| City of license | West Palm Beach, Florida |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | West Palm Beach, Florida |
| Branding | Sunny 104.3 |
| Slogan | The Best Variety of Today's Hits and Yesterday's Favorites |
| Frequency |
104.3-2 for "The Strip" (Las Vegas-related Standards) 104.3-3 for WFAN simulcast |
| First air date | 1969 |
| Format | Adult Contemporary |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 388 meters |
| Class | C |
| Facility ID | 29567 |
| Callsign meaning | station was once referred to Easy 104 |
| Owner | CBS Radio |
| Sister stations | WIRK, WNEW, WMBX, WPBZ |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | sunny1043.com |
WEAT-FM, on-air known as Sunny 104.3, is a radio station licensed to the West Palm Beach, Florida market. It is owned by CBS Radio, and broadcasts at 104.3 FM.
WFTL/850 & WPEC television once shared the WEAT call letters when they were owned by businessman John D. MacArthur. The television station became WPEC when sold to Alexander W. Dreyfoos in 1973. WEAT(AM) became WDJA in 1998 and became WFTL in 2003.
Contents |
1969 -- WEAT-FM broadcast an Easy Listening format as Easy 104."[1]. The Program Director was Paul Dunn and the morning host was Dave Supple in the late 80s and early 90s.
August 1, 1986 -- WEAT-FM moves from 104.5 to 104.3 [2]
March 23, 1992 -- WEAT-FM switches to Adult Contemporary. Les Howard, former program director at Broward's Joy 107 (now WAMR), assumed the same position at WEAT. Chuck Bennett, from WSSP in Orlando, is morning host with WEAT's first Female full time employee Pam Triolo (assistant Director of operations for Metro Networks previously and WXLO/WFGL Worcester, Ma morning News Director/ P.R. DIrector).[3]
Summer 1993 -- Tom Kelley from WMEE in Ft. Wayne, Indiana replaces Chuck Bennett at host of the morning show. Bennett left to start a production company in Melbourne, Florida. Tom Kelly joined mainstay Co-host Pam Triolo who went on to win numerous American Women in Radio and Television Tara awards for both On-air personality and Copywriter in 1994, 1995 and 1996. (Palm Beach Post, Thom Smith))Tom Kelly resigned and Pam Triolo continued to host WEAT morning's with Dick Shannon and finally Rob Early. Pam Triolo and Early brought WEAT to #1 in the spring book of 1995. WEAT's cumulative ratings were up 38%.
Fall 1995.. (Palm Beach Post, Wednesday July 26, 1995 by Mitch McKenney). -- Kevin Kitchens and Jennifer Ross join the station for mornings as the Champions of Breakfast. The pair had been together at rival WRMF for more than a decade until Kitchens left for San Diego. The Palm Beach Post reported that Kitchen earned more than $200,000.[4] Upon the arrival of Kevin and Jennifer, Pam Triolo relocated to WEAT's new sister station WOLL for her first solo stint as midday announcer then afternoon drive DJ when the stations turned it's moniker to 94-3 the Beach.
Fall 1996... Pam Triolo resigns to start her own advertising and marketing agency First Impressions Creative Services, Inc. Still in existence in Lake Worth, FL as well as write and host the TV Show "What's For Dinner?" which enjoyed an 8 year run.
March 1996 -- Midday host Sunny Quinn leaves after 3½ years for WZZR's morning show. She left WZZR in March 1997[5] and will later return to the midday time slot.[6] Shortly after the station dropped the Sunday morning Jazz brunch program that Quinn had hosted, but returned it a week later with Kevin Kitchens as host.[7] Chad Perry became the midday host, and the syndicated Delilah After Dark program runs in the evening.[8]
September 1996 -- Chad Perry returns to evenings for and Delilah After Dark is dropped.
December 1996 -- Sunny drops Dave Koz's weekend jazz show.[9]
May 1997 -- Jon Howe moves to afternoons, Cassie Jacoby joins midday.[10]
January 31, 1999 --- 'Midday host Cassie Jacoby quits over a contract dispute.[11]
February 3, 1999 -- Kevin Kitchens died of a heart attack.[12] Jennifer Ross becomes morning show host and morning show producer, John Taylor is promoted to co-host. Danny Ingram begins as morning show producer for Jennifer and John.[13]
April 1999 -- Sunny Quinn returns to midday after traveling with Grand Funk Railroad for two years.[14]
December 1999 -- Jon Howe replaces John Taylor on the Champions of Breakfast with Jennifer Ross.
January 2000: -- Tim Byrd joins station from WRMF.[15]
April 2000 -- Jon Howe leaves the Champions of Breakfast. Program Director Les Howard fills in as Obi-Wan Jacoby. Howard's real last name is Jacoby.
September 2000 -- Jennifer Ross leaves to return to WRMF.[16] Ross was forced off the air in April 2001 by Sunny 104.3.[17] Pam Triolo is called in to fill in with Joe Martelle for a few weeks which eventually become a few months. She is offered the job of returning to Sunny as Morning Co-host but can't reach an agreement. Melanie Brenner eventually succeed to the Champions of BreakfastThe Palm Beach Post reported that Brenner "mounted an active mail-in campaign to get the job but was never able to agree on a contract, returned from vacation two weeks ago and jumped to rival WRMF." [18]
October 5, 2000 -- Sunny 104.3 is named station of the year and Les Howard Program Director of the year at the Billboard Radio Monitor Awards in New York.[19]
February 2001 -- Lindy Rome replaces Melanie Brenner.
