When we last checked in with RadioStPete, station founder and program director Joe Bourdow was thrilled by the progress of what he described as “local internet radio for St. Pete and the world.” Now, just 18 months later, RadioStPete has expanded onto the FM dial. Sunshine 96.7 FM provides a wide variety of music options while RadioStPete Online continues to offer its eclectic range of programs. No matter how you like to listen or what your favorite program, it’s an exciting time for fans of community-focused local radio.
The Original: RadioStPete Online
Founded in 2013 to promote “the good things happening locally and to put a voice to the people,” RadioStPete’s “consistently inconsistent” programming offers a 24/7 blend of talk, music, news, and live local coverage. It plays regularly scheduled, widely varied thematic blocks including jazz, country, classical, pop and classic vinyl. In addition to regular newscasts, every weekday at noon, you can widen your horizons with “Lunchtime Conversations” and its mix of news, weather, Garrison Keillor and interesting features published by St. Pete Catalyst and other local producers. Movie buff? Tune in Saturday nights for the popular podcast “Cinema Clash.” Local sports fan? Tune into the “Locked on Rays” podcast every weeknight at 5:30, or enjoy live sports talk with “St. Pete’s Sports Connection” every Saturday, live from Ferg’s. RadioStPete Online isn’t just a talkradio station, a music station, a sports station, or an all-news station. Listeners can count on a mixture of music, news, and talk, along with live coverage of local events. It’s a delightfully inconsistent lineup designed to inform and entertain.
More Music: Sunshine 96.7 FM
When the FCC granted RadioStPete the broadcasting license for 96.7 FM in March, local music had reason to rejoice. Like RadioStPete Online, Sunshine 96.7 FM has program blocks, but although it offers a smattering of other programming along with daily news and weather updates, its primary focus is music, especially the local music scene.
As Bourdow described, “it’s a place to hear the best local musicians play and the place to hear the shows those musicians love.” Sunshine 96.7 Music Director J Kolb hosts “Music from the Bay with J,” from 2 to 5 p.m. daily. Tune in, and you can listen to some of the Tampa Bay area’s best singers/songwriters and bands playing original music and covers. Then stick around after the news break to enjoy local recordings from the past decade with the “Old Pirate,” Rick Crandall. Most evenings you also can hear local singers, songwriters, and bands play during the “St. Pete Nights” show. When Sunshine Radio isn’t featuring local talent, it broadcasts popular syndicated shows like the most widely distributed blues radio show in the world, “Beale Street Caravan;” the live-audience Americana format “Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour;” and singer-songwriter focused “Acoustic Café.” Simply put, Sunshine 96.7 FM loves music, and it shows.
Love Local: Support Local Non-Profit Programming
For complete information on programming, podcast archives, and all the ways you can listen to both StPeteRadio Online and Sunshine 96.7 FM, visit www.radiostpete.com. RadioStPete is a locally-based nonprofit all-volunteer organization with a volunteer board and 501(3)C tax-exempt status, so consider offering your support to help keep RadioStPete and Sunshine 96.7 FM local and live.
