SoFloRadio is the Future of Honest, Fun Talk Radio

When the Neil Rogers Show blew up earlier this year, South Florida became like much of the rest of the country--a radio wasteland of nothing but sports and right wing talk. The last vestige of talk radio that did not carry a corporate message was gone. The last show that could carry an audience large enough to represent the community--including members of the community that, like me, left the area long ago, but still have roots there--died. Local radio really died in South Florida when WIOD's line up that featured Rogers, Phil Hendrie, Rick & Suds and Randi Rhodes among others was broken up in the 90s.

Listeners in other major markets can tell the same tale. The ashes of KLSX in Los Angeles resulted in the rise of several very popular podcasts including Adam Carolla's podcast which has dizzying numbers. These shows have been quite fruitful, they often reference and cross over with one another. The communal feel is alive and well. In fact this group has been referred to as a podcluster.

But it's not a radio station.

In a post hyping his upcoming piece about the endeavor that intends to replace doomed terrestrial radio in South Florida and beyond--So Flo Radio.Com--William Skordelis writes:

Local radio is back in South Florida with Sofloradio.com. Led by Jorge Rodriguez, it is the creation of a group of “recessionist” entrepreneurs who watched themselves get squeezed out of their talk radio jobs by corporate media’s decision to save money, by broadcasting the same “national” radio shows in all markets, and in the process they tried to and almost killed grassroots, local talk radio in South Florida.

The communications conglomerates which control all of the major audio and video media providers have taken this more national approach to radio programming because of the enormous cost savings of having to pay one voice compared to paying local talent big bucks in hundreds of markets. The largest holdout for local talent is sports talk, which is relatively safe, especially in markets with one or more local major sports franchises.

Enter Sofloradio.com. Using the low cost bandwidth of the internet, Rodriguez and his group of local radio professionals have banded together to create a true grassroots, authentic radio media outlet to provide a voice for Joe Working Guy. It could be Jane Working Gal, or even Chuck Creative Guy, it doesn’t matter, SoFloRadio.com by nature just somehow identifies with the world’s “Doers.”

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Jorge Rodriguez spoke to Skordelis on his daily show which airs live noon-3pm daily. You can download that episode here. In a sprawling two hour interview that begins one hour into the show, Rodriguez outlines in detail his vision for the future of the station and the incredible story so far.