Miami's 103.5 The Beat is Back Playing Hip Hop Again

"Miami’s Beat is Back, Beaches" (at least that's what we think they said). Another promo says... "99 can bend over and get ready for a beatdown.” The new station is going head to head with “99 Jamz” WEDR.

Miami’s Bangin’ Hip Hop” has debuted with 2,000 songs in a row, the flip brings back the format it used from 2002 to 2008 and the name it used until May 2012 on the 103.5 dial position in Miami.

In 2008 the Clear Channel Media + Entertainment owned radio station (WMIB) changed it's format from Hip Hop to a "Grown & Sexy" Urban AC format. The move was motivated by the introduction of  Arbitron's PPM ratings system to South Florida. The thinking here is that an urban hip hop format would prove to be unpopular to listeners with using the electronic ratings system.

Several personalities were let go including popular on-air personality Prince Markie Dee. Many may know him as one of the founding members of the 80's rap group The Fat Boys.

Around the same time, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum was asking a circuit court to stop Arbitron Inc. from releasing radio audience information and to stop the company from classifying the Miami market as “high-density black” and “high-density Hispanic.”



In May 2012, the station flipped to Spanish Hot AC “Super X“. The station then flipped to “She 103.5” and then re-imaged itself as “Variety 103.5” this past April.

With all the changes in anticipation of catering its format to be more favorable to the PPM ratings system, the September 2013 PPM’s ratings measured a 1.7 share of the market.

CCM+E SVP/Urban Programming Doc Wynter said, "103.5 The Beat is back and ready to take back ‘Hip-Hop’s Heavyweight Title’ in MIAMI,"   “While The Beat was 'away' we got a little harder and this time around we‘re just straight 'bangin' hip-hop. Many of the biggest stars in the hip-hop world live in Miami, so the format was a natural choice for this community."



As with most format changes in radio, the station is jockless until further notice...

Has there ever been a radio station with more format changes than this station, in such a short period of time? All motivated by only one reason.

If so, please let us know!