Beasley Broadcast’s Southwestern Florida WRXK(FM)’s “Stan and Haney” will celebrate their 5,000th radio show on Nov. 8.
The on-air duo’s heritage afternoon show, which airs weekdays from 2– 6 p.m., has dominated the Ft. Myers-Naples-Marco Island, Fla., radio market for over two decades. To celebrate, Stan and Haney are broadcasting live beginning at 2 p.m. from The Seminole Casino Immokalee, and listeners are encouraged to join until 8 p.m.
Stan Nawalaniec and Mark Haney first teamed up nearly 27 years ago in Melbourne, Fla., at WMMY(FM). After a brief time apart, Haney then joined Stan in May of 1993 at 96 K-Rock as his morning show co-host. Stan and Haney then moved to the afternoon slot in April of 1997.
Their careers have outlasted vinyl records and entered into the computer age. When they first started, radio personalities had to display their FCC licenses and be proficient in engineering transmitter readings.
“While at 96 K-Rock, we’ve gone through five general managers, nine program directors and multiple morning and afternoon time slots,” says Stan, “but we’ve never doubted our passion for radio and for this community.”
Stan and Haney’s show is marked by phone interaction, topical interviews, “Haney’s News,” “The Fluffer” and “Stan’s Audio Grab Bag!” The two radio pros have created a stable of comedic characters and have interviewed both Rosa Parks and Bill Cosby. But the duo’s journalistic chops don’t prevent them from bringing the occasional horse or panther into the antics.
During their careers, Stan and Haney have been nominated five times as The Best Radio Show in SW Florida and included in Talent Hunters Top 100 Most Important Morning Shows in the United States. Also recipients of the Florida State Attorney’s Good Neighbor Award, Stan and Haney volunteered for local MDA Labor Day fundraisers during the ’90s and early 2000s, and in 2003 they created the Stan and Haney DRAFT (Direct Relief and Assistance for Florida Troops) Fund, which assists military personal serving overseas and their families.
“Through the years, loyal fans have stood steadfast as Stan and Haney woke them up in the mornings, accompanied them on their ride home from work, alerted them of natural disasters and led them by example to support local neighbors in need,” said Market Manager Brad Beasley.
