Affordable Housing in Tampa (Business Week)

(The following was filed for a Business Week story in August 1991.)

By Bob Andelman

Sandy Freedman suspected Tampa's housing problem was worse than anyone knew when she was first elected mayor in 1987. After the city's fire department conducted a house-to-house inspection on her orders, her worst fears were realized: 23 percent of Tampa's homes were in sub-standard condition or worse.

That's when she began fitting together the pieces of a greater problem. Non-profit social services agencies complained that their clientele - most often female heads of households or married couples earning minimum wages - moved too often to be helped because they lacked adequate, permanent housing. They said they could feed the needy three times a day, but if the city didn't find a place for these people to live, they would be giving them three meals a day forever. Landlords were abandoning single family homes in bad neighborhoods; the buildings, in turn, were stripped down to the walls and used as crack houses. And banks, under increasing pressure by the federal Community Reinvestment Agency (CRA) to aid blighted areas, said they were unable to find and develop the affordable housing market.

Connecting all of these concerns, Freedman and city staff organized a partnership of public, private and non-profit organizations. Each came to the table with a problem and became one-third of a synergistic solution. "A lot of communities talk about housing initiatives, they form task forces, they have lunch. This city went beyond lip service," according to David Hollis, senior vice president of Barnett Bank of Tampa. "Sandy Freedman said there's a need here - what's it going to take? She made the community responsible."

A coalition of banks exceeded the mayor's call for $5-million in low-interest loan money to leverage federal dollars (Community Development Block Grants) with $13.5-million and created Community Reinvestment Challenge Fund I. The banks offer loans for housing units worth $30,000 to $50,000 at roughly two percent below market rates, accept liberal underwriting criteria and provide extended amortization of 20 years to reduce mortgage payments, which allows buyers to qualify with as little as five percent or $500 down. Buyers pay no closing costs or points.

"The Challenge Fund allows us to compete in affordable housing," says Bob Tanner, regional president for SunBank of Tampa Bay's Tampa region. "I don't think the bank would have been able to otherwise, using its own resources. The city identifies the customers and markets. That eliminates a lot of cost to the banks. We can then offer funds at a lower rate."

Under contract to the city, the non-profits provide staffers who qualify and package would-be borrowers. The city does appraisals, title searches and inspections at no charge. And Tampa guarantees the first five years of any mortgage, promising to buy it back within 90 days of default. Less than four percent of all buyers have defaulted since the program began; only one mortgage of 75 in the program sold by NCNB went back to the city.

"You know what it proves?" says Fernando Noriega, Jr., division manager of Tampa's housing assistance programs and architect of the partnership. "Low-income people pay their mortgages because they have no other option."

Making all this even sweeter to the city is the dramatic reduction in personnel at its Community Redevelopment Division. As non-profits took over agency tasks, its staff was halved, from 41 employees to 22, with money saved in salaries re-directed towards housing. The agency acts more as a brokerage these days, capitalizing on the non-profits to extend its services.

The real jewel in Tampa's solution to its housing woes is the involvement of the non-profits. "Non-profits can deliver housing much more economically than government can," says Noriega. "We couldn't deliver 10 percent of what the non-profits deliver. It behooves us to educate them to deliver housing." The difference, he says, is volunteer labor and less bureaucracy.

Tampa no longer accepts donations of housing, instead directing the donor to the non-profits. This saves the city time and money it would have to expand in protecting the donated property as a city asset. "Non-profits can do turnaround in 30 to 45 days with a minimum expense of 5 percent of what the city would spend," according to Noriega. One in every three affordable housing units in Tampa is now delivered by a non-profit. They package loans and guide applicants in everything from cleaning up their credit to preparing for the tribulations of home ownership. For their trouble, the non-profits get a small development fee from the city and can offer housing at 25 percent less than appraisal value.

As the dollars for affordable housing in Tampa multiply, the Tampa United Methodist Center (TUMC) - like the banks - is beginning to see the potential for profits it can direct to other services. TUMC is even expanding from rehabs into new construction and development, taking over vacant city land and even purchasing properties through the Resolution Trust Corporation with Challenge Fund dollars.

In 1986, the last year Bob Martinez (now U.S. drug czar) was mayor of Tampa, the city rehabilitated and/or sold 110 housing units. By the time Challenge Fund I was exhausted late last year, the city had turned over 2,714 units in three-and-a-half years - 989 in 1990 alone - ranging from single to multi-family and including adult congregate living facilities.

"If this is not the best thing this administration has done, it's right there at the top and it's helping thousands of people," says Mayor Freedman.

Bankers are equally ecstatic. When the call went out for commitments to Challenge Fund II, the city was presented with twice as much money - $28-million from 18 lenders for the next five years - than its first request netted.

"What really makes this different is the teamwork," says Barnett's Hollis. "It's the only time I'm comfortable taking off my competitor's hat and putting on my team hat. This is a good program, very efficiently operated. It's a shame we don't have one of these in every city in the country. The best way to improve the pride in a community is through pride of home ownership. This makes that happen."

©2003 By Bob Andelman. All rights reserved. No portion may be reproduced without the express written permission of the author.

Accounting Niches (Tampa Bay Business Journal)

(This story originally appeared in the

Tampa Bay Business Journal in June 1994)

By Bob Andelman

If Dwight Darby & Co. handles the accounting chores for more automobile dealerships than any other CPA firm in town, there's a good reason for that: Wayne Bond. "I love cars," says the Tampa firm's managing partner. "I used to build 'em and race 'em. I even worked in a dealership when I was a kid. I know the business, the lingo." Bond's personal interest in the field certainly helps the 25-person firm. When he came on board many years ago, Dwight Darby had two automotive clients; it now has nearly 30. The firm's specialization in automobile dealers may be a more colorful example of the niche work many independent accounting firms chase these days, but it's no less apropos. From divorce work and business valuation to not-for-profits and health care, many Tampa Bay CPAs believe their future lies within highly specialized fields. "It's very helpful to develop knowledge in a particular area or industry, that you know the buzzwords, you know what's going on," Bond says. "When you do, you get referrals. Most of the new automobile dealerships are referred to us by existing dealers. "It gives us an area to compete in," he says. "The Big Six -- yes, they can handle the mega-dealers with 50 to 100 dealerships. But they can't service the locally owned dealerships." Local and regional automobile dealers prefer hiring accounting and legal professionals who know their business. According to Bond, this is of greater importance in auto sales than other businesses. Surprisingly, there isn't much paranoia among auto dealers when it comes to accounting. If there were, why would so many use the same firm? Bond says auto sales figures are available through so many agencies, public and private, that they don't sweat it. Dwight Darby & Co. is one of 22 American accounting firms belonging to the Auto CPA Group. Geared toward tax and accounting issues for auto dealers, the group meets twice a year. The most recent gathering featured a speaker from the IRS who specializes in automobile dealerships. There are perks offered to Bond as a result of his relationships, but he always demurs. "I've had dealers offer me demos for part of my fee," he says. "But a car doesn't divvy up easily between my partners very well. I will buy from my dealers, however. And I will not allow any of my partners to buy from a non-client dealer. It makes good business sense; we should trade with our clients when at all possible." ¥ ¥ ¥






