Dance/Salsa music on La Exitosa 98.7

[Jorge 2]

Money talks in market #1 everywhere. If Soft Latin Pop doesn't make money with multiple attempts and one half-baked attempt (La Exitosa) on a full power signal, after a while, it'll be dropped. I'd bet there are a few people who'd want Regional Mexican radio in Puerto Rico (besides La Privada HD2 of course) but the money isn't there.

I can recommend you Luna 107.5 if you have an HD radio.

Greetings to all. Thank you for your explanation. For a year I have been listening intermittently to La Éxitosa and for my taste the Spanish part was never of great variety and/or with the same vibe of the rest of the programming in English. It was a poor selection of a handful of good artists.. For me it was a lack of knowledge of who programmed the radio, I say it with respect, but it is a critical look. I would say that they didn't really give a chance to the wide variety of music and artists that exist in Latin America... There's a lot more to it than Central America, the Caribbean and Mexican rancheras

 

[davideduardo]

Greetings to all. Thank you for your explanation. For a year I have been listening intermittently to La Éxitosa and for my taste the Spanish part was never of great variety and/or with the same vibe of the rest of the programming in English. It was a poor selection of a handful of good artists.. For me it was a lack of knowledge of who programmed the radio, I say it with respect, but it is a critical look. I would say that they didn't really give a chance to the wide variety of music and artists that exist in Latin America... There's a lot more to it than Central America, the Caribbean and Mexican rancheras

But you have to start with the fact that over half the meters in NYC are with Dominicans. Then consider that there has been no significant migration of Puerto Ricans to New York since the later 60's. Further, after Dominicans, the next largest groups are the "Gran Colombia" nations of Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela and then Mexico.

And few Mexican targeted stations play all or mostly rancheras. U.S. stations targeting Mexican immigrants or Mexican heritage listeners play norteña and banda and their derivitives. "Ranchera " stations in Mexico are oldies stations or "nostalgia" stations.

 

[Jorge 2]

But you have to start with the fact that over half the meters in NYC are with Dominicans. Then consider that there has been no significant migration of Puerto Ricans to New York since the later 60's. Further, after Dominicans, the next largest groups are the "Gran Colombia" nations of Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela and then Mexico.

And few Mexican targeted stations play all or mostly rancheras. U.S. stations targeting Mexican immigrants or Mexican heritage listeners play norteña and banda and their derivitives. "Ranchera " stations in Mexico are oldies stations or "nostalgia" stations.

Thank you very much for the correction, David Eduardo, regarding rancheras.
I want to appeal to what you call "Greater Colombia" as a target group.
You know firsthand many Argentine bands that achieved popularity throughout the region, including Mexico and in some cases Miami as well. The times any of these bands were played (if they were played at all) on La Exitosa were very sporadic, and the songs in Spanish were mostly ballads with the same handful of artists.
In other posts, you've mentioned the large number of radio stations with programming in both English and Spanish in Latin America, even though the majority of the population is not bilingual. Is it a crazy idea, or downright stupid (I don't take offense easily), to appeal to a similar model, or is it too small a niche to be profitable?
Thank you in advance for your eventual response.

 

[davideduardo]

Thank you very much for the correction, David Eduardo, regarding rancheras.
I want to appeal to what you call "Greater Colombia" as a target group.

"Greater Colombia" is not a good translation as it sounds like one nation or one people, like "Greater New York" to define the NYC metro area. "La Gran Colombia" was a single nation that soon split into three, and each is separate... but many call the area of them Gran Colombia just like we call Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay and, sometimes, Bolivia the "Cono Sur".

As such, Gran Colombia is Gran Colombia in English, too, just as we don't call El Salvador "The Savior" in English.

You know firsthand many Argentine bands that achieved popularity throughout the region, including Mexico and in some cases Miami as well. The times any of these bands were played (if they were played at all) on La Exitosa were very sporadic, and the songs in Spanish were mostly ballads with the same handful of artists.

The problem is not whether the Argentine artists and band were once popular... it is that the AC format that was the base for such music has grown too old to be marketable to advertisers.

In other posts, you've mentioned the large number of radio stations with programming in both English and Spanish in Latin America, even though the majority of the population is not bilingual. Is it a crazy idea, or downright stupid (I don't take offense easily), to appeal to a similar model, or is it too small a niche to be profitable?

