The Sunny Side of Mike
Mike Holfeld (Live!) on Sunny 105.9FM

by Bill Ernst

Mike Holfeld of WKMG Local 6 news moonlights—or maybe that's "sunlights"—on the radio. Holfeld appears as a regular on Rick Stacy's show on Sunny 105.9 FM bright and early every Wednesday morning at 7:45.

Stacy is essentially a comic, a ray of irreverent morning sunshine. The first time Holfeld ever spoke to Stacy was live on Stacy's show. Holfeld had done a report on Local 6 about an overzealous (some would say out-of-control) home-owners association at the Persimmon Place condominiums in Edge­water: the HOA had essentially banned children from playing outside in a community that allows children. The story garnered national attention, which is how Stacy heard about it. And then he wrote about it: a song, that is—"Down with the HOA," a parody about the situation to the tune of Springsteen's "Born in the USA."

Holfeld reported live on Stacy's show and interviewed a female condo owner from Persimmon Place. Stacy was the comic moderator on the three-way call. The bit was a hit, the rapport between Stacy and Holfeld was terrific, and Holfeld appeared on the show again. This time, the story was about a cockroach infestation in 22 Orange County schools, and Stacy wrote a song to the tune of, what else, "La Cucaracha." Another hit—and now a regular gig for Holfeld: every Wednesday at 7:45am during Stacy's 6:00-9:00am slot.

From now on, Holfeld and Stacy will decide in advance which of Holfeld's investigations they'll cover, and Stacy will write a fitting song or bit for the as-yet unnamed segment, skewering the situation or central figure in that day's new story. Who knows what they'll take on next.

"Rick Stacy is unbelievably talented," says Holfeld. "This is another way to discuss the issue, get people involved and reach Sunny FM's demographic, because a lot of people are impacted by the stories we do."

And Stacy is happy about Holfeld. "It's a great on-air relationship—Mike does the hard work and I just joke around and make fun of the story, which is my specialty," he says. "I like Mike's style, and I think we can bring something really compelling to the air on 105.9 Sunny FM. Mike does the factual and analysis portion of the story, and then I add my own point of view with a comedy bit or a song parody. Mike is the special investigator with all the news credibility, and I'm the guy in the red rubber nose and clown shoes."

WKMG Local 6 is a CBS affiliate, and Sunny FM is a part of the CBS Radio Network. Both are pleased about the new relationship the duo brings to their respective CBS outlets. "We can provide Sunny FM with news content that matters to their listeners," says Skip Valet, VP and general manager of WKMG-TV. "It's a great opportunity to convert their fans into fans of Local 6, and our fans into fans of Sunny FM." 

Sunny FM's music format appeals to the 35-64 age group and targets age 45-54 (similar to Seminole magazine readership). The station plays familiar upbeat music by The Eagles, Fleet­wood Mac, the Beatles, Elton John and other classic favorites of that demographic. And all of it sounds great, most of the time.

But bright and early on Wednesday mornings, it's Holfeld and Stacy: a zany take on straight-ahead news.

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Sunny 105.9FM; 407.919.1000; 1059sunnyfm.radio.com.
WKMG Local 6; 407.521.1323; clickorlando.com.

Mike Holfeld is an Emmy-award winning reporter for WKMG Local 6 and a regular contributor to Seminole magazine. He can be reached at MikeH@wkmg.com. Join his Facebook news connection at facebook.com/mikeholfeld.