IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Kerri Black, WENG-AM

Our local community radio station

Above, Kerri Black gives a tour of the station to local chamber guests. In the background is the studio. Photo by Garland 

On Wednesday this week during a morning show on WENG, the local AM radio station celebrated Linda Ronstadt. Kerri Black, who hosts the station’s morning show “Suncoast This Morning” and puts together the newsbreaks, played “You’re No Good” in honor of her 80th.

“It’s her birthday today, so I try to kind of highlight famous singers’ birthdays when it’s a good one,” Black said. “When I don’t have guests, I get to play a little bit more music.”

There were plenty of fans happy to hear it, not just those who followed early rock. There was also news value: it was worth marking since she has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and many people don’t realize she is still alive.

A decade ago, it would not have been “news” that a local radio station played a favorite song on an artist’s birthday. Today, it is rare for a radio host to get to choose the song they play, and it is increasingly rare to find a local radio host at all. It is even more rare to find a local commercial radio station with a local news operation. Rarer still is an AM station that remains commercially viable, since some, even large stations such as Charlotte’s WBT, have gone dark.

The decline is measurable. Since 1991, more than 800 full-power AM radio stations have surrendered or lost their FCC licenses, and more than 100 are silent, according to stats from EngineeringRadio.us, a trade website. This summer, the big news in radio is layoffs at iHeartMedia, which will mean even fewer live, local people on the air. The industry is now trying to encourage Congress to pass legislation that would prevent automakers from dropping AM radio from cars: the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act.

WENG 1530 AM has survived one of the most difficult eras in broadcasting. It has figured out a way to stay on the air, simulcasting on FM at 98.1 and 107.5 to provide 24-hour coverage, since the AM signal is limited at night.

Black has worked at the station for 16 years.

The station is located just west of the Winchester and River Road intersection, tucked back in the woods. It was established on Nov. 15, 1964. It was originally licensed to the Sarasota-Charlotte Broadcasting Corp., with Edward J. Ewing Jr. as its first general manager, and was later sold to Murray Broadcasting Co. It is now owned by Joe Fiorini, through Fiorini Broadcasting LLC, which owns seven other stations, including outlets in the Miami-Keys area.

“We’ve been around since 1964,” Black said of WENG. “Obviously, with different owners. What’s important about it is everything. It’s hard to find local stations anymore that actually bring you local news. Everything is piped in from somewhere else in the country, and it may not be done that day; it could be done the day before. We are live and local, and we mean it, and we stand by it.”

The station carries regular syndicated programs, including Glenn Beck, Jimmy Failla and Guy Benson in the evenings. It also carries “Coast to Coast AM,” an overnight show for people who cannot sleep. In the mornings, it carries the nationally syndicated “This Morning with Gordon Deal” before moving into live local programming.

While the station is primarily talk, it carries a few music shows, including “The Real Don Steele Show,” along with rock and smooth jazz programs. That too is rare, as most talk stations never venture into music.

Local talk and conversation are the station’s bread and butter. Weekends are full of local shows, from a boating program with Capt. Don Healey to church programs such as Calvary Chapel. There is also a real estate show. The station’s audience is in Sarasota and Charlotte counties and reaches a bit into DeSoto County.

“We have quite a few listeners in Arcadia,” Black said.

The newest threat to radio is artificial intelligence. Black said it is already changing the landscape of what listeners hear. At larger stations, much of what airs is not real.

“Some of the commercials you probably can’t even tell,” Black said. “I’d say we’re at about 35 to 40 percent of commercials with AI voices.”

Even without AI, most radio is programmed from somewhere else.

“It’s all cookie-cutter,” Black said. “It’s not creative. It’s not one-on-one, local.”

The station has been a lifesaver during recent hurricanes. It stayed on the air even after Hurricane Ian, when it had to ask listeners for enough gas to keep its generators running. On a visit last week, showing off the station to a group from the North Port Chamber of Commerce, Chief Engineer Hal Kneller explained how the station works and not only walked through the technology, but also took members out to the tower to explain how AM signals bounce off it, since the tower is grounded. Sales Manager Bill Fleming is also a regular presence at community events. It is a small staff, including Kathy Lindan, the traffic manager.

Black started in radio at 19 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with her first show on WSMC, a classical station. She has worked at both iHeartMedia and Beasley Broadcasting. She also serves as market manager for the station, overseeing local programming while playing an active role in sales, marketing, promotions, community events and business development. Her full title is SWFL marketing manager.

The station carries the Florida News Network for state news, and Fox News’ business and radio reports. Its news does not take a position.

“We are a local, trusted news source, and an honest one. I don’t want to say unbiased, because we are conservative,” Black said. “We can’t hide that fact. We play Glenn Beck and all that. But I would say trustworthy. We are a trusted news source and have been for 60 years now.”

The local format allows the station to serve the community, including live candidate forums held on air with callers.

“I just had a candidate forum this past Saturday morning with three school board candidates running in Sarasota County,” Black said. “We just open up the mics and ask: ‘Why are you running? What are you passionate about?’”

Callers and listeners keep the station honest, and close to home.

“We had a couple of listeners call in, which was great, and they wanted to know about the budget,” Black said. It got to the heart of the issue, the essence of local radio. They asked:

“Why is the budget so out of whack?”