106.1 Seems to be the weakest of all the translators originating from Downtown Houston.. So i dare to ask can you think of a format that would have any chance of working with a limited signal like that? I know the people, that will be taking it over read this forum on a regular basis.
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WHAT COULD WORK ON 106.1?
- Thread starter radioislife2020
- Start date
Radio Aleluya, nothing commercial would work. Not even the rumored reincarnation of LA GRANDE.
Anything can work and anything can fail. This isn't a matter of what format you put on the air. It's a matter of CAN YOU SELL IT?
Seek out small businesses that aren't big enough for corporate radio and sell them the idea of how radio could work (it probably won't work, but that's not your problem) for their business. Remember, you're not selling ratings. You're selling the idea of what radio can do, but at a fraction of the price.
That's it. There's no big secret to it. Sell cheap and often. Hire the right sales people that can cycle through the thousands of small businesses in this town. Personally, I would look at launching Vietnamese programming. There's a lot of Vietnamese owned small businesses in this town and no FM option for the community.
Astros2023
Banned
Honestly, I don’t think it’s about the format at this point.. and I’ll have to agree with Bama TX here. Especially in markets like Houston, almost any format can work if, and only if, you have a real sales force behind it. Programming doesn’t pay the bills...sales does. So the real question isn’t what format, but who’s actually going to sell it ..and sell it well. The current rumor is that the signal might go Regional Mexican under Daniel Meléndez and César Guel. That’s one path. Some even say it could be a stronger option for Sol Radio to improve their signal, which wouldn’t be a bad move either. But whatever the case, it’s not just about flipping a format and hoping for the best.
Let’s also be real about the economics..translators in the $30K–$40K/month lease range are a heavy lift. When you factor in sales commissions, engineering, staff payroll, promotions, and everything else that comes with running a signal properly, you're looking at $75K to $100K/month just to stay afloat.
Unless someone has a bulletproof revenue model or a unique play lined up, this isn’t about “what format works” it’s about whether the business model behind it is sustainable.
This is just to have a topic on the board. You mention Guel but last i checked he sold this stations years ago.. not sure how he would still be involved. I dont think 106.1 would be a better signal than 101.7 honestly . Regional mexican would be a bad idea for sure i'm all about spanish formats but this is to weak of a signal to do anything in this market.
NEWS TO ME!
I’m perfectly happy with my little Telemundo office and the stations I currently LMA . I don’t think I could handle one more right now. Vietnamees sounds like a great option or Chinese . I remember Omar asking me to find a client for 92.5 and I had a Chinese group very interested but when the other 92.5 came on the air they quickly lost interest . Have a great weekend!
Isn't 1560am Chinese?
Are there sub-genres of Regional Mexican that could use more attention in the market? I read and hear lots of chatter about up and coming musical styles but I am not in the target demographic, so no particular expertise. Something like what SBS is doing with La Privada?
No. The 101.7 coverage is superior to 106.1.
Those demographics are concentrated in the SW part of the market, and would be better served by translators in that area. 106.1 doesn’t fit that bill.
The currently silent K223DH would work for Asian language programming as it is located in the SW part of the market. However it is supposedly going to Gow along with K223CW as a second transmitter for the sports format on 92.5.
Vietnamese, namely Viet Radio, which has leased the frequency the past eight years. The current 1560 night site, which is now in use full time, is perfect for the format as the 15kw main lobe is aimed right at the target demographic.
Tossing around other ideas for 106.1: Sell it to Hope Media Group for a better analog signal for their newly-acquired Worship 24/7. The current 91.3 translator has extremely limited coverage.
Another religious idea: Boost Radio, which is expanding its national footprint. Format is similar to NGEN.
Of course 106.1 needs an originating station that is actually on the air. Parent KJOZ has been off the air for over six weeks now.
D
Deleted member 108832
Guest
Ooo! Ooo! I got it! Go on and pair it up with co-channel KIOC. It'd be illegal as all hell, but that ain't been reason to stop a Houston translator yet.
It'd certainly make a majority of the participants here happy.
It'd certainly make a majority of the participants here happy.
Big Dog 106 used to be heard in Houston before all the cluttered garbage appeared.
Yes, and you see them in Mexico with either the broad "grupera" format name or specific subformats.
"Ranchera" is the most traditional of all the genres. A mostly ranchera station would be a decidedly 50+ format.
All "norteña" is an option, as is all "banda" and all "cumbia" (often called "tropical") And then there are formats with a blend of different amounts of that music.
Add in "Tejano" as a format, although it is not "Regional Mexican" as it comes, as the name specifies, from Tejas, USA.
Even Banda can be divided into some subsets, with more progressive acts either emphasized or not featured.
I've just named about 10 possible formats or blends. Add in stations playing more or fewer currents, and you have even more options.
I’m familiar with all those genres, as they are quite common. However I hear a lot about sub-genres such as Tierra Caliente, Technobanda and Tumbado (among others) and wonder if there are format niches that a translator could fill. No point in doing playlists that are already covered in the market.
While being fully aware of current demographics and future trends in Houston, I also wonder if we have currently reached a saturation point with Hispanic targeted formats, when all options are considered? That’s why I was also looking at religious music, which has its own universe of genres.
None of those subsets has enough music to sustain a station at present. And as it becomes more widely acceptable, it will become part of more mass appeal formats.
There are certainly options, such as what KLAX did in LA by deemphasizing current regional and playing much more gold. It made them #1 in the genre of regional Mexican.
In Texas, the blend of banda and norteña combined with currents vs. gold offers several options that are mass appeal and not done right at present.
All these are great options but not on a 106.1 Signal .. It just wont cover key highly latino areas. Someone had mentioned Tejano and i think that could work cause it could be a bilingual format.
We might just need to give Tejano one last chance to fail in Houston. The format’s viability (or lack of it) has been extensively discussed on this board in the past.
KSAB in Corpus Christi seems to do well with its Tejano format. Perhaps steal some ideas from them?
Sales wise, the format could work if you can find "Tejano" business owners who are willing to buy. But the last person who tried to do this didn't have much luck. Of course, that probably had to do with the AM signal only working in Galveston county and the FM signal only working in most (not all) of Pasadena. Working against that is a tall task for any format IMO.
Ratings wise, the format won't work. Tejano is very old, with their biggest hits peaking in the early 90s. The problem with the genre is that it never evolved. It got stuck with what worked a long time ago and refused to adapt to changing demographics and sounds.
Now you could try to re-invent the format by filling it with crossover acts such as Frontera (which are by definition Tejanos) and strictly lean on accordion-only acts. Leave the synthesizer music out! The format would need to pique the interest of Tejanos while leaving the door open for Hispanic listeners from Northern Mexico. It is my understanding that Tejano has a nostalgic popularity in places such as Monterrey, MX. I remember reading a while back that some Tejano artists (the ones that lean heavy on accordion) attract much larger audiences in Mexico than they do in Texas. This is probably something worth looking into for anyone who would want to take a jab at the format 🤷♂️.
Corpus Christi has different demographics. Their "Hispanics" are the type of Hispanics that have been here for several generations now. Of course with immigration that changes. But KSAB has survived because the demographics are still there for them and the station has become a household staple for the coastal bend community.
KSAB, as is, wouldn't work in Houston.
Who is "they"?
I think with maybe Bo Corona in the mornings it could work.
Bo Corona is on FIERRO HD on KLOL HD2. Doubt he would leave KLOL HD2 for a small translator.
What ever happened to El Muñeco? Is he still around? Not trying to sound mean but is he alive?