Auditing not-for-profit organizations is an important portion of Lewis, Birch and Ricardo's business. It's a narrow category complicated by ever-increasing state and federal reporting requirements. "We do a great number of them," says managing partner Ron Ricardo. Ricardo, a former partner at KPMG Peat Marwick, says Lewis, Birch and Ricardo will sometimes pick up a new not-for-profit client from a Big Six or other large firm because one of the partners is a member of the not-for-profit's board of directors rendering that firm no longer "independent." Litigation support for divorce cases with substantial holdings are another of the downtown Clearwater firm's niches. In general, Lewis, Birch and Ricardo Ñ 20 employees strong -- prides itself on being a full-service accounting firm. The secret is good people. "You have to be aggressive; you have to be creative," he says. "If you have good people, you'll find a way to compete." ¥ ¥ ¥ Garcia & Ortiz handles a growing volume of litigation and government work. But it approaches the niche concept from a different direction than identifying a specific field of specialization. "We compete in two main areas -- service and pricing," says managing partner Louis Ortiz. "We're a full-service firm and we serve various fields, but so do the Big Six. In order to compete effectively, we have to offer more involvement. And we don't have the overhead they do, so we can pass the savings on to the client." With offices in St. Petersburg and Tampa, Garcia & Ortiz splits its staff between the two cities. It's an efficient system for gaining clients in either city or those with operations spanning both sides of the bay. Ortiz figures his firm can compete with the Big Six firms for many accounts. But sometimes, he says, an independent firm can help its client grow too much. "One of the areas in which the Big Six do a very good job of taking clients (from independents) is when they go public," he says. "The underwriter will almost invariably recommend a Big Six firm to take the company public. While we think a local firm can do a credible job, the underwriter wants all the horses of a Big Six firm." That scenario hasn't directly impacted Garcia & Ortiz yet, but Ortiz has one client that might be poised to go public soon. Meanwhile, he's hedging his relationships and investment by affiliating with McGladrey & Pullen, the eighth-largest accounting firm in the country. McGladrey & Pullen has 52 such affiliates around the country, each with an exclusive geographic area. "We belong to their network," Ortiz says. "When we get involved in jobs that are larger or more difficult than this firm can handle or because the client is in another state, we get involved with McGladrey & Pullen. We use their library and resources. We're like one of their offices except we retain local ownership. It makes us more competitive." The human touch helps, too. While it challenges the creativity of an independent accounting firm to find an area in which the Big Six firms cannot effectively compete, their very bigness sometimes causes their smaller clients to feel overlooked. "A $20-million client, to a firm like ours, is very important," Ortiz says. "$20-million to a Big Six firm is not very important." ¥ ¥ ¥ Real estate, construction and manufacturing clients dominant business at Tampa-based McNulty & Company. Those are the industries Jim McNulty started serving in 1971 (he opened his own shop in '76) and they've been good to him ever since. "The '70s and '80s were a good time to be in construction," he says. "A lot of people have gone out of business, but the survivors have done very well." McNulty thinks that in today's market, it's critical for an independent accounting firm to identify a specialization or a series of specializations. "There will always be a need for alternatives to the big companies," he says. "Some people need the big companies. But everybody can use a small firm for something. We're less layered. Generally speaking, our fees are going to be lower than the Big Six." McNulty & Company gets referral business from the Big Six several times a year, he says, when a firm has some type of conflict on an account or they need his special skills in litigation, business valuation or divorce work. "A special project, a niche, a conflict -- if they can refer it to a small firm and not risk the client getting close to a rival Big Six firm, they're better off doing that. We aren't any threat whatsoever to the relationship a client has to a Big Six firm. "We're doing work for a Fortune 500 firm's subsidiary -- I'm not sure their auditor even knows we're in the door," McNulty says. "But we're no threat to them because we're not big enough to handle their audit and tax needs." end ©2005 by Bob Andelman. All rights reserved. No portion may be reproduced without the express written permission of the author. bob@andelman.com

97 of the 99 Best Things About Doing Business in Tampa Bay

By Bob Andelman

(Originally published in Florida Business Tampa Bay, 1990)

A
The first sight of Tampa Bay most business travelers, visitors and new arrivals enjoy is the magnificent Tampa International Airport. It ranked second in the world in a 1987 poll by the International Federation of Airline Passenger Associations. (Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam was first.) What's not to like? The hub-and-spoke design makes for short walks between airline gates and baggage claim. Even the airport food is quite good. Completely remodeled in the late '80s and keeping up with increased demand though perpetual expansion, TIA is a delightful gateway to Tampa Bay.

There is more than one airport in Tampa Bay, however. St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport has a thriving charter business after years of serving commercial carriers. Private and executive airplanes also enjoy easy access to Albert Whitted Municipal Airport in St. Petersburg, Clearwater Executive Airpark, Plant City Municipal Airport, Tampa Bay Executive Airport, and Peter O. Knight Airport, Vandenberg Airport and Zephyrhills Municipal Airport.

Advertising products and services is at once easy and complicated across the bay. There are more than 200 media outlets between newspapers, magazines, radio and television. While broadcast's message stretches across the two counties, print offers a more selective sell. The daily newspapers offer neighborhood editions; weekly community papers do the same. And magazines specializing in lifestyles, homes, business, computers, music, disabled workers, parents, women and new age interests offer niche targets.

A rash of acquisitions and mergers in the late 1980s has resulted in most of Tampa Bay's fine homegrown advertising agencies gaining national affiliations. Earle Palmer Brown, Fahlgren & Swink, Bozell, Jacobs, Kenyon & Eckhardt, Young & Rubicam are all represented locally.

