Lotus has been granted a silent STA for AM 1220 KTMZ Pomona which was simulcasting KWKW. They went dark back on 12/6/25. The reason is a first that I have seen. It's due to financial reasons, a drop in revenue related to the immigration policies of the current government, and the negative economic effect on the Spanish speaking population in Los Angeles.
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KTMZ
- Thread starter KilowattKat
- Start date
Have they considered broadcasting in English?
Unfortunately, with increasingly rare exceptions, broadcasting in English on AM is usually not a financially viable option.
KTMZ is a directional 250 watt signal. The purpose of it las been to fill in coverage gaps in parts of San Bernardino County and Ontario. They also handled any overflow of Spanish language Sports PBP from KWKW.
But they already proved broadcasting in Spanish wasn't successful. Sometimes management needs to be flexible and be willing to make changes.
I am not making any specific recommendations for a small local AM with very specific needs, but if broadcasting to the second most spoken language in their area isn't working, perhaps they can expand their reach by broadcasting in the number one most spoken language. It should at least be considered.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Of course, the question then becomes the one we logically ask time and time again: What might bring in a saleable audience on that signal?
Gregorian chants come to mind ... 🙃
A 250 watt AM with no FM, out in Pomona....On it's own, there is NOTHING that you could air that will save it. The 3 towers are in a mixed use residential/industrial area with ground ready for construction on one side, a business workyard where the towers are, in the middle, and homes on the other side. I don't who owns the land, but it's worth more than the station itself.
Hahaha, Harvey Levin should buy the station!
Hey, it could be used as a non-medical sleep inducing service.
I translated it into English: "Oh, please let our new format get ratings so sky high. If not, the owners will make us die. I don't want to get a job serving pie, so please let us get a rating of 16.5."
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Someone needs to pick up classic country around here after it was taken away from us on AM 1260 😔
Have you looked at the demographics of the Eastern LA County area? Areas that are not Asian are Hispanic.
And that station has a very limited signal.
If I recall correctly (and my memory is always fuzzy), when KTMZ came on the air under a different callsign and with a different format, the language was English. Again, my memory tells me that the 1220 in Pomona was originally only an AM daytimer that you could hear well between (roughly) West Covina and Ontario on I-10. No, I think this one's probably gone for good.
As to the reason cited for the STA request, I'm frankly surprised that more Spanish stations haven't gone off the air or changed to English formats given the mass deportation policies of the current administration.
As to the reason cited for the STA request, I'm frankly surprised that more Spanish stations haven't gone off the air or changed to English formats given the mass deportation policies of the current administration.
KKAR were the original call letters. It was a daytimer and here's a print article around the time of launch:
And here's what it sounded like:
Hey, at the time, Pomona was 70,000 people. There was a decent local advertising base, and being 30 miles from both Los Angeles and San Bernardino, people who lived there probably didn't identify with either of those two cities and wanted and needed a local station. But we saw the business case for suburban stations buried in major markets pretty well evaporate forty years ago.
71.4 % of Pomona's population is Hispanic or Latino, according to the 2020 Census. That's 104,958 people out of 147,000.
Important distinction: Only 32.7% of Pomona's residents are foreign-born---from any country. That's 48,069.
Even if ALL of them were Hispanic or Latino, that leaves 56,889 Pomona residents who are Hispanic or Latino who were born in the United States of America. And that 56,889 is 38.5% of Pomona's population.
The non-Hispanic White population is 10%. That's 14,700. Only 35% of the city's households report English as the only language spoken in their homes.
If KTMZ was able to make money with Spanish-language programming until recent events, and they're not now, then that's not "it wasn't successful", it's a change in the available audience sparked by external forces.
I expect we will see more, but I also expect that those that can continue to make money with Spanish-language programming will do so. Any format change is expensive. Changing languages virtually guarantees your audience will drop to zero rapidly and then you're in the situation of attracting a new one. And in a crowded media market like Los Angeles, that's tough with a city-grade signal and a healthy budget---something few of these stations possess.
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I found and downloaded the Justification for Silent STA that Lotus filed with the FCC. Here it is in its entirety. I've bolded something we haven't talked about here---that Lotus anticipates a six-month silent period and will "work diligently to identify advertisers interested in marketing goods and services to the Spanish-speaking community":
Justification for Silent STA
Lotus Los Angeles Corp., a California corporation (“Lotus”) and the licensee of Station KTMZ (the “Station”), respectfully requests Special Temporary Authority to permit the Station to go silent due to financial difficulties.Reason for Request
The Station, which broadcasts in Spanish, has experienced a substantial decrease in advertising revenue during 2025. Lotus attributes this decrease to current government immigration policies and the impact of these policies on the Spanish-speaking community. As a result of this decrease in revenue, and the general instability in the Spanish-speaking market, Lotus has concluded that it is not currently financially feasible to maintain the Station’s broadcast operations.Expected Duration of Silence
Lotus anticipates that the Station will need to remain silent for six months, beginning December 6, 2025. During this time, Lotus will work diligently to identify advertisers interested in marketing goods and services to the Spanish-speaking community and explore potential solutions to current challenges in this market.Steps to Resolve Financial Issues
Lotus is committed to resolving the current financial difficulties and is exploring potential partnerships or sponsorships to increase revenue. Lotus expects that, given time, the Spanish-speaking community will adjust to the immigration situation in the Station’s market, and government policies will evolve. Lotus hopes that the Station will resume broadcasting in a financially sustainable manner during the first quarter of 2026.Conclusion
In light of the foregoing, Lotus respectfully requests that the FCC grant Special Temporary Authority for the Station to remain silent while Lotus addresses the Station’s financial challenges.I was just kidding!! 😆
I think Lous is being overly optimistic that this situation will be resolved in 6 months. Looking at the calendar, we still have 3 years left of the Trump administration, and it's immigration policies.
I'm looking at this realistically....and the longer that KTMZ remains off the air, it's chances of coming back will look less and less hopeful.
I don't disagree, but Lotus is a serious company with a long history in Spanish-language radio, and a good percentage of their 47 stations in 12 markets are Spanish-language. It's in Lotus' interest to do what they're saying they'll do in the silent STA application.
Not saying they'll succeed to the point of putting 1220 back on the air, but I don't doubt their intention to try.
True. We also have mid-term elections in less than ten months and primaries for those starting in less than two, with every member of the House and one-third of the Senate on the ballot.
Congress has the power to fund and shape the scope and tone of immigration enforcement. Polling on ICE and Homeland Security is pretty grim right now. And you have to think that a lot of Republican candidates see those polls, and in the words of the great Governor William J. LePetomaine, say to each other:
Or not. We'll find out.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Saul will no doubt be happy to hear 1260's signal is that powerful.