The Death and Resurrection of Classical Music Radio in the Miami, FL Market

In December of 2001, after over 20 years of providing the South Florida market with its only major classical music outlet, WTMI-FM (93.1) changed its format and call letters only one year after Cox Radio bought the station from Marlin Broadcasting. Initially, the station's new owners hadn't hinted that there would be any such switch, but little by little WTMI's long-time listeners began noticing certain off-putting signs that the times, they were a-changin'. Long-time DJs - including programming director Ken Martin - quit, and the station began "experimenting" with off-putting "tricks" to test the waters for the format switch. There'd be long, uninterrupted stretches of music with no introductions or comments about the composers or the musical works, and there were mini-format switches, with the station unpredictably airing hard rock or "dance" music instead of the familiar compositions by Beethoven, Debussy, Mozart, Chopin, or Wagner.

Eventually, however, the station's new manager, Mike Disney, announced Cox's real intentions in late fall of 2001: After "careful consideration," Disney claimed with a straight face, Cox had analyzed the South Florida market and concluded that although WTMI's classical music listeners were loyal and therefore appreciated by Cox, there was more money in the "hot" and South Beach-friendly "dance" format, which is really a catch-all term for a mix of disco, trance, house, and hip hop music.

There was, to be sure, consternation and outrage from the area's comparatively small classical music audience, but neither angry letters to the editor at the Miami Herald nor even angrier e-mails to Disney swayed Cox Radio, whose owners were only interested in WTMI's strong transmitter signal and not, apparently, in its audience's feelings.