Rumba 99.1

[snowdog88]

But they could have integrated an analog signal into the digital signal, as is being done elsewhere under an "extension" permit by the FCC. Obviously, there was not enough money in play to warrant it in Cleveland while in several other markets the effort is being made.

They couldn't because that was before Venture Technologies exercised the idea of a hybrid analog/digital broadcast for such stations like WRME-LD in Chicago, which would not have worked with ATSC 1.0. Even if they could, WLFM-LD had to abandon RF 6 anyways due to WOUC-TV displacing them on the same frequency, so the FrankenFM concept was doomed anyhow since it wouldn't work on any other frequency. Even when WLFM-LP first signed on in 2012, it was practically on borrowed time, as the FCC required the remaining low power analog broadcasts to convert to digital by September 2015, later pushed back until just last year.

 

[davideduardo]

They couldn't because that was before Venture Technologies exercised the idea of a hybrid analog/digital broadcast for such stations like WRME-LD in Chicago, which would not have worked with ATSC 1.0. Even if they could, WLFM-LD had to abandon RF 6 anyways due to WOUC-TV displacing them on the same frequency, so the FrankenFM concept was doomed anyhow since it wouldn't work on any other frequency. Even when WLFM-LP first signed on in 2012, it was practically on borrowed time, as the FCC required the remaining low power analog broadcasts to convert to digital by September 2015, later pushed back until just last year.

Thanks for clarification.

There is technology now, seeking approval, for an analog component of the digital Channel 6 bandwidth that would allow Franken FMs to continue. As I said, this could have been an alternative if a deal were made for the new occupant of that spectrum space. But my belief is that pursuing that in a market that has such a small Hispanic population made no economic sense as the station was barely covering expenses when it ceased on-air broadcasts.

 

[OriginalSample]

Don't blame Gray Broadcasting for ending La Mega as they bought the station after Murray Hill Broadcasting put it up for sale in July 2021, long after the La Mega LMA ended and the station converted to a digital broadcast.

The detailed story... WLFM-LP had no choice but to discontinue La Mega as they were being forced to convert to a digital broadcast, which would have rendered the FrankenFM concept useless on 87.7 FM. The other major factor was that their RF 6 allocation was displaced by WOUB-TV during the repack, causing them to drastically reduce their coverage area to avoid co-channel interference. WLFM-LP converted to a digital broadcast on RF 20 in 2020, dropping La Mega and picking up Jewelry TV, only to put it up for sale a year later, which was when Gray Broadcasting decided to purchase and affiliate it with Telemundo.

Yeah, I remember the reduction in coverage now that you mentioned it due to WOUB-TV having interference At least, that's the official story but sounds like there's more to it.

I'm glad that Gray purchase WLFM- LP and affiliated with Telemundo. Truth be told, its more valuable as a channel than a radio station. That's the point that I meant to make about Gray's purchase.

 

[OriginalSample]

What is interesting is that there are three Hispanic networks on decent power TV signals: Telemundo, Univision and Unimas, and others on weaker HC2 channels like Azteca and Clic but no representation on radio since LaMega went off.

I was literally thinking the same thing earlier. It's become a running joke to me similar to our sports teams' incredible bad luck minus the Cavs 2016 Championship year.

 

[OriginalSample]

That is true everywhere in the US. Second generation Hispanics may listen "a little" to Spanish language media, but they are not as a group heavy users. Third generation does not statistically listen at all.

The biggest reason for this change in language preference is that second generation Hispanics were born here, grew up and went to school here and followed the peer group music trends of their generation.

No, urban AC, with a couple of exceptional stations, is generally about 90% or more Black in its listener base. Urban, on the other hand, does very well with Hispanic 18-34 and even 25-44 persons who are relatively assimilated. But, since urban stations tend to focus mostly on Black artists, air talent and even promotions, Hispanics find reggaetón more of a cultural match... even those Hispanics who are more proficient in English than Spanish.

I highlighted two of your statements which seem too be in direct contradiction. The first statement addressed to me on this thread ,the second statement on The Breeze thread in the Philadelphia forum to another user. So either English proficient "Hispanics" are listening to Reggaeton on the radio or they're not.

 

[davideduardo]

I highlighted two of your statements which seem too be in direct contradiction. The first statement addressed to me on this thread ,the second statement on The Breeze thread in the Philadelphia forum to another user. So either English proficient "Hispanics" are listening to Reggaeton on the radio or they're not.

The Hispanic population of Cleveland is predominantly older. Reggaetón appeals to 18-34, which is a weak demo in Cleveland.

And, yes, Reggaetón does have second generation Hispanic appeal, but mostly in communities with "critical mass"*. But still it is in teens and 18-34, not older demos. In LA, the two reggaetón stations have a total of a 3.8 share. The regional Mexican stations have a 14.5 in the last book.

Nonetheless, reggaetón is the one format that does cross national borders today. But the issue in Cleveland is that the population for any particular format is limited to a very small part of the market population and won't show up in the ratings or will get 0.2 or 0.3 numbers. In 18-34, the reggaetón stations have a 7.1 share. The regional Mexican ones have a total of 14.4 shares.

The more logical format for Spanish speaking Hispanics in Cleveland is possibly regional Mexican.

There are as many... or more... formats across Latin America as there are in English in the US.

* "Critical Mass" here means that the communities are so big and so self sustaining that you never have to speak English in the neighborhood, at stores or at work. I don't think Cleveland qualifies there.

 

[skiwest]

BIN is also on 100.7 HD2. I assume both would need to be flipped since 99.1 is a translator.

 

[Rusty Muck]

When was the last time WDLW offered any Spanish language programming?

