Do you think Latino 96.3 has run its course??

[HIPHOPJUNKI]

they just need to let go of all the on air personality and start from scratch.

 

[Ryan Williams]

Not really. The 60 dbu for KXOL is about 11.4 million, while for KSSE it is 10.6 million. Limiting data to Hispanics and only in the LA metro, they are almost at parity. KSSE is two-thirds of the way up the Mt Wilson / Mt Harvard slopes, about 3000 feet over the LA Basin. KXOL is on a glorified hill called Mt Verdugo, at about half that height. The power levels for both are comparable, but KSSE is much closer to the center of population, while KXOL is well to the north of the center of population.

David, would it be fair to say that based on antenna location, height and the way that their HAAT is calculated (allowing the maximum 6,000 watts) that KSSE is technically the best Class A in the country?

 

[davideduardo]

would it be fair to say that based on antenna location, height and the way that their HAAT is calculated (allowing the maximum 6,000 watts) that KSSE is technically the best Class A in the country?

That's truly a Scott Fybush question, but of the "good" A's I know of, this one is the best.

I wonder what other A's come close. KSSE has full super-A power, and is nearly 3000 feet over the market in all the angles that count. For sheer population covered, it is likely the best.

Look at the NYC stations on the ESB. Around 6700 watts at under 1300 feet, so KSSE is a better facility than any maximum facility FM in New York!

 

[radiojomo]

I find it interesting that Regional Mexican has been a format in New York and Miami, both locations on the East Coast that most people wouldn't assume to have a dense population of Mexicans.

 

[davideduardo]

I find it interesting that Regional Mexican has been a format in New York and Miami, both locations on the East Coast that most people wouldn't assume to have a dense population of Mexicans.

But the Miami regional, after about two years, has gone with a Colombian cumbia and vallenato format, and the NY station is mostly talk in daytime hours...NY has approximately 1 million Mexican residents in the metro.

In NYC Mexicans are the second highest user of Spanish language radio, after Dominicans.

 

[Identnut]

I had no idea that SBS had flipped its Miami regional to Colombian. I mean, it's certainly an unusual format in the US. Well, here in Puerto Rico we have Ritmo for the Dominicans... but they have the advantage that native Puerto Ricans also like merengue and bachata. I'm not sure how it flies with the Cubans.

Of course, KZAB did have a cumbia format when SBS owned it, didn't it? Mexican cumbia is different from Colombia cumbia, though. And WRAZ is on a rimshot signal, so they can experiment a bit.

However, Top 40 looks more likely for KXOL. I think they'd do better with that than flipping back to AC.

 

[davideduardo]

I had no idea that SBS had flipped its Miami regional to Colombian. I mean, it's certainly an unusual format in the US. Well, here in Puerto Rico we have Ritmo for the Dominicans... but they have the advantage that native Puerto Ricans also like merengue and bachata. I'm not sure how it flies with the Cubans.

In 18-49, the Cuban audience for Spanish is far less significant than it was 20 or 30 years ago. Today, less than half the 18-49 Hispanic population is Cuban in the Miami MSA, and about half the Cuban heritage population in that demo is English dominant.

Of course, most Colombians don't listen to cumbia and vallenato, either. Particularly, since the Colombian population of Miami tends to be affluent while cumbia and vallenato, except for parties, is not a middle-upper income kind of music. Cumbia is pretty much dead as a contemporary music form, and vallenato has such specific low-income appeal that the vallenato stations of RCN and Caracol in Bogotá long ago dropped the format as it was not commercially viable, they fell victim to the old "Santa Fé syndrome" (a reference to 1070 Radio Santa Fé, a number one station in the 60's but with very low billing; it was all cumbia).

Of course, KZAB did have a cumbia format when SBS owned it, didn't it? Mexican cumbia is different from Colombia cumbia, though. And WRAZ is on a rimshot signal, so they can experiment a bit.

