Beasley HQ, SWFL Stations, and CEO Recovering From Ian

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On Wednesday, September 28, bustling Fifth Street in Downtown Naples, with its fashionable restaurants and boutiques, “was basically like a river.” That’s the first-hand account from Caroline Beasley, CEO of Naples, Fla.-based Beasley Media Group.


Beasley’s headquarters is in this Collier County city highly impacted by Hurricane Ian. Luckily, storm damage was minimal, as the company’s stations on Monday launched a company-wide Radiothon in support of American Red Cross relief efforts in Southwest Florida.

Speaking to Streamline Publishing midday Monday, Ms. Beasley shared how she and VP/Corporate Communications Heidi Raphael conducted interviews across Beasley’s 18 markets, chatting with local hosts about the company’s Radiothon.

It’s one that hits home in various ways. The Fort Myers-Naples-Cape Coral market is also home to several Beasley radio stations, and Caroline Beasley’s home is just blocks from downtown Naples. The storm directly impacted Ms. Beasley, who regained power at her residence Monday morning. “Naples was just really devastated,” Caroline Beasley said. “There are beachfront houses that just look like an extension of the beach.”

Beasley’s corporate headquarters “fared really well, with no water damager,” she added. “We had just renovated the building in 2020, during COVID. We put in hurricane-proof windows and doors in, and a massive generator … We really lucked out.”

The Beasley Media Group stations serving Southwest Florida are housed in an Estero facility. All but WRXK “96 KRock” are back to regular programming. WRXK is being used as a news and information center, with local talent including afternoon hosts Stan and Haney continuing to offer information and news pertaining to hurricane relief efforts.

On Friday, an engineering team went to the main transmitter site the Southwest Florida stations owned by Beasley Media use to get them all back on the air. Ms. Beasley saluted them, as they waded through knee-deep water at the site and successfully got the silenced stations to resume broadcasting.

“Our team in Fort Myers and Naples just did an amazing job,” she says. “Tough times like this bring out the best in people.”

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