The sounds of the Keys have arrived, as a popular independent radio broadcast now emanates from Cape Coral.\u00a0<\/p>\n
WRKW, an indie station born in Key West and now broadcasting through its sister signal WSWF in Cape Coral, is entering a new era of growth after five years of quietly building a cult\u2011classic following, its owner said.<\/p>\n
Owned, produced, and created by Maggie DellaGiustina, WRKW is stepping into a new chapter and expanding its reach across Southwest Florida while staying true to the Key West spirit where it was born featuring a blend of Gulf Coast warmth, cosmic humor, and late\u2011night Americana grit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am very familiar with the radio station choices that are out there, and I think what makes my station different is that they\u2019re commercial free and are curated by me. There\u2019s no algorithms, no anything,\u201d DellaGiustina said. \u201cI wanted something that not only I could listen to, but people could listen to, in a much more relaxed, noncommercial way.\u201d<\/p>\n
A former Matlacha and Florida Keys resident, DellaGiustina is now in Cape Coral, which she calls a \u201clovely\u201d city, and is running the station here. Since its inception in 2021, the station, which can be listened to on a myriad of platforms, has evolved tremendously.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s grown into something that people really connect with,\u201d she said. \u201cI wanted to create a station that felt alive. Something with personality. There\u2019s a lot of humor, and there\u2019s a great deal of atmosphere and environment. So, when somebody listens to the station, they won\u2019t stop listening.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the 24\/7 station, DellaGiustina said she plays a wide variety of music and that often times her playlist tells stories and evokes a sense of nostalgia, causing listeners to say, \u201cI haven\u2019t heard that song in years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe songs put you in a place that you remember, and it\u2019s kind of addictive,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The station\u2019s programming blends classic rock, deep cuts, Gulf Coast soul, and an unmistakable influence of the Keys: warm, atmospheric, and emotionally accurate. Listeners describe WRKW\/WSWF as \u201cmythic,\u201d \u201ccomforting,\u201d and \u201clike being let in on a secret,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Recent growth in engagement and platform expansion has signaled that WRKW\u2019s moment has arrived. With WSWF now carrying the signal across Cape Coral and Fort Myers, the station is broadening its distribution, refining its signature segments, and embracing a larger audience while keeping its indie backbone intact.<\/p>\n
In 2024, DellaGiustina said she reached 256,000 listeners worldwide, with the station averaging 25,000 listeners per month.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was amazing,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m humbled by it. That means it\u2019s working, and more than in Southeast Florida.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The station has a great retention rate, with listeners coming back again and again, she said.<\/p>\n
As WRKW and WSWF enter their next era, the stations invite new listeners to tune in, settle in, and experience a broadcast that feels like home \u2014 wherever that home might be.<\/p>\n
DellaGiustina has been out and about in the community spreading the word of the station, and her ideal future includes a physical location for the station.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t mean a great big grand radio station because this is not that,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I want to be somewhere where somebody\u2019s walking by and says, \u2018Oh, hey, there\u2019s WSWF. Let me walk in and say hello.’\u201d<\/p>\n
As for why her selections resonate, DellaGiustina said she \u201ccame out of the birth canal with a radio in my ear.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have decades of music in my brain,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve always loved music. I could be walking down the street and something will remind me of something that I\u2019ll associate with a song. That\u2019s how I come up with my music.\u201d<\/p>\n
While not being on FM radio is one of the challenges with spreading the word about the station, with the new age of streaming and Bluetooth connectivity in cars, the station can be listened to in any setting with a cellular device.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWRKW and WSWF are built with intention,\u201d DellaGiustina added. \u201cIf you love music that feels like a mood, a memory, or a place. You\u2019ll feel right at home.\u201d<\/p>\n
WRKW and WSWF operate as independent Digital Broadcast stations using self\u2011assigned call letters recognized within the digital broadcasting ecosystem.<\/p>\n
For more information, visit radio-key-west.com<\/a> and radio-key-west-southwest-florida-radio.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n WRKW and WSWF can be heard on the following streams: LIVE365.com<\/a>, US-Radio.com<\/a>, MyTuner-Radio.com<\/a>, GetMeRadio.com<\/a>, LiveOnlineRadio.com<\/a>, and P.Radios.Streema.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n