Abilities Inc. of Florida is an aggressive, not-for-profit Clearwater-based organization that has been a national model in providing skills training for the emotionally and physically disabled in electronics assembly. Abilities students also learn desktop publishing, computer-aided design (CAD), computer programming, and clerical skills. Clients for graduates include Critikon, E-Systems, GTE, Honeywell, IBM, and AT&T/Paradyne.

Affordable housing makes Tampa Bay attractive for new workers, professionals, and management executives alike.

Audio/video production in the Bay area offers quality commercial, corporate and technical know-how and facilities at a reasonable cost.

B
Banking is big business in the Bay area. Two nationally recognized financially institutions - NCNB National Bank and Chase Bank of Florida - run their Florida operations from Tampa headquarters.

In downtown St. Petersburg, a revolution is underway, led by master planner Neil Elsey and his Bay Plaza Companies. A 10-year plan for rejuvenating the city's waterfront business district as an upscale retail center is well under way.

Bridging the bay, hands across the bay ... whatever you call the recent trend towards one-market thinking, its long-range implications for the Tampa Bay area can be nothing but positive for business and our general quality of life.

Beaches. Isn't that the number one reason anyone comes to Florida? Whether we actively use them for relaxation or entertainment, it's always comforting to know they're there when we need them, hot, sandy and near the cool blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico. They also contribute mightily to the local economy as millions of tourists flock here from points throughout the United States, Canada and, more recently, Europe.

There's a general list of fine restaurants under "R" but Bern's Steak House in Tampa merits individual attention. Its world-renown wine cellar and fabulous steaks make it a "must-eat" destination of most business travelers and well-to-do tourists. And it's even more deliciously wacky-tacky in its red velvet walls and sculpture than the Kapok Tree in Clearwater.

Baseball, baseball, baseball. Unless the area is wiped out by a tsunami, Tampa Bay will be the site of Major League Baseball's next expansion franchise.

Business news is easy to come by. Tampa Bay has four major monthly magazines: Florida Business, Florida Trend, The Maddux Report, and Urban Business; a quarterly, Excel; four tabloid weeklies: the Tampa Bay Business Journal, the Pinellas Review, and Monday supplements to the St. Petersburg Times and Tampa Tribune; weekday Wall Street reports on WSUN and WFLA radio; and the "Suncoast Business Journal" on WEDU-TV.

As for business schools, the University of South Florida College of Business Administration is accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business. The school offers both MBA and Ph.D. programs and is headquarters for the Center for International Business, the International Language Institute, the Center for Free Enterprise and Economic Education, Small Business Development Center. The University of Tampa, which also has a distinguished business program including MBA studies, is home to the Center for Ethics.

C
The Center for Training and Business Development in Tampa was originally formed to assist in the relocation of Citicorp Travelers Checks from New York to Tampa and in massive training of new employees. Funded by a public/private partnership, the Center has gone on to provide training for new hires at Chase Manhattan, Time Inc. and Leslie Controls, among others.

Tampa Bay encourages corporate relocation but only clean industry need apply. Leave the smokestacks at home.

Concurrency and its seven circles of infrastructure requirements - roads, water, sewer, drainage, mass transit, recreation and solid waste treatment - which must overlap and encircle any future proposed development area, may or may not belong on this list. Check back in 10 years.

A slump in the construction industry has caused a number of out-of-town builders to flee and even one or two local firms to call it quits. That's not a plus for construction, but anyone needing to build should be able to find favorable terms.

Corporate headquarters in the Bay area include: Jack Eckerd Corp., Milton Roy, Home Shopping Network, Florida Progress, Homestyle Family Buffet, Kash n' Karry, Tech Data, GTE, Raymond James and Associates, Spalding & Evenflo, Hillsborough Holdings, Jim Walter Corp., Times Publishing Co., Trader Publications, Lykes Bros., Florida Steel, Tampa Electric Co., Maas Brothers.

Corporate sponsorship opportunities abound, from sporting events such as the annual collegiate Hall of Fame Bowl football game and St. Petersburg Grand Prix to Shakespeare in the Park and Clearwater Jazz Holiday.

D
Competition between discount office supply warehouses like St. Petersburg-based Workplace and Miami-based Office Depot has enabled even small businesses to buy Fax machines, PC clones and other technology and paper goods at rock-bottom prices.

Centrally located on Florida's west coast, Tampa Bay is ideal as a distribution point for the entire state. Oil products intended for all of mid-Florida enter the state through Port of Tampa and Port Manatee.

Driving across Tampa Bay to get to work in the morning is a small pleasure - the water beginning to glisten as the sun rises. But driving across the water to get home at sunset is even better, thanks to the celestial explosion of colors as the sun sinks to the horizon. Traffic be damned - there's no better place to get stuck.

E
Economic development organizations such as the Tampa Committee of One Hundred, Pinellas Economic Development Council, Tampa Bay Partnership, Pinellas County Industry Council play a major role in stimulating growth, attracting new companies and creating opportunities.

Tampa Bay's effective buying income of $33,436,603,000 in 1988 ranked the region 24th nationally.

Enterprise Village is a novel experiment developed by Pinellas business leaders in conjunction with the county school board to give elementary school students a real taste of America's free enterprise system. The kids spend six weeks in the classroom learning about buying, selling, check writing and balancing, wholesale and retail, payrolls and other facets of daily business. Then they put it all into practice at Enterprise Village in Largo, where local businesses such as WRBQ Radio, Florida Power, McDonalds and Eckerd Drugs have established miniature replicas of their operations.

Ethnic diversity is strong throughout the area, from the Greek community in Tarpon Springs and African-Americans in St. Petersburg's Southside and Tampa's College Hill to the Latin, Spanish and Italian influences upon Ybor City.

F
It's a great place to raise a family. Maybe even a dynasty.

Foreign trade includes sending frozen chickens and butter to the Soviet Union, citrus to Japan, building materials to the Caribbean. Pinellas County has permanent trade missions to Amsterdam, London and Germany. Trade is also encouraged and supported by the Tampa Bay International Trade Council, Super Task Force for Internationalizing the Tampa Bay Area and Pinellas County Industry Council.

Nearly 200 of the Fortune 500 companies have affiliations in the Bay area. Three of these are companies with corporate headquarters here.

The opening of the Florida Suncoast Dome (see 'B: Baseball, baseball, baseball') should continue to revolutionize the way the world sees St. Petersburg. And it will create new opportunities downtown.

