Fort Myers country outlet 93.7 WEHL has rebranded as “Trump Country,” a move general manager Jim Schwartzel says has tripled ratings among adults 25–54. “We didn’t ask for permission,” he told CBS News. “We looked at it as comedy.” The makeover launched on the day of Donald Trump’s second inauguration with the slogan “Make Country Great Again,” a Trump-voiced imaging mimic, and website art featuring a cowboy-hat Trump, Mediaite reported.
Programming leans into MAGA humor and grievance. Promos promise to “trigger tofu-eaters,” while a recurring bit, “The Cancel Bowl,” invites listeners to mock “the most pathetic woke thing” they’ve seen. One spot declares, “They canceled team names, the Anthem, even halftime shows … now it’s 4th and WOKE, and we’re calling the plays.”
Audience voicemails feed on-air segments and weekly giveaways. The “Trump Country Tailgate Command Kit” includes a flamethrower grill starter, a rack of ribs, a camo cutting board, and flag toothpicks. Another promotion, the “Freedom Five Thousand,” offers $5,000 toward “guns, grills, steaks, ammo, flags, or anything guaranteed to trigger your liberal cousin.”
Schwartzel, a Republican who just entered the race for Florida’s 19th Congressional District, frames the rebrand as entertainment and strategy in a market where Trump won 64% in 2024. He says he stays off the air to avoid equal-time obligations for other candidates.
At the same time, critics on the right have targeted a different radio storyline: Soros Fund Management’s large stake in Audacy. Soros cleared the broadcaster’s debt last year, making the fund a major force in radio and drawing objections from Republican lawmakers who opposed the rescue.