The people who listen to those English music stations are upper and upper middle class folks. They don't migrate to a foreign country with a different society. They live better where they are than they would here.

Example: my oldest daughter lives in Ecuador. She listens mostly to the kinds of songs she grew up listening to on Radio Musical in the 70's and then other pop stations in the 80's. Those stations played as much as 50% songs in English. She would never consider living in the US when she has maids, a cook and even a driver in Quito and a lovely house with an indoor pool!

In other words, there is no audience in the New York market for that kind of format because upper middle and upper income people who like music in English don't migrate. The exception is Southeast Florida, where migrants from the socialist regimes of Venezuela and Colombia and the violence and socialist period in Ecuador have migrated "in exile". Many will go back home if those nations become more livable.

 

[Barry]

There is no audience in the New York market for that kind of format because upper middle and upper income people who like music in English don't migrate.

There is an extensive article about La Exitosa, which is now one year old, in RadioInsight. As I had guessed, it is aimed at second and third generation Hispanics. Emmis seems quite pleased with how the station has been growing. They say they now have 60 advertisers. It even appears they are now in no rush to sell the station.
Among the other interesting points made by management-They’ve been building the station gradually, rather than making a large investment all at once. TSL is unusually high. And the Emmis market president stated, "In 2026, you’re going to see a very big street engagement from this station."
And yes, they were inspired to start this format in part, by WMIA in Miami.
It may also be worth mentioning that in the past few months, this relatively new station is right behind WXNY, La X 96.3, in terms of overall ratings.

From RadioInsight

 

[davideduardo]

There is an extensive article about La Exitosa, which is now one year old, in RadioInsight. As I had guessed, it is aimed at second and third generation Hispanics.

Since I worked for Emmis in the past (Mega 98.3 in Bs. As.) I can't say too much. But second and third generation Hispanics don't spend much time which Spanish language media.

Emmis seems quite pleased with how the station has been growing. They say they now have 60 advertisers. It even appears they are now in no rush to sell the station.

I think they are waiting for changes in ownership rules. Emmis is basically "out of the radio business" and they are simply buying time. But they are not going to say that in public.

Among the other interesting points made by management-They’ve been building the station gradually, rather than making a large investment all at once. TSL is unusually high. And the Emmis market president stated, "In 2026, you’re going to see a very big street engagement from this station."

I don't see people over 40 being "street engaged" in any format... except maybe Country and Regional Mexican (which is Mexico's "country music")

And yes, they were inspired to start this format in part, by WMIA in Miami.

And that station was created by the former PD of WFID in San Juan to appeal to upper income adults. Miami is the only U.S. market (other than PR) where there are enough upper income Hispanics to support such a format.

It may also be worth mentioning that in the past few months, this relatively new station is right behind WXNY, La X 96.3, in terms of overall ratings.

Yet they dramatically changed the music blend from a very adult AC blend to one with lots of salsa, bachata and more rock leaning English language songs. This was not a small change... if the station were in English, it would be considered a total change of format.

I might mention that Mike McVay, despite his credentials, did NOT consult WFID when it launched. WFID had been a Beautiful Music station up until 1982 when the owner, Payito Acosta, hired me to move the station into a new direction. We did AC jingles in Miami with Puerto Rican singers, hired local mature talent and adopted an AC format that was mostly English mainstream (neither MOR nor too rhythmic) music with a few accent songs an hour in Spanish, mostly by local artists. It was purposely designed to be liked by media buyers at San Juan's 120 ad agencies; those buyers tended to be middle class or higher younger women who had gone to bilingual private schools. McVay's company did not get involved until the mid-90's when ARSO Radio (Jesús Soto) bought Acosta's AM (NotiUno) and Radio Fidelity, WFID. At that time, I was the corporate consultant for ARSO and personally did Salsoul and NotiUno.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

Emmis seems quite pleased with how the station has been growing.

It has trended 2.1-2.0-1.6-1.6. It's nearly tied with WXBK for last place among full-power commercial FM stations in NYC. In fact, WXBK actually beats it in cume. What did they have to lose by making the latest changes?

It even appears they are now in no rush to sell the station.

Appears to whom? Emmis is just waiting for the FCC to loosen the ownership caps so they can sell it with iHeart or Audacy in the bidding, after Smulyan's previous buyback offer to Emmis stockholders expires later this year. So sure, no rush until those things happen, but then it will.