Mix FM Juiz de Fora sits on a frequency that spent three decades rising, falling, and rebuilding itself before finally landing as part of one of Brazil's biggest commercial radio networks.
From a Doctor's FM License to Juiz de Fora's Top Station
The 88.9 MHz frequency first went on air as Solar FM in 1988, launched by physician and businessman Juracy de Azevedo Neves eight years after he had acquired the sister station Rádio Solar (Wikipédia). Programmed toward a working-class audience with contemporary national and international hits, Solar FM became a genuine hit through the 1990s, leading Juiz de Fora's own audience ratings during that decade.
That success didn't last on its own terms. Cost-cutting through the 2000s eroded programming quality, and shifts at its sister station toward sertanejo and then a purely musical format dragged the FM signal's audience down with it. By 2012, the station had drifted into a generalist format with no clear identity.
A Research-Driven Reinvention, Then a National Rebrand
Rather than let the frequency fade out, its operators commissioned audience research from Sieg Informação and repositioned the station toward an "adulto-popular" format aimed at listeners over 25, relaunching on October 18, 2012, and climbing to roughly 20 percent audience share within a year (Wikipédia). That turnaround set up the frequency's biggest change yet: an affiliation with the national Mix FM network confirmed in April 2019, with the rebrand going live on June 11, 2019, under Juiz de Fora's Rede Tribuna de Comunicação group, which also owns Transamérica Juiz de Fora and the Tribuna de Minas newspaper.
National Reach, Local Festivals
The Mix FM network Juiz de Fora now belongs to counts more than 2.5 million monthly listeners nationally, with its Instagram following alone topping 1 million, and operations director Suellem Roberta Horacio Franklin has described the brand's approach directly: "We're a national radio with a local presence in many festivals like Rock in Rio and Lollapalooza" (Tribuna de Minas). The Juiz de Fora affiliate carries network staples like DJ Alok's "Controvérsia" and DJ André's "Summer Mix," alongside the participatory "Pede no Zap" segment, where listeners across 19 Brazilian states request songs directly over WhatsApp.
- A frequency dating back to 1988, first as Solar FM under founder Juracy de Azevedo Neves.
- Reinvented in 2012, repositioned toward an adult-popular format after dedicated audience research.
- Joined Mix FM nationally in 2019, under the Rede Tribuna de Comunicação group.
- Carries national programming, including DJ Alok's "Controvérsia" and the WhatsApp-driven "Pede no Zap."
Why It's Worth a Spot in Your Rotation
Few local frequencies can point to a real decline and an actual data-driven turnaround before landing inside a national network's biggest brand. Mix FM Juiz de Fora carries that entire history, a doctor's 1988 FM license, a 1990s ratings run, a mid-2010s reinvention, and a 2019 national rebrand, into every hour it broadcasts today.
Stream Mix FM Juiz de Fora Free on Radio Shuffle
Tune in to Mix FM Juiz de Fora on Radio Shuffle, no account, no app, no fee. Press play and hear Minas Gerais' own stretch of Brazil's national Mix FM network.