G
Growth management. It stings today, but in the long run, we'll be glad we did it.

Rand McNally's Vacation Places Rated ranks the bay area fourth nationally for golf.

H
Health care and its ancillary industries employ tens of thousands locally and pump millions into the economy.

Higher education institutions include the University of South Florida, University of Tampa, Eckerd College, Tampa College, Hillsborough Community College, Florida College, Clearwater Christian College, and St. Petersburg Junior College.

Believe it or not, we're putting the Home Shopping Network on the list. It's weird, it's tacky, it's the cubic zirconia of broadcasting, but HSN and top gun Roy Speer have put the "Clearwater, Florida" dateline on news and feature stories around the globe, from the Wal Street Journal to TV Guide. And, more importantly, the cable channel brought Farrah Fawcett to Pinellas County. That's worth something.

Another Clearwater innovation, Hooters, might debate that it is infinitely weird and tackier than Home Shopping Network. Whatever. The wing, breast and surf music restaurants are the antithesis of formal dining for business lunches; that's why so many suit-and-tie types take out-of-town guests here.

I
There is no state income tax in Florida. Many would argue its needed to pay for infrastructure, schools and other necessities, but so far, no tax.

Which leads to impact fees for new development. They are rising, rising, rising ... but so is the population and the traffic caused by growth.

Industrial revenue bonds have been a major contributor to the attraction of new business to Pinellas County and the expansion of existing business. Originally set to sunset in October, the bond program is expected to receive a reprieve and be extended for two more years.

Average per capita personal income in Hillsborough County is $14,821; in Pinellas County, it's $19,091.

Growth in international air travel has led to expanded direct and non-stop flights from Tampa to Amsterdam, London, Frankfurt, Mexico, Bahamas and Canada.

The interstate highway system throughout Tampa Bay is one of the few joys a commuter can find. I-75 connects Tampa with Miami to the south and leads all the way north to Canada. Along the way, it intersects I-10, America's favorite east/west freeway, linking Los Angeles to Jacksonville. And, finally, there's I-4. It starts in Tampa, cuts across Orlando and runs into I-95 on Florida's east coast. I-95 connects Miami to Maine.

L
An ever-growing, abundant and affordable labor force of 1.4-million prevails in Tampa Bay, presenting skilled and unskilled, union and non-union workers. The number of engineers, for example, is projected to increase 79 percent from 8,402 in 1986 to 15,012 by the year 2000.

Luxury homes can be found in patches throughout the Bay area, from the waterfront to the edge of wilderness preserves, with prices running from a few hundred thou to multi-millions. Belleair, Snell Isle, Terra Ceia, Davis Islands, Hyde Park, and Tampa Palms are but a few of the places to invest a mint in shelter.

M
MacDill Air Force Base means $1.6-billion to the local economy and is responsible for more than 10,000 jobs.

Magnet schools in Pinellas County - specializing in the performing arts, mathematics and science, liberal arts, and an early graduation program.

Bob Martinez, governor of the State of Florida, hails from Tampa and ... waitaminnit ... Sorry, wrong list.

Author John Naisbitt recommended Tampa as one of the 10 great cities of opportunity in his book, Megatrends.

Minority media outlets are varied and strong here. The African-American community supports two radio stations, two newspapers and a monthly business magazine. Latins have two newspapers, one television and two radio stations. There is also a Greek newspaper and radio station.

Participating in one of the Bay area's museums is both good for the soul and the pocketbook. Volunteers and contributors gain both good will and valuable contacts from being involved with the Tampa Museum of Art, Salvador Dali Museum, Great Explorations-The Hands-On Museum, Children's Museum of Tampa, Henry B. Plant Museum, Ybor City State Museum, St. Petersburg Historical Museum, Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Science and Industry.

N
Miami, Orlando and Tallahassee only have one good newspaper a piece. Tampa Bay has two, the St. Petersburg Times and Tampa Tribune.

O
The one-penny optional sales tax approved by Pinellas County voters in 1989 should make driving there a little easier in the future.

Thanks to a building glut and more downtown towers coming on line in both Tampa and St. Petersburg, there is an office glut that has created a buyer's market.

What would Orlando be doing on this list? Well, when Tampa and St. Petersburg set aside their differences to work towards common goals, it was helpful to have someone to turn our collective antipathy towards. And we like having the Orlando attractions just 90 minutes away so when we do need a mouseketeer injection, we need not stay overnight.

P
Not everyone lives a typical life. At Paradise Lakes Resort, normal means nude. The 40-acre alternative lifestyle community in Land 'o Lakes is more than just a topless beach; it's a thriving real estate business offering 340 single family homes, mobile homes, town homes, condominiums and an RV park. Non-resident couples are invited to visit.

How about plenty of pawn shops and package stores for that business downturn that always lurks around the corner.

A wealth of over-planning has gifted Tampa Bay with three of the south's greatest performing arts centers, Ruth Eckerd Hall, the Mahaffey Theater, and the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.

Planned communities are all the rage. Tampa Palms may be the best-known, but Hunter's Green, Avila, Cheval, The Villages at Cypress Creek, Walden Lake, and Andalucia are growing in popularity.

Port of Tampa and Port Manatee are out of each other's league in terms of size - Manatee does just a fraction of Tampa's shipping tonnage - but the two are fiercely competitive and the business community benefits.

While the St. Petersburg Times and billionaire industrialist Bob Bass scrap for control of the newspaper publishing company, the non-profit Poynter Institute for Media Studies continues to be a beacon of integrity in the journalism world. Poynter - named for the Times' late editor - draws reporters and editors from around the world to take part in studies of the whys, wherefores and howtos of modern media.

Both Hillsborough and Pinellas counties are sprinting toward individual population counts anticipated to exceed 1-million by the end of this decade. But the Tampa Bay metropolitan statistical area, which includes Pasco and Hernando, already put us over 2-million. Tampa Bay is second only to Atlanta in population, households and effective buying income.

One of the great conveniences of living in Tampa Bay is the 24-hour Post Office at Tampa International Airport.

Some publishers do, admittedly, send their work out of town, but virtually any printing need imaginable can be handled locally, from web offset presses to glossy four-color jobs.

Private clubs aren't for everybody - heck, they aren't even just for men anymore. But membership in the Tampa Club, University Club, Presidents Club, Cherokee Club and Centre Club is still pretty exclusive.

