I put this together in response to a ton of e-mails asking if "this happened before that", "when did so and so start on the air", etc. I also had tons & tons of articles from the local papers & industry magazines about The Power Pig, it's people & it's battle with Q105. When I put it all on paper, it looked cool. So I decided to give a spot to all of those little details that made this the greatest CHR battle.

If there is an exact date listed, it's been checked & verified. A question mark indicates just that, we're not sure.
Blank spots are answers we are looking for. If there's something you think should be included
(believe me, I know it's not complete) or something here ain't right (grammar don't count), PLEASE e-mail me:
Corrections are very welcome here. ThePowerPig@aol.com

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Cleveland Wheeler is out of mornings at Infinity/CBS's country WQYK/Tampa , replaced by Tom Rivers. Station says ratings were NOT the reason and he will not be held to his non-compete. In January, Mason Dixon's morning show at MIX 96 had beaten Cleveland by 0.3 share ages 25-54 but Cleveland was # 1 ages 12+. In a Tampa Tribune article, Cleveland is quoted saying, "God, not Arbitron , will sort us all out in the end."

Cleveland Wheeler woke up country listeners again.... but this time only for one morning, and this time back at his old stomping grounds of Q105, which is now country and owned by Clear Channel. Q105 News Director Roger Schulman told the St. Pete Times, "It was just a fun thing. We honestly needed someone to fill in for the day. Cleveland happened to be available."

93.3FLZ's night guy Bubba The Love Sponge hits a speed bump in Spring Hill while trying to open another location of his teen club " Sponges ". Hernando County Commissioner Ester said she would stop the club from opening when in fact she no ability to do so. She was upset that Bubba had called her an "inbred blue-haired bitch" on air. The club opened successfully a few weeks later.

Cleveland Wheeler fills-in for Cox's then-talk station AM 620 WSUN/Tampa's "Hooters On The Radio" show.

Spring '95 Arbitron - 93.3FLZ Mon-Sun 6a-mid 4.8 (25-54), MJ & BJ 3.7 (25-54).

Cleveland Wheeler appears yet again on the Tampa Bay airwaves, this time trying out for mornings on new Paxson jazz station WSJT 94.1 . He then showed up on Paxson's Sportsradio 820 The Team the next week for another test.

Cleveland Wheeler still bouncing all over the Bay area radio dial, but never getting a permanent gig. This month he was heard filling in for Mark Larsen's 9a-noon slot on Jacor's Newsradio 970 WFLA .

Summer '95 Arbitron - 93.3FLZ Mon-Sun 6a-mid 13.9 #1 (18-34) 6.5 #3 (25-54).

Rumors go around that 93.3FLZ night shock jock Bubba The Love Sponge may head to New York's Q104.3. In the meantime, the Bubba Radio Network (BRN) is born as Bubba starts doing a two hour shift for Jacor sister station The Beat/Jacksonville from Tampa.

MJ Kelli of MJ & BJ in the Morning fills in for Mark Larsen on Newsradio 970 WFLA.
Of course he later becomes known as Schnitt in 2002 with his own talk show.

In an odd turn of events, Mix 96's Operations Manager/morning man Mason Dixon will now oversee Q105 once again (now running a country format) as he becomes VP/Programming for several Clear Channel /Tampa properties.

93.3FLZ night shock jock Bubba The Love Sponge reportedly signs a new two year contract.

Fall '95 Arbitrons - 93.3FLZ Mon-Sun 6a-mid  7.8 #2 (12+), #1 (18-34), 6.7 #3 (25-54).

When Jacor's WDUV moved from 103.3 to 103.5, 93.3FLZ's assn't program director
Jeff Tanner-Kapugi was named Program Director.

93.3FLZ owner Jacor Communications acquires Tampa Bay area rock stations 98Rock and Thunder 105.5 (today at 103.5) from Citicasters Inc.

93.3FLZ owner Jacor Communications decides to simulcast 93.3FLZ completely on their newly acquired KHTS/San Diego frequency, also at 93.3 FM. Simulcast continues until Labor Day when KHTS became dance CHR Channel 93-3 . You can read an e-mail about this in the May 2004 e-mails in CONTACT PIG .

Cleveland Wheeler is named morning host at Entercom's Oldies Radio U92.

Winter '96 Arbitrons - 93.3FLZ Mon-Sun 6a-mid  7.5 #1 (12+), 14.3 #1 (18-34), 6.8 (25-54), MJ & BJ 7.6 #2 (25-54).

MJ & BJ's latest billboard's show what they do best. Showing their ass . The boards say "Wisecracks" across the top with two butt cracks representing them.

93.3FLZ's mid-morning jock Dave Mann starts doing afternoons for sister easy listening station WDUV (via tape) as well.

In early May, Mason Dixon is released from Clear Channel's Mix 96/Q105 over failed contract negotiations. The parting, most will agree, was not very friendly.
One reason may have been the number of Mix 96 employees that left either right behind Mason or within days of his exit. Those that left Mix 96 did not announce where they were going but ended up with Mason days later.

