There's a good reason why howard Stern, Bob and Tom, Rush Limbaugh and their ilk find themselves on so many stations and command big dollars. Their powerful radio personalities-like them or not-draw masses of listeners, making their programs attractive to advertisers. Talent equals revenues.

These characters, whether local or national, bring the human element to radio, making it more than just a play list of music or four hours of talk punctuated by commercials. Radio announcers make the station speak directly to you. They set the tone and bring the magic to the medium.

Southwest Florida has a variety of on-air personalities who speak their fans' language. Most of the deejays are keenly aware of the market in ways that statisticians can only imagine. They live here. They talk to the audience, receiving phone calls, e-mails and faxes from them. They know what works.

C. David Bennett, or just Bennett to fans, is a well-known fixture on WINK-FM's popular Wink in the Morning radio show that runs from 6 to 10 a.m., Mondays through Fridays. His quick-witted, sharp-tongued radio persona is just one facet of Bennett's generally benevolent, if outspoken, off-air personality. "We entertain ourselves," Bennett says. "It's just four hours of therapy each day for all of us." Bennett shares the program with Gina Birch and Steve Allen, all of whom, along with a series of bizarre and wildly entertaining call-ins, make Wink in the Morning one of Southwest Florida's favorite morning radio shows.

"We love to take on local politicians," says Bennett. "The whole fiasco of the Stadium Naples thing was a great story for us. I mean, what were those guys thinking?" For Bennett, the lure and entertainment value of on-air "discussions" are simple: "We say in public what most people only dream of saying. That's what people really enjoy hearing."

Bennett has a real sense of the market and its rapid growth, as well. And he knows his audience. "I have been in this business since I was 17," he says. "I am 49 now, and over that time I have grown to love and appreciate my work." Bennett, who has worked in the Southwest Florida market for more than 20 years, says: "The age range is what makes this market different. There are, demographically, more older people in this market than in some others. But we are also an incredibly spread-out market. Southwest Florida is like 1,000 hometowns all rolled into one. With that growth, there is certainly demographic change on the horizon.

"For us, WINK-FM has a huge market share of female listeners between 25 and 34 years of age. We focus on that segment. But it is always great to see that share expand."

With a career in radio spanning 20 years, including nine of those years spent in the Southwest Florida radio market, Michael Allen, better known as "Mud," has a unique perspective on the area from his control-room seat at WARO-FM. His hour-long, 6 p.m. drive-time show is composed of classic rock favorites sent in by listeners. "I play comfort music," Allen explains. "The classic rock I play reminds people of their first car, their first girlfriend or boyfriend. That's what attracts the audience."

Allen explains that his job, aside from selecting music (he's also the station's program manager) is to "set the tone" for songs. "I might say, 'Now that you've grown from being called to the principal's office to getting a call from the principal's office, here's something for you,'" he says. "My audience is largely a family audience." The classic rock audience Allen is talking about clearly falls in a demographic that has its share of school-age kids. Sure, mom and dad might have been wild-eyed rockers in their youth, but they are parents now. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean that mom and dad don't still enjoy great classic rock.

Allen also knows his audience. After all, he falls right within the same demographic. "When we do a promotion, we don't do them for wild drinking nights at a local bar. Instead we target our audience, maybe offering tickets to a Rolling Stones concert-along with complimentary babysitting for the kids," he says. "It's all about knowing who is listening and serving them."

One important and growing segment of the radio market in Southwest Florida is the Hispanic market. Francisco "Cisco" Cuevas hosts a morning show on one of the area's top Spanish-speaking stations, WTLQ-FM's Latino Tropical.

"We started as an AM station almost two years ago, but thanks to a very successful first six months and great ratings, we have moved to the FM dial at 97.7," Cuevas says. "We have a fantastic audience whose household income is generally between $25,000 and $50,000-plus annually. We appeal to a wide variety of ages, too." Cuevas says that the key is providing a wide variety of music. "We offer a broad spectrum of Latino music," he says, "from world popular/Top-40, merengue, salsa, bachata to a new kind of music called reggaeton. Reggaeton is like Latin hip-hop. It is very popular."

According to Cuevas, his station has more than a 20 share among local Hispanic radio listeners ages 18 to 29. "That is an important core of people who spend money in the area," he says. "Spanish-speaking people are a real market force here. Hispanics spend money just like anyone else, so advertisers are wise to reach out to them."

Gary Todd represents one of only a very few small, independent local stations, WCNZ-AM, that still fill the niche of truly local news radio. "At NewsRadio 1660, we really want to be Naples and Collier County's local radio station," he explains. His show, Gulf Coast Morning, runs from 6 to 9 a.m., Monday through Friday.

"We have a long list of local people we have on the show, including representatives from the Neighborhood Health Clinic, Donna Fiala and other well-known local leaders," he explains. "Our goal is to fill a community need for good local radio news, making a niche for ourselves as well."

Although stations focused on local issues were once the norm, since 1996, truly local-focused, locally owned stations have become increasingly hard to find. Todd and company are hoping, just like all the other stations, that they have found their niche and that they can continue to grow their station and a business on that market share.