Mega 87.7 was much more recent and they had advertising from Liberty Ford among other local companies that had a huge interest in reaching the Latino market. Not to mention the Cavs and Browns games in Spanish which was good cross promotion for the station. Also,Iheart would bring in national buys reaching the Northeast Ohio Latino population.

WDLW still has a two-hour block on Sunday morning. The station’s longtime ethnic director, Jose “Pepe” Rivera, retired at the end of 2021, which cancelled a 10-hour block of dayparted shows throughout Sunday.

 

[OriginalSample]

The Hispanic population of Cleveland is predominantly older. Reggaetón appeals to 18-34, which is a weak demo in Cleveland.

And, yes, Reggaetón does have second generation Hispanic appeal, but mostly in communities with "critical mass"*. But still it is in teens and 18-34, not older demos. In LA, the two reggaetón stations have a total of a 3.8 share. The regional Mexican stations have a 14.5 in the last book.

Nonetheless, reggaetón is the one format that does cross national borders today. But the issue in Cleveland is that the population for any particular format is limited to a very small part of the market population and won't show up in the ratings or will get 0.2 or 0.3 numbers. In 18-34, the reggaetón stations have a 7.1 share. The regional Mexican ones have a total of 14.4 shares.

The more logical format for Spanish speaking Hispanics in Cleveland is possibly regional Mexican.

There are as many... or more... formats across Latin America as there are in English in the US.

* "Critical Mass" here means that the communities are so big and so self sustaining that you never have to speak English in the neighborhood, at stores or at work. I don't think Cleveland qualifies there.

The median age for Hispanics in Cleveland is 26. Definitely a young skewing population and within the demographics where an Urbano format station does best.

There are neighborhoods where you can get by with only speaking Spanish. Of course, nothing in comparison to LA, NY or parts of Florida.

And again, there are stations that do a bilingual approach around the US that do well. I'm not completely convinced that it has to be a Spanish language presentation only in the Cleveland market for the station to be successful. Although, La Mega proved that it could be done.

A station with the Rumba format would siphon a good amount of the Latino audience from Z 107.9 and to a lesser extent 96.5 Kiss. Especially the female audience. It would easily get a 2.0 out of the gate.

 

[davideduardo]

The median age for Hispanics in Cleveland is 26. Definitely a young skewing population and within the demographics where an Urbano format station does best.

The lower average age for Hispanics nearly everywhere in the US is around that point. That is because Hispanics have larger families and when there are more children in a community, they lower the average or median age.

However, most of the younger Hispanics in Cleveland are second and third generation. They don't prefer Spanish language media and if they use it at all, they use it much, much less than the time they spend with English language radio and TV.

There are neighborhoods where you can get by with only speaking Spanish. Of course, nothing in comparison to LA, NY or parts of Florida.

But in communities with very low percentages of Hispanics, English is more rapidly adopted due to employment requirements and the need to communicate elsewhere.

And again, there are stations that do a bilingual approach around the US that do well.

The only ones I know are non-commercial and "success" is rather relative. I've never heard a bilingual station that was significant in its market.

I'm not completely convinced that it has to be a Spanish language presentation only in the Cleveland market for the station to be successful. Although, La Mega proved that it could be done.

Yes, on a limited facility that had nearly no capital requirements.

A station with the Rumba format would siphon a good amount of the Latino audience from Z 107.9 and to a lesser extent 96.5 Kiss. Especially the female audience. It would easily get a 2.0 out of the gate.

The decimal point is wrong. 0.2 is more like it.

The Hispanic market has less than 25% Spanish dominants, and most of those are in older demos. In a sense, like San Antonio where the market is 54% Hispanic but only about 9% Spanish dominant.

So, if you have 6% Hispanics and 25% are Spanish dominant, that means 1.5% prefer Spanish. Of those, let's exaggerate and say half of them like reggaetón and rhythmic Spanish language CHR. So you have 0.75% of the market as a target. With higher than average TSL, that does not even mean a 0.3 share. And that is very few people for a market that is not even Top 25... not even Top 30... any more. The Hispanic population rank is not even in the top 100 markets.

By comparison, a 50% larger market, Raleigh, is 11% Hispanic and has nearly three times the number of Hispanics as Cleveland. The FM with a rhythmic /reggaetón format is 18th in market revenue with about 8% of the billing of the #1 station. The regional Mexican statin is 23rd in billings and neither even subscribes to Nielsen.

And Cleveland does not have an HDHA and proportional Hispanic weighting and recruitment.

 

[OriginalSample]

No, it speaks to the show producers and network executives not wanting to appear exclusionary. There is just about zero crossover appeal of reggaetón and Spanish language rhythmic CHR other than the occasional "Livin' la Vida Loca" tune that crosses over.

That's completely false. You clearly haven't looked at any charts recently to make that statement. There are numerous Reggaeton artist that chart. Many who I already listed in previous posts.Furthermore, Spotify which is a great indicator of what people are listening to has Bad Bunny in the top 5 most steamed artist for all of last year in the US. He was # 1 in the world. In fact, there were 7 Reggaeton artist in the top 50 here in the US for most streamed artist for last year.

 

[OriginalSample]

By comparison, a 50% larger market, Raleigh, is 11% Hispanic and has nearly three times the number of Hispanics as Cleveland. The FM with a rhythmic /reggaetón format is 18th in market revenue with about 8% of the billing of the #1 station. The regional Mexican statin is 23rd in billings and neither even subscribes to Nielsen.

You're comparing Apples to Oranges. The majority of the Latinos in Raleigh are Mexican immigrants. That is not the case in Cleveland. There are around only 4,000 Mexicans in the land.