Mike Reeves becomes Program Director and morning host at MIX 96.

Right at the end of May, 100.7WUSA's successful Bob (DeCarlo), Judd (Otis) and Nancy (Alexander) morning show and Program Director Johnny Williams were released from their duties. Later that day, Mason Dixon becomes the stations new Operations Manager/Program Director and morning host. The station also went jockless for the next 24 hours with an occasional clock ticking sound dropped in.

                                
It was an odd day to launch a new station, but Friday at 6am, Mason & Bill in the Morning were on the air launching the new 100.7KISS FM, a station who's format they said would fall in line with parent company Gannett's other KISS FM stations. However, the other KISS FM's were mainstream CHR's, KISS FM here in Tampa was a definite HOT AC clone of what Mason had created at Mix 96. So far we know that Bill Connelly, Rico "On The Radio" Blanco and Scott Steele are the former MIX employees already on board KISS, with more on the way. Mason's quick hiring of a number of Mix 96 staffers moves Clear Channel and Mix 96 to make it's employees sign "non-compete" contracts.
CLICK HERE for June 14th, 1996 Tampa Bay Business Journal story about the staff member shuffle.

Spring '96 Arbitrons - 93.3FLZ Mon-Sun 6a-mid  8.4 #1 (12+), 16.3 #1 (18-34), 7.0 #3(25-54), MJ & BJ 7.6 #2 (25-54).

Jon "Rock N Roll" Anthony moves to weekends at Mix 96.

93.3FLZ part-timer Rich Stevens becomes program director/morning man at Jacor's new country station WCTQ/Sarasota-Venice , then at 92.1FM (now 106.5).

Jacor Communications becomes new owner of 100.7KISS FM/Tampa through a radio/TV property swap deal with Gannett Broadcasting.

CLICK HERE to read the Gannett press release.

                     
Mason Dixon (L) & Bill Connelly (R) in the 100.7KISS FM control room on Gandy Blvd.

Gannett Broadcasting & Jacor Communications concluded a deal to swap six Gannett radio stations for Jacor's Tampa Bay CBS-TV affiliate, WTSP Channel 10. Under the deal, Gannett gets Channel 10. Jacor, owner of Bay Area stations 970WFLA, 93.3FLZ, 98 Rock & WDUV-FM, gets 1250 WDAE-AM  & WUSA-FM (100.7 KISS FM)
in Tampa, as well as stations in Los Angeles and San Diego. Oddly enough, that puts KISS FM Operations Manager/Morning man Mason Dixon under the same ownership of the former Power Pig.
CLICK HERE for Dec. 9, 1996 Tampa Bay Business Journal brief on the deal.

Mix 96 gives up it's Hot AC format battle with 100.7KISS FM after ratings plummeted.
Mix becomes Modern AC formatted Star 95.7.


CLICK HERE for Aug 8, 1997 story from The St. Petersburg Times.

Entercom upgrades it's 3000 watt Sarasota based (city of license-Holmes Beach)
AC station, WISP 98.7 to 50,000 watts from the same tower as 92.5 uses on Park Blvd in Seminole. After stunting with a continuous loop of "Wild Thing" by Tone Loc for a few days, Entercom launches rhythmic CHR WiLD 98.7 "Tampa Bay's Party Station" with it's eyes set on 93.3FLZ as it's direct competitor. 

Jacor takes over hundreds of radio stations nationwide before Clear Channel merges with them in a $4.4 billion deal. Randy Michaels, who had been Jacor's chief executive, takes over as head of Clear Channel Radio from Covington, KY.

The nationwide Jacor/Clear Channel merger created an odd situation in the
Tampa/St. Petersburg/Clearwater market where Clear Channel had temporary control over 13 signals in the market while finalizing deals to spin off the stations they didn't want. The stations were: 93.3 WFLZ, 95.7 WSSR, 97.9 WXTB, 100.7 WAKS, 101.5 WFJO (went to Cox), 103.5 WDUV (became WTBT), 104.7 WRBQ (went to Infinity), 105.5 WTBT (became WDUV, then to Cox), 570 WHNZ, 820 WZTM (went to Mega), 970 WFLA, 1250 WDAE, 1380 WRBQ (went to ABC and became Radio Disney).

The Clear Channel merger was odd for both WFLZ & for Mason Dixon at KISS. Odd for WFLZ because Clear Channel (and it's top brass) was once the target of their attacks when they were the owners of Q105. Odd for Mason and his crew because Clear Channel was not only a former employer, but also one they forced to change formats and not on great terms with.

The Tampa Bay Business Journal reports that 93.3FLZ pulled in $10 million in revenue last year, $3.8 million just from the #1 rated MJ & BJ Morning Show alone.
CLICK HERE to read the story.

For the second time in his career, Mason Dixon is dismissed from his positions with Clear Channel, this time from KISS FM.
In a tremendously ironic twist, Clear Channel then kills the KISS FM moniker (but remaining Hot AC) and re-images the station as.... MIX 100.7. Even more ironic (at least for Mason), replacing him in mornings is
Nancy (Alexander) & Mike (Reeves).