This week local radio station WXJZ 100.9 FM made the switch from Classic Hits to The Beach.
While the format will continue playing ‘80s and ‘90s rock/pop genre, the new brand has been upgraded to bring Florida’s beach persona to the Gainesville and Ocala markets.
“You say the beach and people gravitate to it, you know, people go to it, people enjoy it—it’s a vibe and it’s a lifestyle and the second you get to the beach, you’re a little cooler than you were before you got there,” said MARC Radio program director Vinny Phu. “So when you turn on The Beach here in Gainesville, 100.9 in The Beach, you get the beach vibes and you get a different feeling than just a classic hit station, which is what we were before.”
Phu said fans of Classic Hits need not worry about losing favorites.
“We’re still a classic hit station, but the music is more a vibe and a lifestyle of the beach lifestyle, which anywhere you go to in Florida, whether it’s a lake, a spring, or the beach, you have that true Floridian vibe,” he said.
Even though Gainesville isn’t on the coast and doesn’t have a beach, Phu said listeners can still enjoy the beach vibe.
“You can turn on your radio sit by your pool, and you’re at the beach because it feels like the beach,” he said.
The idea for the new branding came from WSBH 98.5 The Beach in Melbourne, a station MARC Media acquired in December 2022. The station, which changed to its format in the early 2000s, is the No. 1 Nielson-rated station in the 35 to 64 age demographic in Brevard County.
“We saw some serious momentum (at WSBH), musically, in the community and in the ratings,” Phu said. “We saw some of the things that they were doing that we weren’t doing and we felt like the brand and the music was better over there…so we wanted to mirror what they were doing musically.”
Along with the new branding, The Beach 100.9 will be adding giveaways and prizes that surround its new beach theme. The station is currently running a 13-week Margaritaville Resort weekend stay in Orlando promotion.
“It’s been hard to keep this a secret,” said Scott Miller, a member of The Beach 100.9 executive team. “Our team is beyond excited to bring this upbeat, beachy feeling to our Gainesville and Ocala listeners. We know that going to the beach is more than a location; it’s a state of mind. From Jimmy Buffet to Madonna and Journey, we’ll bring all the fun of the beach without the hassle to get there.”
The station will also feature live on-air personalities in each day part, from mornings to middays to overnight, including MARC Radio’s Larry Wilson in the afternoon.
“We’re going to be playing the best music,” Phu said. “We have very fun features like the ride at five, seven in a row, nothing slow.”
Phu added that the station will continue to be involved in community events, including the annual “DJs Unite for Life” blood drive. This year it’s scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 15, at the LifeSouth Community Blood Center at 4039 Newberry Rd. in Gainesville.
The Beach 100.9 is owned and operated by MARC Media Group, which also owns radio stations coast to coast in Florida and in Texas. It also owns Mainstreet Daily News and an outdoor advertising company. The radio stations in the Gainesville market include WHHZ 100.5 The Buzz, WTMG 101.3 Magic, WDVH 94.1 R&B, WPLL 106.9 I Am Country and WTMN 103.5 The Shepherd.