fan of both bands. On the trip I was able to meet Bart. Bart is a promoter for the station who, with the exception of a brief stint in Navy Recon, spent his entire working career in the radio industry. He taught me many things about the industry in the brief time I had to speak with him. The first thing Bart taught me was the importance of hanging promotional material at a venue. My first mistake was to cover a display owned by the bar. “The most important things I can teach you about promotions is that promotional material should be neither invasive nor sloppy. If you hang up a sign straight that is not intrusive it will stay there for months,” he said. “That’s months of free advertising.” I tested his theory earlier this week and sure enough the majority of the 98 Rock signs we hung were still posted inside the Bourbon Street bar. During the concert Bart gave me the opportunity to walk a contest winner through a meet and greet with Drowning Pool. This was something I was extremely nervous about as I had never met a celebrity before. I learned quite a bit about keeping composure and treating everyone you meet like a regular person. The less nervous I became, the more I was able to communicate with the band which results in more credibility and promotional opportunities.
When it comes to the things I would change about my internship I can’t think of much. At first I was frustrated because near the beginning there was little that we could do to help Kim. Eventually however I decided to take the initiative to spend more time at the office and learn more and more tasks. I believe that the internship is a test of whether or not members are willing to learn and willing to work. Those who sit on their asses will not go far in the radio business as it caters to self-starters. The more I have spent at my internship the more I have come to the realization that Clearchannel looks for people with strong work ethics. Though being an assistant manager a nightclub and a full-time student makes it difficult to work at full speed at Clearchannel. I have come to realize that it is important to do so. The busier one is the less time he or she has to be tired right? After all were I a full-time employee with Clearchannel I would have to work just as much as I currently do. I have requested to be allowed to continue interning with the station until the end of August though my class ends in July and they have obliged to allow me to do so. I look forward to the next month and a half working with Clearchannel and learning the business.
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Tagged as 1948, 1969, 1989, 93.3, August, Beautiful Music, bracket, business, change, Clearchannel, closet, concer, Drowning Pool, FLZ, industry, intern, interning, internship, Jacor Broadcasting, July, Media General, Mj, Mj and Bj, MJ Morning Show, Music, nightclub, Non-point, obliged, Orange, Orange Country, paper, Power, Power Pig, prize, prize closet, promotion, radio, student, tag, Tampa, Usf, wfla, WJOC
