CaribWorldNews, SOUTH FLORIDA, FL, Fri. Oct. 10, 2008: Declining advertising revenues caused by the US` floundering economy is creating static for South Florida`s Caribbean-American radio producers.

`I don`t have to turn on the TV. I just have to deal with my clients on a daily basis and I know the economy is shot to pieces,` said Pat Montague, who brokers time on WAVS-AM, a 24-hour Caribbean-programming station located in Davie, Florida.

Caribbean radio programmers largely broker time on radio station and are responsible for both the programming on their time slots and the advertising dollars that fund it.

WAVS`s largest broker, Hi Class Promotions, has also seen a sharp decline in revenues from businesses connected to the housing industry, Vice-President Winsome Charlton told CWNN this week.

Observers have tied the current economic turmoil to sour U.S. mortgages and mortgage-backed securities. But the meltdown is being felt all across the board, even by larger companies such as Cox Radio, Inc.

Jerry Rushin, vice-president of WHQT-FM and WEDR-FM, Cox Radio-owned stations located in Hollywood, FL, which caters primarily to a Caribbean and African-American audience, said he has noticed a drop in advertising from retail sales outlets and from the auto industry.

During a slump, some companies tend to step up advertising in an attempt to attract more business, he noted. But added Rushin: `Those that do a little extra advertising are offset by those who cut back on advertising.`

Donna Mairs, local sales manager at WHQT, said advertisements from national companies - about 20 percent of the station`s business - have fallen off. But the station is hanging onto to its local business through customized service, she added.

The overall decline in advertising has impacted Caribbean programming more, as the mom-and-pop stores and other small businesses that provide much of its funding struggle to survive, some closing down altogether, said Eddy Edwards, a broker at Miami`s WZAB-AM and host of the Saturday variety show `Caribbean Riddims.`

That dries up funding for brokers, forcing them to cut back hours, he said.

But South Florida radio executives and entrepreneurs say they are doing what they can to avoid the ultimate cost-cutting measure: layoffs.

`I have not as of yet had to lay anyone off, thank God,` said Rushin. Instead, he has trimmed expenditures on office supplies and promotional giveaways such as t-shirts.

Lay-offs `are on the table,` but only as a last resort, he said.

`I would like to think I could find other moves to make before it got to that,` added Rushin.

Montague said she is offsetting her WAVS losses through other enterprises, including her Princess PM Productions, Inc. a Davie-based promotional company.

They include marketing promotions, album launches, Caribbean comedy showcases and `Buck Up,` a weekly party which she said showcases the state`s top D.J.`s and which has a steady following of about 200-300 people.
 
Edwards is following suite. His company, Riddims Marketing, has offset its losses with club nights, dances and other special events. 

`You`ve got to be creative as to how you find revenue,` he said. – By Kirk Nelson/CWNN