Public relations specialists abound. John Heagney, for example, is Mr. Real Estate. And Sherry Wheatley Sacino has made a name for herself working with companies dealing in the Soviet Union, Caribbean and Third World countries. Hill & Knowlton

R
Freight and passenger rail service - including CSX and Amtrak - are still available in the Tampa Bay area.

Florida passed the "Solid Waste Management Act" in 1988 and it is finally spurring Tampa Bay's municipalities to push active recycling. The counties must achieve 30 percent recycling of all solid waste by 1994. Several businesses are springing up to capitalize on the requirements of the new law.

Just when you think you've got trouble, Joe Redner gets arrested again for trying to keep his businesses open. Redner is king of adult entertainment in Tampa Bay, the kind of guy you love to hate. He's colorful, articulate and probably making bond even as you read this.

Economic development agencies got a boost in their efforts to relocate businesses to Tampa Bay in 1989. Pollster Louis Harris surveyed chief executives of the nation's largest companies for Cushman & Wakefield and asks them to grade 31 cities in categories such as labor, access to markets, quality of life and attitudes of government. Tampa ranked fifth in the survey.

Research is crucial to large and small industry. Tampa Bay is home to accomplished and respected facilities at the University of South Florida, Showa University Research Institute (cancer research), Commerce Clearinghouse (law), and Poynter Institute (media).

This is America's 20th largest radio market. Approximately three dozen AM & FM stations are licensed to the Tampa Bay area.

U.S. News & World Report ranks Tampa as the 16th hottest real estate market in the United States. West Palm Beach ranked first; Ft. Lauderdale was 24th.

Restaurants: Armani's, Eugen's, Lobster Pot, Donatello, Il Nido, Mise en Place, Oystercatchers, Black Swan, Bentley's, r.g.'s, Wine Cellar, Le Bordeaux, Le Pompano, Bella Trattoria, Basta's, Dolce Vita, Lauro Ristorante ....

The Rutenbergs, Arthur and Charles, have been among the most consistent, respectable and successful developers in the Bay area. Arthur, whose trademark single family residences are renown across America, and Charles, who developed Countryside Mall, continue to call Clearwater their home.

S
Hillsborough and Pinellas have tens of millions of square feet in industrial, office and commercial sites ready and approved for development.

Some skeptics might say there's only one game in town, but sports represent a major part in the way Tampa Bay works and plays. Buying season tickets to see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is virtually de rigeur for prominent businesses. Motorcar racing has taken off locally with two annual events, the World Challenge of Tampa and St. Petersburg Grand Prix. Four major league baseball teams come each year for spring training; those four and two more have minor league operations in Hillsborough and Pinellas. The University of Tampa and University of South Florida have consistently ranked in national collegiate baseball polls and USF's basketball team qualified for the NCAA tournament in 1990 for the first time. Besides providing thrills, local sports provide a tremendous number of spinoff business opportunities from concessions and uniforms to transportation and lodging. They also send Tampa Bay datelines around the world via TV, radio, newspapers and magazines.

Speaking of sports, the biggest name in the world of Tampa Bay athletics has to be shipping magnate and New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. Not many people in these parts can make both the sports and business news on the same day. This Tampa resident also been generous to local charities and community organizations with his time and money.

When the question of recession comes up, Tampa Bay economists and bankers frequently point to the region's senior citizens as one cushion against a local downturn. The line of thought is that between Social Security checks, pensions, military benefits and investment income, the area's older resident will always bring a guaranteed volume of dollars that other communities can't count on.

St. Petersburg-based Stetson University College of Law - Florida's oldest law school - has become a significant legal resource for Tampa Bay and the entire west coast of Florida.

The home team may not play in it, but Tampa Stadium will still put on its best face to host its second NFL championship game, Super Bowl XXV, in January 1991.

T
A coalition to watch is the Tampa Bay Partnership. An informal amalgamation of economic development groups from Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough, TBP is marketing a Bay area without county boundaries to the outside world.

The Tampa Convention Center - which still needs a more distinguished name - should finally be on-line this fall. Located on the city's downtown waterfront opposite Harbour Island, this spectacular, world-class building offers 200,000 square feet of exhibit space and a 36,000-square foot ballroom. Anyone with deep pockets looking for business opportunities should examine the convention center: when it opens, downtown Tampa will face a dire shortage of business-class hotel rooms.

A Moran, Stahl & Boyer study reported that the tax situation in Tampa Bay - moderate corporate income tax, no inventory tax, no personal income tax, no sales tax on business services and low personal property taxes - mirrors the advantages other areas of Florida have over neighboring states.

A number of economic reports have proclaimed this to be "Technology Bay" in deference to the fast-growing high technology, communications and advanced medical industries that have developed and relocated here.

This is America's 13th largest television market. Viewers are served by four network affiliates, two public broadcasting stations, two independents and a cornucopia of cable companies.

Rand McNally's Vacation Places Rated ranks the bay area third nationally for tennis. Teen sensation Jennifer Capriati trains at the Saddlebrook Resort.

The 41 miles that stretch north and south through Tampa have taken on an identity as the Tampa Parkway. It has become home to thousands upon thousands of square feet of office, commercial and industrial space, plus high-quality residential developments.

U
Even without a football team, the University of South Florida has topped Florida State as the Sunshine State's second largest school. It is based in Tampa, but the St. Petersburg Bayboro campus continues to increase enrollment and facilities. USF also has branches in Pasco, Polk and Ft. Myers.

Upscale retail stores are not yet abundant here but are growing in number. Old Hyde Park Village has the best collection, including Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers, Ann Taylor, Williams-Sonoma, Crabtree & Evelyn, Jacobson's, and The Sharper Image. Downtown St. Petersburg's redevelopment plan centers upon attracting more of the same, including a major anchor or two that would be unique to the area, perhaps Macy's, Bloomingdale's or Parisian.

V
Anyone with an office in a downtown Tampa, St. Petersburg or Clearwater tower would be hard-pressed to disagree that the Bay area's office buildings offer some of the best views of land and sea available anywhere.

Vocational and technical schools have grown exponentially on both sides of the bay in answer to the needs of new and existing industry. These county-operated programs can train high school students or adults in dozens or regularly scheduled programs or can accommodate special needs.

W
Weather? The weather is great. Only California would be better and you can't breathe or see the weather there.

Y
Youth is on the march. Once a victim of its demographic perception, Tampa Bay has 685,046 men and women between the ages of 15 and 44. By contrast, there are only 315,911 people age 65 and over.

