iHeart Makes "Magic" on Select HD2s

[pjc1961]

With the launch of WMIA 93.9 Miami, iHeart introduced an AC format with
both English + Spanish language songs and Spanish language DJs and imaging.
RadioInsight article from format flip on November 24, 2023:

WMIA Flips To Bilingual AC Magic 93.9

iHeartMedia has flipped Hot AC "93.9 MIA" WMIA-FM Miami Beach FL to "Magic 93.9" with a mix of Spanish and

radioinsight.com

Since then, the format has popped up on iHeart HD2 channels in Dallas, Houston and Portland.
Posts from those city's boards:

Re: KDGE-HD2 Dallas) Oh wow. I had to sit on HD2 for a minute for HD3 to show up. In Dallas this got added to 102.1 HD2 according to @chriscervantez

(Re: KODA-HD3 Houston) 99.1 HD3 is now “Magic”, which appears to be a syndicated version of the new WMIA-FM Miami. From the 15 minutes I heard, it’s a random mix of English-language soft AC with Spanish-language liners.

Reminded me a little of Classic 106.9/Monterrey, but without the personality.

(Re: KKCW-HD2 Beaverton-Portland) Not DFW but iHeart seems to be rolling "Magic - Tus Favoritas De Siempre" out to more markets, it has showed up in PDX on KKCW HD2.

As Lance mentioned in a post, this is similar to iHeart's rollout of "The Breeze" format on a few full signals and many HD2s a few years ago.

It's called "warehousing". Remember a few years ago when iHeart put their Soft AC "Breeze" on HD subchannels across the country to prevent competitors from using the brand name? Same thing here. They're not going to flip one of their stations in Houston as it would hurt 99.1 the most. Now a Spanish prevalent market where iHeart DOES NOT own the powerhouse AC? Like say San Diego or Albuquerque? That could happen. But iHeart is not going to hurt their cash cows.

To hear the format:

iheart national "Magic" stream:
Player link: Magic | iHeart
Direct streaming link: >http://stream.revma.ihrhls.com/zc10085<
***** ***** *****


WMIA-FM-93.9 Miami: Magic 93.9 - Tus Favoritas De Siempre
Player link: Magic 93.9 Miami | iHeart
Direct streaming link: >http://stream.revma.ihrhls.com/zc4243<
***** ***** *****
KDGE-HD2-102.1 Dallas:
Direct streaming link: >http://stream.revma.ihrhls.com/zc9764<
***** ***** *****
I don't have a "Listen Live" link for KODA HD3 or KKCW-HD2 yet - will update if I come across them.
[They could be a duplicate of (or like the Dallas feed: similar to) the national feed linked above.]

 

[speer360]

It is just interesting they are going thru the effort..

 

[luperm]

I guess it is their new pet project…like The Breeze!

 

[Kelly A]

I wonder what the penetration of HD-capable radios is in the Hispanic community.

 

[pjc1961]

Indeed, for the vast majority, unless there's a translator attached to the HD signal,
not likely to make much (if any) dent.

 

[pjc1961]

The format gains a full signal in Port Charlotte-Fort Myers with Magic 100.1.

Magic 100.1 - Tus Favoritas De Siempre

Tus Favoritas De Siempre

magicftmyers.iheart.com

 

[kevtronics]

"Magic" used to be Greater Media's thing. It still is, in some markets, now owned by Beasley or Audacy, plus vestiges of it in call letters like WMGK and WMGC.

 

[davideduardo]

I wonder what the penetration of HD-capable radios is in the Hispanic community.

Among those who would listen that format, likely pretty high. It's a real middle class and above format.

 

[Kelly A]

Among those who would listen that format, likely pretty high. It's a real middle class and above format.

Considering HD radio penetration is still around 22%, primarily in vehicles, I wonder how many of those vehicle owners are Hispanic? 5% downhill with a tailwind?

 

[boombox4]

Among those who would listen that format, likely pretty high. It's a real middle class and above format.

Looks like half of Miami is Hispanic, and I think the metro has had a significant Hispanic population for at least 3 decades. What percentage of those Hispanics would be considered "middle class and above"?

 

[davideduardo]

Looks like half of Miami is Hispanic, and I think the metro has had a significant Hispanic population for at least 3 decades.