Regional Mexican cumbia norteña and cumbia grupera are very much cumbias, but are only a small... very small... part of regional. In fact, most regional stations in the far west play none at all. WRAZ only had a very few regional cumbias in rotation occasionally. Cumbia was not a part of that format.

Of course, if you look at a lot of the cumbias that were hits in Mexico, you find they actually came from Colombia... the original, or a very similar sounding cover. Mexico City at one point had three cumbia stations, Radio AI, La RH and Radio Onda, and they could be heard in every taxi in the city. Besides Radio Exitos-XERC, XEAI "Canal Tropical" was my favorite station when I lived there.

However, Top 40 looks more likely for KXOL. I think they'd do better with that than flipping back to AC.

AC only works for KLVE in LA in the entire Southwest, and that is due to its 17 year history as a smooth AC station with a dominant signal. CHR is crowded, and KXOS has a much better signal than KXOL. With the results of the '10 Census KXOL may see going more English but with a definite Hispanic flavor is the better option. Finding Spanish dominant 18-24's and even 25-29's is getting difficult as all the growth has been in US born Hispanics, who don't favor Spanish language radio.

 

[Identnut]

In 18-49, the Cuban audience for Spanish is far less significant than it was 20 or 30 years ago. Today, less than half the 18-49 Hispanic population is Cuban in the Miami MSA, and about half the Cuban heritage population in that demo is English dominant.

Of course, most Colombians don't listen to cumbia and vallenato, either. Particularly, since the Colombian population of Miami tends to be affluent while cumbia and vallenato, except for parties, is not a middle-upper income kind of music. Cumbia is pretty much dead as a contemporary music form, and vallenato has such specific low-income appeal that the vallenato stations of RCN and Caracol in Bogotá long ago dropped the format as it was not commercially viable, they fell victim to the old "Santa Fé syndrome" (a reference to 1070 Radio Santa Fé, a number one station in the 60's but with very low billing; it was all cumbia).

Then why go ahead with the switch if they don't have the right kind of audience? In that case, keeping it Regional Mexican made more sense: it was aiming at the sizeable Mexican population in Homestead. I don't know where the Colombians in Miami live, but they're mostly in Miami-Dade and Broward... that's gonna be tough to say the least.

Regional Mexican cumbia norteña and cumbia grupera are very much cumbias, but are only a small... very small... part of regional. In fact, most regional stations in the far west play none at all. WRAZ only had a very few regional cumbias in rotation occasionally. Cumbia was not a part of that format.

I was actually referring to the old La Sabrosa 93.5 that SBS used to own. What was the format for that station?

And yes, they are cumbias... but every country has its particular style of Cumbia. Not only Mexico and Columbia, but Peru and Chile as well.

 

[davideduardo]

Then why go ahead with the switch if they don't have the right kind of audience? In that case, keeping it Regional Mexican made more sense: it was aiming at the sizeable Mexican population in Homestead. I don't know where the Colombians in Miami live, but they're mostly in Miami-Dade and Broward... that's gonna be tough to say the least.

Homestead is in Miami/Dade, too. And the Mexican population is minimal... Colombians are perhaps the second largest group, with lots being in South Dade (Kendall, etc.)

I was actually referring to the old La Sabrosa 93.5 that SBS used to own. What was the format for that station?

The format was "Central American" meaning everything from Alvaro Torres to Los Silver Star and Rana.

And yes, they are cumbias... but every country has its particular style of Cumbia. Not only Mexico and Columbia, but Peru and Chile as well.

You forget the "second country of the cumbia" Venezuela, with groups like Billos Caracas Boys, etc. And Panamá, with the Festival de Guararé (Las Tablas area) which is not a montunita affair... as the Corraleros de Majagual will attest.

The big bands like Los Hispanos and Sonora Tropicana and Billos and Los Graduados and folks like Sonia López were international... there just is not much cumbia today except the bailanta and technocumbia of Argentina, Chile and Perú. Even bailanta is fading, like Mexican sonidero stuff, due to so much piracy that labels quit producing it.