July 2002 -- Program Director Les Howard leaves the station.
April 2004 -- Joe Martelle loses his voice and is no longer able to continue hosting the Champions of Breakfast. Program Director Rick Shockley replaces him. Lindy Rome was replaced by former WPTV television news reporter and anchor Rachele Scholes. The Palm Beach Post reported that Martelle's claim that that after his voice gave out, the station did not renew his contract. Station management says it wishes Joe well but will not comment further. Martelle has retained professional representation to make his case.
April 2005: -- A Palm Beach County jury Friday awarded Sunny 104.3 more than the $13.3 million the station's attorney had asked for after ruling that Jennifer Ross breached her contract by moving to rival station WRMF in September 2000.[20]
March 2006: -- Afternoon personality Tim Byrd leaves the station citing a "hostile and disrespectful" work environment and the "constant criticism" he has had to endure. His agent said Byrd had been working without a contract for two years and recently saw his bonus structure taken away.[21]
November 2006 -- 2 weeks or so before thanksgiving :
Sunny 104.3 started doing month long of Christmas music along with Kool 105.5
January 2007 -- Florida's Fourth District Court of Appeal reverses Sunny's verdict against Jennifer Ross on both liability and damages, citing numerous errors by trial court Judge Diana Lewis. [1]
February 2007 -- Michelle Visage joins the Champions of Breakfast.
April 2008 -- Christie Banks joins Midday and is now on afternoon drive.
WEAT was initially owned by businessman John D. MacArthur, who owned WEAT-TV Channel 12 (now WPEC) and WEAT now WFTL. MacArthur sold both stations to sportscaster Curt Gowdy in 1975 for $1.5 million.
October 1986 -- Gowdy sold the stations the following year for an undisclosed price to J.J. Taylor Companies Inc. of North Dartmouth, Mass.[22].
October 1995 -- sold with WEAT to OmniAmerica Group of Cleveland for an estimated $18 million.[23]
May 1996 -- sold with seven other stations for $178 million to Chancellor Broadcasting Co.[24]
June 1996 -- sold with WEAT/850 and WOLL/94.3 to American Radio Systems of Boston.
May 1997 -- sold with WKGR/98.7, WOLL/94.3, WBZT/1290 to Bud Paxon for $33 million.[25]
September 1997 -- Westinghouse (later CBS Corporation) purchases American Radio's 98 radio stations for $1.2 billion.[26]
Winter 2004: 6.0 share, #1 in market [27]
Summer 2003: 7.3 share, #1 in market [28]
Winter 2003: 7.7 share, #1 in market [27]=Susan T. Port (May 9, 2003). "Broadcast Vet Does Media Advice". Palm Beach Post.</ref>
Summer 2002: 9.1 share, #1 in market [29]
Fall 2002: 8 share, #1 in market [30]
Spring 2002: 8.6 share, #1 in market [31]
Fall 2001: 7.4 share, #1 in market [30]
Summer 2001:6.4 share, #1 in market [32]
Spring 2001: 8.0 share, #1 in market [33]
Winter 2000: 8.2 share, #1 in market [33]
Spring 1999: 7.4 share, #1 in market [34]
Fall 1998: 7.4 share, #1 in the market[35]
Fall 1997: 9.2 share, #1 in market[36]
Summer 1997: 8.0 share, #1 in market[37]
Spring 1997: 8.5 share, #1 in market[38]
Fall 1996: 8.3 share, #2 in market. WRLX was #1 with 9.0 share.[39]
Summer 1996: 7.2 share, #3 in market. WRMF was #1 with 8.2 share [40]
Spring 1996: 7.2 share, #2 in market. WRMF was #1 with 7.8 share[41]
Fall 1995: 9.3 share, #1 in market[42]
Summer 1995: 6.4 share, 4th place in market. WRMF was #1 with a 7.7 share[43]
Spring 1995: 8.3 share, #1 in market. Rob Early and Pam Triolo morning team enjoy big success. "these Numbers are pre-Kevin, pre-Jennifer," WEAT General Manager Dave D'Eugenio said. Kevin Kitchens had left WRMF and was joining Jennifer Ross on Sunny in the Fall as host of the Champions of Breakfast on Sunny 104.3.[44]
Winter 1995: 4.6 share, #5 in market, WRMF was #1[45]
Spring 1992: #1 in market after format change from Easy Listening Easy 104 to Adult Contemporary Sunny 104.3 Pam Triolo joins Chuck Bennett in the mornings[46]
Spring 1991: #1 in market[47]
Fall 1990: #1 in market for 21st year in a row according to Marci Cooke, as reported in the Palm Beach Post.[48]
Summer 1990: 13.1 share, #1 in market
Spring 1990: 15.2 share, #1 in market [49]
Fall 1989: 17.8, #1 in market[50]
Summer 1989: 17.5, #1 in market[51]
Spring 1989: 16.7 share, #1 in market[52]
Fall 1986: #1 in market[53]
Fall 1985: 10.0, #2 in market, WRMF had an 11.3 share [54]
Spring 1985: 13.0 share, #1 in market[55]
Fall 1984: 14.4 share, #1 in market[55]
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