Ybor City is the perpetual city of hope. A new redevelopment agency and a wave of ambitious young entrepreneurs, restaurateurs, and artists have taken root and are beginning to attract a crowd.

Z
And finally, Tampa has two zoos, one world class (Busch Gardens), one on its way (Lowry Park). In the works: the Florida Aquarium, largest marine aquarium in the United States, perhaps by 1993.

end
©2000 by Bob Andelman. All rights reserved. No portion may be reproduced without the express written permission of the author.

---

98 Rock: PD Greg Mull is Rockin' in the '90s (Players)

(I used to write a bi-weekly column, "RadioRadio," for Players magazine in the Tampa Bay area. The following story appeared in 1990.)

98 Rock: PD Greg Mull is
Rockin' in the '90s

By Bob Andelman

"I'm not living in 1978. It's 1990. The oldies are spice. That's what it's all about."

(Just as the sounds and competitive nature of commercial radio in Tampa Bay have changed dramatically in the last six months, so have the faces behind the scenes. WYNF, WXTB (formerly WKRL), WFLZ and WRBQ all have new program directors. In this column and another in two weeks, Players offers profiles of the new PDs at 98 Rock and 95 YNF.)

Greg Mull is your typical 29-year-old male. He's resisting the big switch to thirty-something by introducing his brain to the newest, loudest, sometimes raunchiest music he can lay his hands on in an effort to hang onto his youth. It's not uncommon in men of his age. But Mull has an advantage over most of his peers: he gets to share his discoveries with thousands of listeners as the new program and music director at 98 Rock, WXTB-FM.

There's one more thing he's got: a rock 'n' roll programming philosophy.

"Number one," says Mull, "it has to be rock 'n' roll. No pop music. And it's not soft, either. We don't play Billy Joel, Supertramp or Fleetwood Mac. We play rock 'n' roll. Some of the music we play may cross into Top 40, but it doesn't go (back) this way. It's pure rock 'n' roll, a youth-gone-wild kind of attitude.

"For so long, everything in radio has been focused on the 'thirty-something'/'Wonder Years' generation, but they forgot they had kids. I mean, the guys who are over 30 don't want to hear 'Kick Start My Heart' by Motley Crue. The other generation wants to hear it every five minutes," he says.

Faster Pussycat and the Jesus and Mary Chain are two more bands that you will hear in regular rotation on 98. The new sound is a mix of young avant garde bands and fresh, thrashing heavy metal. "A lot of this music hasn't had an outlet here," according to Mull. "I think this band Dangerous Toys is good. The Cult album is unbelievable. One of the best bands that's out now is Tesla. Great White is a great band."

Does that give you some idea where this station is headed?

Greg Mull is new to Tampa Bay but not to west Florida. He programmed 96 K-Rock in Ft. Myers not long ago, which introduced him to the area. He also worked at WXRC in Charlotte, N.C. and immediately before arriving at WXTB was a broadcasting consultant for The Research Group in Seattle. "As a consultant, I wore a suit every day. But I'm a jeans-and-a-T-shirt guy. That's one of the things that persuaded me to get off the airplane and get back into rock 'n' roll," says Mull.

Although he arrived in town after WKRL was taken over by Great American Broadcasting and changed its call letters to WXTB, Mull says he was familiar enough with the on-again, off-again "classic rock" station to know its days were numbered long before management saw the graffiti spray-painted on the wall. "What did I think of the 'KRL? It's easy to bad-mouth it because it didn't work. They were inconsistent. You never knew what to expect. Plus, they had a difficult time dealing with 'YNF because they're so entrenched. 'KRL could never succeed, which is why instead of going against 95, we went around them. Instead of playing the music of our older brothers, we went for the music of the '90s," according to Mull.

There is an interesting incestuous history between 95 and 98 that goes back a number of years. WYNF was originally owned by Great American, which now owns 98. Great American sold the company to CBS, the current owners. And several of the jocks at 95 started their Tampa Bay careers at the original 98 Rock.

Now 98 Rock is set up to give Tampa Bay rock fans a choice they haven't had in four or five years, according to Mull, who likes to damn the competition with faint praise.

"'YNF is a great station," he says. "But musically I think they lack something, especially for those who don't like classic rock. Most rock stations in the country are classic rock. They want baby boomers. But there's this generation that is tired of Steve Miller's 'Jet Airliner.' When The Alarm's 'Devolution Working Man's Blues' comes on, that's exciting to this group.

(Needless to say, 98 Rock plays "Blues.")

"To me, it's nice to hear 'Black Dog' from Led Zeppelin every once in a while. Just drop it in between the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tesla. But when you put it in between Steve Miller and Lynyrd Skynyrd ... I'm not living in 1978. It's 1990. The oldies are spice. That's what it's all about."

Although he says 98 Rock doesn't expect to battle 95 YNF for the overall audience, actions speak louder than words. Like when the announcer on 98 says, "Hey, 'YNF - Bite Me!" Or the new station billboards - which 95 has sued over - that are intended to give the impression 98 has slapped its logo over 95's.

"It's just very fun around here," answers Mull. "Are we trying to provoke them? No. We're trying to show attitude. Is it baiting them? No. See, the music brings attitude to the table and the personalities that surround it have to have some of that. I'm not on the air slamming them like the Pig (WFLZ) did to Q105. The 'Q' was a weak competitor. I don't think 95 is."

Mull doesn't anticipate giving 95 the same kind of anal cattle prod Power 93/The Power Pig gave Q105 in the ratings.

"Q105 could have cut some of the loss," says Mull. "It's going to be different with 'YNF. They'll either move to solidify their position with the classic rockers or they drop those people and come after us. I'm sitting here, waiting to see what 'YNF does. So far, I haven't seen a huge reaction. And I think that's what they should do. That's what I'd do. Q105 could have fixed their problem. 95 doesn't have a problem. If I were them, I'd keep doing what I'm doing."