More like 6 decades. The Cuban exiles started arriving within a year of Castro's revolution in Cuba and that would be 1960. By 1975, the #1, #4 and #12 stations in Miami were all Spanish and the Spanish language stations had nearly a third of all AQH listening. WQBA "La Cubanísima", for example, was #1 with more than twice the listening of the #2 station.

What percentage of those Hispanics would be considered "middle class and above"?

In Miami, since nearly all Hispanics arrived as refugees motivated by political oppression (or worse), the percentage in middle and upper incomes is actually higher than Non-Hispanic Whites in the market and always has been. The refugees from Nicaragua were business and land owners or professionals, like doctors and technicians and engineers and architects. The Colombian migration of the 1990-2010 period was mostly the affluent and educated class escaping from FARC violence. Same came with the rise of Chávez in Venezuela a bit later, followed by Peruvians and Ecuadorians fleeing violence and a bad economy.

Many if not most of those migrants went to private bilingual schools, grew up listening to radio stations that played all or some English hits or AC or rock music.

This is unlike the Southwest, where most migrants are seeking an escape from poverty and come from the lowest income levels and educational attainments in their nations.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Since then, the format has popped up on iHeart HD2 channels in Dallas, Houston and Portland.

The “Magic” format popped up on iHeart’s KODA HD-3 in Houston, but has now disappeared. Urban One has a heritage ”Majic” Adult R&B in the market, so possible branding conflict.

 

[HTX]

The “Magic” format popped up on iHeart’s KODA HD-3 in Houston, but has now disappeared. Urban One has a heritage ”Majic” Adult R&B in the market, so possible branding conflict.

They also have Majic 94.5 in the Dallas area but Magic is still on 102.1 HD2 there so who knows

 

[pjc1961]

Add WXXL-HD3 Orlando to the Magic collection.

 

[DXingRadio]

The “Magic” format popped up on iHeart’s KODA HD-3 in Houston, but has now disappeared. Urban One has a heritage ”Majic” Adult R&B in the market, so possible branding conflict.

Would be the same issue in the DC/Baltimore area if iHeart tried it.

 

[Identnut]

Add WXXL-HD3 Orlando to the Magic collection.

This format probably could work in iHeart's pair of 97.1 translators in Orlando. It would probably cannibalize WRUM less too.

 

[CCBInMI]

Not holding my breath for it, but it'd be nice to have this format on WNIC-HD2 in Detroit (which used to be Sunny before it was turned off). Or any HD2 in Detroit.

 

[speer360]

and now Bonneville has made Magic.

Bonneville Brings Bilingual Magic To HD In The Bay Area

Bonneville has launched Bilingual Soft AC "Magic" on a pair of HD subchannels in the Bay Area. "Magic Bay Area"

radioinsight.com

"The station replicates the format and brand launched by iHeartMedia last year in Miami and also heard on HD subchannels in multiple markets with mostly English language music and Spanish imaging down to the same “Tus Favoritas De Siempre” positioning."

 

[Identnut]

and now Bonneville has made Magic.

Bonneville Brings Bilingual Magic To HD In The Bay Area

Bonneville has launched Bilingual Soft AC "Magic" on a pair of HD subchannels in the Bay Area. "Magic Bay Area"

radioinsight.com

"The station replicates the format and brand launched by iHeartMedia last year in Miami and also heard on HD subchannels in multiple markets with mostly English language music and Spanish imaging down to the same “Tus Favoritas De Siempre” positioning."

Yeah, I don't think iHeart was ever planning on launching this in the Bay. Latinos in California, let alone the Bay, do not come from affluent backgrounds. They come from rural Mexico or Central America.

 

[Mark Roberts]

Yeah, I don't think iHeart was ever planning on launching this in the Bay. Latinos in California, let alone the Bay, do not come from affluent backgrounds. They come from rural Mexico or Central America.

"Magic" is on iHeart's KDHT-HD3 in Denver. While there are some people here whose origins are from the historic Spanish-American communities in the San Luis Valley of Colorado as well as northern New Mexico, the predominant Hispanic origins hereabouts are Mexican, Salvadoran, or, most recently, Colombian and Venezuelan.

As for the Bay Area, it may have been a matter of Bonneville beating iHeart to the punch, so to speak. iHeart has plenty of HD capacity on its Bay Area stations - unless something has changed since January, iHeart's not running anything on HD-3 - so that wouldn't have been an issue.

HD-3 channels sound awful to me - the metallic toilet-swirl effect - but I suspect individuals vary widely in their sensitivity to digital artifacts.