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Cox prepping for a Spanish attempt in Orlando?
- Thread starter byron
- Start date
O
ok walters
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Spanish what? Pretty much all of the variations are covered, even religion.
WRUM's presence has been strong in the past few Nielsen releases, so I guess it would a competing Tropical format if they intend to blow up one of the FMs, translator like 107.3 ...or light up a new one we haven't seen yet...
Byron
For FM, there is just one rhythmic and one salsa station. There is no Pop/AC station, for example... something that fits with the variants of the domain that were requested which all are based on "Exitos" or "hits" in the name.
Salsa is a definitely 35+ format, so there is probably a smaller hole in Orlando for a contemporary station with pop and the less hardcore rhythmic material.
I think it would depend on which FM station bills the least. Not sure what WDBO-FM bills, but I don't think they would touch that one, not to mention WCFB, WMMO or WWKA. I would think WPYO would bill the least. They could move the current format to an HD-2 for the 3 listeners they have who own an HD radio. But then again WMMO is located between WNUE & WRUM on the dial. They could get those who use the seek & scan buttons.
WPYO has a strong 18-34 Demo and WFCB has a 25-54 Demo which are both coveted age groups for ad agencies, so I doubt either one of these two will be flipped. WMMO is heavy on 35-64, which is not as desirable for ad agencies, and share a lot of audience with WOCL, and is vulnerable for a flip.
I think that WDBO didn't work out the way Cox planned. I believe they thought that by putting WDBO on the FM dial, that they would attract younger listeners and get higher numbers. The Sports on AM isn't panning out very well for them either. They could put WDBO back on AM and use the W297BB Translator on it to rebroadcast it, still giving WDBO an FM presence in the Metro and good coverage of the market on AM.
Cox has the sticks and the cash to flip either one of these, do massive promotion, and split WRUM's numbers right down the middle. That would improve the cluster's overall 18-34 and 25-54 numbers, which are much more attractive to national advertisers with big money.
But iHeart has some considerable experience doing Spanish language formats, while Cox is not a player in that segment. No experience, no bench.
I don't see them touching WPYO however an "Exitos" type station regardless if they share same music or language could end up hurting WPYO with the 18-34, 18-49 Latin Numbers as the same listener who likes Hip Hop can also like say Bachata. Whatever flavor of Spanish "Exitos" will be i think it lands on either WMMO or the 107.3 translator. WDBO will benefit from the election, and the rest of their FM's are all players in the market. I don't however see a hole with WRUM, WNUE and two Spanish Tropical LPFM's; could Cox really pull something off that KQ103 could not?
So beginner's luck is an impossibility? Only the status quo will ever launch a successful Spanish-language station?
It would all depend on who they hire to program and market the station.
There is no such thing as "beginner's luck". They would have to bring in the right people to lay the groundwork to even begin research.
Let's get 95.3 party back!!!!!!! 
I still miss that station.
I still miss that station.I don't know if I would go as far as saying that iHeart has "Considerable Experience" doing Spanish Language formats. The majority of the markets they have done well with Spanish Language Formats they have been the only ones in the market. If you look at any other market where there is competition, they are middle of the pack at best.
The two LPFM's don't really factor in are doing Classic Salsa formats which are ultra high in the age demos, and WNUE-FM is a rimshot which doesn't cover the entire South Side of the market well. WNUE to Entravision is just station for their TV Salesreps to reel in clients with bonus spots as a package for their larger Channel 26 buys.
A well planned marketing and programming strategy would definitely take a big chunk out of WRUM's numbers. Cox has the money to hire the right staff to get the job done. It's not the first time they have played the "David and Goliath" Role in the market. Look what they did some years back against WJHM with an smaller signal.
Clear Channel has a very significant Spanish language station in Miami, one which has been among the top couple of stations. In fact, they went in with a format variant that had not been done in the market and were very successful. Only recently have several of the heritage competitors managed to beat it.
In markets ranging from Fresno to Bakersfield in CA they have had dominant first or second place stations in markets with 8 to 10 Spanish language competitors.
Their major problem in some markets has been a cluster sales department that never learned how to sell the Spanish dominant market. That is much of the reason why they switched format in Chicago, for example.
The Orlando station has a really good PD in Raymond Torres and a great support staff, good research and a pretty good playlist. It's not a weak example of Spanish language radio.
To do that, Cox would have to hire not just a good PD but first find the right people to research the market to determine the format and approach so they could find a PD capable of doing the selected format. As Orlando is basically a Puerto Rican market, there are very few specialists who would be able to give the proper guidance; the Puerto Rican audience is significantly different from any other group of Hispanics which explains why only one non-Puerto Rican every had success programming a station in Puerto Rico itself.
Looks like X107.3 is stunting. Get ready for Spanish CHR 107.3 Solo Exitos:
https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/105098/x107-3-orlando-stunting/
The stations app has been changed as well. The few times I sampled the signal in the Orlando area it was getting stepped on by co-channel WXGL Tampa.
https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/105098/x107-3-orlando-stunting/
The stations app has been changed as well. The few times I sampled the signal in the Orlando area it was getting stepped on by co-channel WXGL Tampa.
Strange that they would use a rather old-fashioned and un-hip name like "éxitos" for a CHR. Also strange that they would do CHR on a small signal when WRUM is already dominant in that format.
English-language stations and their listeners have no problem with "hits." Is there empirical evidence that using the Spanish word for "hits" turns off potential young listeners, or is this just your esteemed, but still personal, opinion?
I don't know if Cox really did their homework on this one. The stick is originating from Pine Hills, and the coverage to the east and south, where the bulk of Hispanics are, isn't so hot. To compete with WRUM, you need a lot of money and a flamethrower. A 250 watt matchstick versus a full Class C Blowtorch doesn't sound like a good idea to me.
"Éxito" means "success" and can be applied to a career, a song or a hunting expedition. It was used more broadly in radio and music in the 60's and 70's in Latin America, with quite a few stations having "Exitos" as a station name.
The word was applied to music back then because Spanish has no universal term for "hit". Remember what sport the term "hit" comes from; it's a rather uniquely American term.
Today the term is passé. It has not been much used for the last three decades, particularly in current music oriented stations.
The term "éxito" has never been widely used in Puerto Rico, where most Orlando Spanish speakers are from.
San Juan never had a "Radio Éxitos"; in fact the term was researched and rejected back in 1975 when it was still used elsewhere in Latin America. San Juan did, back in the early 70's, have a "Radio Hit", WJIT-1140 and stations had "hit parade" music charts to give away at stores.
A hit in Puerto Rico is a "hit". Go figure. Or, using a more colloquial term, a "palo".
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