NEW MUSIC
Here's a look at new music being added to local commercial radio stations. The list is a good indicator of the volume of new music being exposed in the Tampa Bay area:
Black Crowes "Jealous Again" (95 YNF)
Motley Crue "Without You" (95, 98 Rock)
Don Henley "The Heart of the Matter" (95)
Billy Joel "I Go To Extremes" (95, Power 93)
Peter Murphy "Cuts You Up" (95)
Gun "Better Days" (95)
Jesus & Mary Chain "Head On" (95)
Peter Wolf "99 Worlds" (95)
Giant "Innocent Days" (98)
Smithereens "Blues Before and After" (98)
Tim Karr "Rubbing Me The Right Way" (98)
Babylon A.D. "Bang Go The Bells" (98)
Bobby Jimmy & The Kritters "Somebody Farted" (93)
Jane Child "I Don't Wanna Fall in Love" (93, Q105)
Joyce Irby "I'll Be There" (93)
Lelia K "Got To Get" (93)
Mr. Lee "Get Busy" (93)
Phil Collins "I Wish It Would Rain Again" (93)
Whitesnake "The Deeper The Love" (105)
Michel'le "No More Lies" (105)

©2003 by Bob Andelman. All rights reserved. No portion may be reproduced without the express written permission of the author.

24-Hour Radio Programming (The Pulse of Radio)

24-Hour Radio Programming Profile By Bob Andelman (Originally published in The Pulse of Radio, 1990)

Is it live or is it Memorex?

Is it local or is it satellite-delivered?

An estimated 20 percent of all radio stations in the United States are now programming all or part of their days with product created off-premises and delivered by reel-to-reel tape, compact discs (CDs), digital audio tape (DAT) or satellite.

That's not news. What is news is that stations across the country are scoring big numbers with music, personalities and formats prepared in Los Angeles, New York, Arizona, Dallas and Colorado and shared by hundreds of like-minded operators. Easy access to satellite feeds via inexpensive ground dishes is making national services more attractive than ever.

Automation, thy name is success.

"We have the number one rated station, with automated service," boasts Susan Piston Stephens, vice president of operations at WVLK-FM K93 in Lexington, Ky. "We do have auto-assist in the morning and afternoon drive, mainly because you have to have jocks to do events, but we seem to do best when we're automated."

K93 runs reel-to-reel country music tapes provided by Broadcast Programming and compact discs when jocks are live in-studio. Local news and weather are inserted whether the station is live or on tape.
"It has been so successful for us," says Stephens. "Our billings are incredible. We bill more than anyone else in the market, We have very good national and regional buys. Our listeners obviously want to hear country music. They don't want to hear all the talk. It's basically a jukebox station. Why should I pay a jock when the listener doesn't want to hear it?"

'Round-the-clock and overnight programming services were once the reserve of beautiful music stations offering wall-to-wall Mantovani and the 101 Strings. Categories have exploded in recent years. Every conceivable format is now available as a 24-hour service, from talk and heavy metal to religious and inspirational. Satellites have allowed stations to go "live" via remote pick-up, although many have stuck by reel-to-reel tape, PC-operated carts, CDs and DAT.

There are other variations as well. Stations find programming services as cost-effective filler for overnight and weekend periods which they cannot sell. Some take music-only programming, using a national service's music research and song selections but sticking with local air talent. The variations appear endless.

"We literally have the ability to custom-tailor our product to individual market needs," says Jim Opsitnik, president of Bonneville Broadcasting System in Northbrook, Il., which serves 127 stations. "That's a distinction we can offer with our CDs. With CD automation we can control everything by computer and how many times it calls up a song. We have every song on-call all the time."

Bonneville's system uses consumer playback gear typically, 22 stackable Pioneer CD players per beautiful music station, 12 for ACs tied to IBM XT computers. "The screen has up what has played, what will play, how long and it's up before the operator at all times," according to Opsitnik. CD stacks are pre-packaged, coded and labeled by Bonneville so operators never handle the discs.

Century 21 which claims 1,400 client stations in 13 formats works in a similar way to Bonneville's CD music system, although Dave Scott, president of the Dallas-based service, says his company works with many stations interested in automated dayparts instead of total auto formatting.

"Our CD formats are not only going to automated formats, but to live formats," according to Scott. "We sell our CDs to KISS in Los Angeles. The automated stations, I see a lot of stations that say I don't want to automate but I don't have any income from my overnight show, my Sunday show. The other logical situation is the non-personality format. If you decide you're going to have 10 hits in a row, those formats sound almost the same automated as they do live. If you can't tell the difference, why pay a guy $50,000 a year to push 16 buttons an hour? If he's not going to be a personality either by talent or format why pay for it? If the listener can't tell if it's live or pre-recorded, why is it live?"

Who makes a likely candidate for a programming service?

"AMs," says Opsitnik. "They're looking for cost-effective ways of operating a radio station. Automation provides that. It's primarily your medium and small budgets, people who don't have a big upside potential to generate income even if they become number one. It's a matter of scale and economy. A full-blown automation system 10 years ago cost $50,000. A CD system today, on the outside, costs $25,000 tops. It's far more cost-effective today to go automated."

"The majority of our stations are FMs, as a matter of fact," says Broadcast Programming VP/GM Edie Hilliard in Seattle. "But you will find, in large markets, the FM will be live and the AM automated. If you've got a strong FM and an AM in trouble, probably the quickest way to cut costs is to automate."

Cost-effectiveness has long been a primary explanation of a station's switch to automation. But a growing number of outlets are turning to satellite and pre-recorded services because they deliver consistency in their format.

"The songs you play have to be consistent," says Hilliard. "It can't rely on an individual person's taste. So stations are depending upon syndicators to be sure the product is right."

Another selling point for the syndicators is the research, marketing and promotion they provide to local affiliates. "When we put on our programs, we help our affiliates sell them," says Don Emanuel, president of the Albany-based American Radio Network.

Unistar Radio Network provides nine different satellite services from its Los Angeles studios to 1,250 subscriber affiliates. The network added 256 new stations in 1989 alone.

"We're like a high-quality restaurant," says Unistar President Gary Fries, "You walk in and choose what you want. And while we're providing programming, we're also providing logistical help. We do a tremendous amount of research so the stations can focus on advertising sales and other things in the market. We look at our affiliation as a team effort with the local station." Unistar has a nine-person affiliate relations support staff. "If you don't get success for your client stations, you're not going to continue to grow. It's a partnership feeling. It's not so simple as we plug in the satellite and you walk away and we walk away. It's a continuing relationship."

Fries says Unistar's "AM Only" format of music aimed at an "older" demo is "part of the solution we've tried to put together for stations that have been struggling with the question of what do I do with AM?

"We have stations that switch to our country format for two reasons," he continues. "One is cost savings. Another is that a company that has an AM/FM combination may say let's put the AM on satellite to give us a slightly different product and audience. Country accomplishes that."

