Frequent Spanish-language format changes...por que?

[txchipk]

Flipping through the TV channels, I saw Liberman was running an add for "La Z 98.3" and sure enough it appears their KBOC 98.3 has flipped from "El Norte 98.3" to "La Z 98.3." Not sure what it is...seems a lot more contemporary than what it was playing, but not Spanish pop since it seems to still be a lot of accordian music.

Liberman has only had these former Entravision properties since the end of 2006 and they have all since had format changes except KNOR 93.7. 101.7 here is on its 3rd format. It seems like they shuffle around the Houston formats on some of their signals there fairly often as well.

The Univision signals used to shift around formats a lot in this market as well (that "Amor" Romantica format appeared in various incarnations on a half dozen signals years ago). Those signals have been stable (and certainly there would be no need to change KESS-FM or KLNO at this point).

Maybe it's me, but it seems like the operators for the Spanish-language stations are far more willing to kill off something and try something else if success doesn't come. However, Cumulus doesn't seem to be in any hurry to do anything with KDBN, CBS doesn't seem to be in any hurry to do anything with KMVQ, etc.

So, I ask the following question: Why is that?

 

[little1]

Probably because a lot of these spanish language formats haven't been tried in this market, so they're more willing to experiment with what works, what isn't working and what could work better.

Where with some of the english language stations there's no obvious format holes (from a desirable demographic standpoint***) and some of the usual suspect formats have failed at least once in this market.

(***and what I mean by this, you need to step back and not think of it from a specific format (Smooth Jazz, Triple A, etc) standpoint, but look at it from a demographic viewpoint. Take adult alternative, it skews, if memory serves, mostly female. So why there may be a hole there formatically, demographically the female 25-34 or maybe 25-44 audience is already being over served by KPLX, KDMX, KVIL, Kiss, Jack, Movin, etc etc.
For a male skewing station, you'd be competing with 3 sports stations, KZPS (#1 men 25-54 last book non ethnic) Bone, Eagle, Edge, the other 40% of Jack, etc.)

So the problem that any station owner has is figuring out where the desirable demographic hole may be. Seeing if you there's a format that you think will work to draw that audience in. etc.

And chip, you seem like a bright guy (girl?). (Person?) Next time you're wondering why a station doesn't flip formats start trying to figure out what audience your new station would gain, and where they would gain them from. If Bone flips to Triple A (back to the Zone?) where do you think the audience is going to come from? Which stations lose what % of their audience to them? And does that add up to significantly greater an audience than the station has now?

Let's go back to triple a. Appeals to a mostly white audience. So your target market is already barely 50% of the metroplex. Appeals mostly to women, you're down to 25% of the market. Let's say it appeals to a mid 20 to 40ish audience. Now you've cut your 25% by half to 2/3rds. Now out of that 10% of the audience that it MIGHT appeal to, you're splitting them with all the stations listed above. Stations that all have been around longer, stations that will tweak their music a little to counteract a new station coming in etc. If you were to get even 20% of that 10%, you're maybe getting a 2 share. Decent, but not much better than what some of the 'failure' stations in this market are already getting.

 

[board monkey]

If I could only speak better Spanish fluently I would so be on board at one of these stations. The Promo girls are HOT!! ;D Same with the girls that come to the remotes!!! 8)