While stations like 99 Jamz and Power 96 got all the shine in the urban/rhythmic/party music broadcasting wars, contender 103.5 the Beat quietly cultivated its own devoted following. The station's slogan for a time was "Grown and Sexy ... And Loving It!" and its programming and on-air banter reflected this more mature bent. The Beat ceased broadcasting this past Friday, replaced by a new, Spanish-language station called "Super X," which is devoted to office-desk-worthy light hits of the last couple decades.
Based on the dozens of angry comments on our report on the change, though, the most-missed piece of programming already is Steve Harvey's daily variety-talk morning show. But, fans, fear not. Harvey's program is, of course, syndicated, so there are a couple ways to still get your fix.
The most obvious way is to listen online. The show streams live from 6 to 10 a.m. every day from Monday through Friday, right here on Harvey's site. Of course, that doesn't help you on your morning commute. There's still a way around this if you have a smart phone.
Your best bet is the IHeartRadio app, which streams more than 750 different radio stations, both Internet-only and terrestrial. Among those are several stations that also broadcast Harvey's show, but for simplicity's sake, here's one: Tampa Bay's WBTP 95.7 the Beat. Download the app for your iPhone, iPod, iTouch, Blackberry, Android, or Sonos, then search for WBTP, tune in during the morning hours, and set it up to broadcast through your car speakers.
Other times, you can also use the app to listen to local terrestrial stations -- like Power 96 -- if you find yourself away from an antenna and dying to listen to a million commercials and the same 15 songs over and over.