Satellite Music Network (SMN) in Dallas is another successful programming service, having grown from two formats and three affiliates in 1981 to 1000-plus stations and ten formats in 1990. Each format is a radio station onto itself with its own marketing, promotion, research and minimum of 10 air personalities.

Roy Simpson is general sales manager at SMN. He sales that of all its formats, "Pure Gold" and "Kool Gold" are the hottest.

"We've done real well with them recently," he says. "Across the country, oldies are doing well in market after market and everybody wants to jump on the bandwagon. Kool Gold is number one in Sante Fe, for example."

SMN's exposure of its heavy metal "Z-Rock" format on AM in New York City has expanded interest in that particular network, although Simpson says he is pressing for more FM affiliates.

American Radio (ARN) bills itself as the nation's only 24-hour live talk network. Begun in 1988 with 23 affiliates, the network has grown to 270 stations representing all top 100 markets which carry all or part of its programming. The average affiliate carries four hours of ARN shows.

"Our whole idea is that talk is the only growth format in AM radio today and we're providing it," says ARN's Emanuel.

ARN lacks TalkNet star power but that hasn't kept it from getting ahead. A trio of hosts anchor its dayparts out of a Baltimore studio and the network switches to Tom Star's "Sports Overnight" in Boston from 11 p.m.-6 a.m.

Business Radio Network (BRN) offers a different form of talk than ARN's. It is styled as a news wheel not unlike that of the Cable News Network, providing business news and features, international and national reports, sports and consumer features throughout the day, from 5 a.m. EST to 9 p.m. EST. Weekends are filled with specialty programs such as "Omniverse" and "The Home Office Show."

"Our network can be done a lot of ways," according to Dave Rose, chief operating officer for the Colorado Springs-based network. "You can run the whole network or do a lot of interactive. One of the reasons we went into the flexibility business is we wanted broadcasters to assess what's needed in their market."

BRN is overwhelmingly an AM service, with 67 AM affiliates and just three FMs. "The fidelity and technical quality of AM is perfectly acceptable for talk. In some ways, it's better," says Rose. "I think AM will be going more and more to talk, sports and programming like ours."

Like ARN, BRN found a demographic link between its business listeners and sports fans. That's why it launched a sports business program called "Sports Club" on Aug. 1 to air in the wee hours. "Sports Club" is being offered on a right of first refusal to BRN affiliates and then it will be available to other stations.

Another variation on programming services might be found in Albuquerque, N.M.-based Drake-Chenault. With 30 years of experience, Drake-Chenault has weathered and adapted to many changes in the business. As commercial satellite networks have come into vogue, it remains a fee-based programming service, offering its nine formats via tape, reel-to-reel or satellite delivery to 60 stations. "Have it your way," says VP/GM T.J. Lambert. "We're not a commercial network."

As at other companies, country is a popular format for Drake-Chenault.

"Oh, yeah," enthuses Lambert. "It's American music. We're a success in obvious places like the south, but we're also a success in unlikely places like Hartford, where our country format is number three."

One more option offered by Drake-Chenault: the Winners News Network, which has 12 affiliates. "It's 24 hours of Zig Ziglar and Tom Petersen," says Lambert. "They've got lifestyle news, gardening tips. You don't need ratings to sell it. It's the ultimate conceptual sell."

Is too much of a good satellite or pre-recorded program bad for local stations and air talent?

"It's no longer a concern," according to Simpson. "With the advent of satellite dishes, it's just a common occurance. Who cares what city Dan Rather does the evening news in? People don't care where the programming comes from as long as it's programming they enjoy. Ten years ago there were some concerns. But that's been overcome."

"A DJ that is talented, extemporaneous and today's show is different than yesterday's is going to have a job for a long time," says Scott. "Rick Dees is not in any danger of someone taking his shift."

The real coming of age for the satellite networks will be the day when enough markets around the country carry a common format and the first live via satellite star DJ is created.

Leaders in 24-hour programming syndication services see a decade of booming opportunity before them.

"We may get a ruling that you can't simulcast," says ARN's Emanuel. "If that happens, we're golden. Two-thousand to 5,000 AM stations are not going to go away because people say you can't play music on AM."

SMN's Simpson agrees that the future is rosy for 'round-the-clock programming services.

"We feel our next goal is 2,000 (affiliates)." he says. "We feel it's within reach. We see more and more major market stations who are in a crunch right now. That's where we see our growth in the next 12 months. Our (long-term) goal is to have 20 percent of the stations in the country programming one of our 10 formats."

Sidebar
National Supervisory Network
Automation has taken another giant step forward with the National Supervisory Network (NSN), "the world's first centralized dedicated command and control system, capable of the monitoring and control of hundreds of broadcast facilities across the country at one time" according to company literature.

The concept of NSN is quite simple.

From its remote, high-tech location in Eagle-Vail, Co., NSN will handle every technical and operational detail of running a radio station via a duplex satellite network. Equipment readings are logged every 30 minutes; alarms and EBS tests are logged as they occur. Stations that need to reduce power at night, activate a security system or test back-up power can all be accomodated from thousands of miles away. The system is designed to comply with all federal regulations.

"We allow you to legally lock your doors and walk away. Our operators are standing by," according to General Manager Muffy Montemayor. "We're the perfect complement to 24-hour programming. It's a niche to be filled. If you're operating with a programming service, there's probably some time of day it's more cost-effective for you to run unattended. We take care of all the technical specs according to the engineers."

NSN provides and installs all the equipment necessary for it to take charge. The fee is $875 per month plus an equipment deposit.

The network has 20 stations currently on-line and is signing up new outlets on an average of one per week. It takes 45 to 60 days to deliver equipment and get it turned on.

"It's working great," says Vic Garrett, operations manager, program and music director of KSNO AM/FM in Aspen. "It monitors our on-air performance, our EBS performance, whether we're live or locked up. So far, it's worked flawlessly. Not only do they watch our transmitter and notify us (of problems) ahead of time, they also give us a lot of weather and tell us about lightning strikes."

KSNO is live during the day with a new adult contemporary format and carries The Breeze via satellite at night. Having NSN look after his shop in the automated off-hours gives Garrett piece of mind.

"They're pros," he says. "There are times we get hit by powersurges or something and they get us started faster than I can get in the station myself."

©2000 by Bob Andelman. All rights reserved. No portion may be reproduced without the express written permission of the author.