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SBS Buys KROI for $7.5 million
- Thread starter davideduardo
- Start date
The only “Ritmo“ branded SBS station is in Miami. Their corporate site gives the format as Cubatón and Reggaeton. The first wouldn’t work here, but the second is the one to watch for, should SBS go after KLOL and KAMA. Do either of those stations have particular weak spots open to exploitation by a competitor?
We’re at 90 days on the clock for the RO/Cox deal approval process, so we should have a resolution soon and some answers for the future of 92.1 and 97.1.
We’re at 90 days on the clock for the RO/Cox deal approval process, so we should have a resolution soon and some answers for the future of 92.1 and 97.1.
Sure will be a good fight to listen to. I think it will probably last for around 2 years and then they flip to Regional Mexican once they give up. We 4 very similar formats already (sorry Mr David I know you always say 106.5 and LATINOMIX are 2 very different stations) but to me they sound very much alike.
So Mega, LATINOMIX, Amor, POWERFM
Ritmo would be the fourth.
SBS did have a Rítmo station in PR, all Bachata and Merengue WRXD. It went 20% Bachata, 40% Merengue, 10% Reggaetón and 30% Tipico by the end. A mix like this wouldn't be so bad in Houston if they made it 30% Bachata, 20% Merengue and 50% Reggaetón.
Ritmo was pretty much exclusively merengue and bachata throughout its whole run, aimed at the Dominican population in Puerto Rico. Agencies didn't see money in that market.
The fact that you have to say "wouldn't be so bad" means that it will be bad. Bachata and Merengue wouldn't resonate with the Mexican American majority of Houston. Reggaeton is very mainstream and will probably be the safest way way to go (that is assuming the fad doesn't die out anytime soon).
Having said that, I'm not sure the market can support KLOL, KAMA, and KROI. Even if all three stations have unique takes on Spanish Top40/CHR, someone will have to tap out sooner or later. But if they must insist, then I would personally try a 50/50 mix of Spanish language Top-40 and American Top-40. They should take advantage of the fact that KRBE is the only Top-40 game in town. (But that's just me talking out of behind with no real stats showing it may work.)
Regional Mexican might be a safer choice. SBS would probably never beat Que Buena but could shred La Raza as the 92.1 signal has better relevant market coverage than 98.5.
92.1 RadioNow tried that to some extent, but never got any real traction. I would tune across them and find rhythmic songs in Spanish amongst the expected English language CHR.
Yikes, we’re already speculating about the “next, next” format for 92.1.🤪
La Mera Mera 2.0? 🤯😂🤣
Further thought: Could the latest flip in Austin be a preview of what is coming to 92.1 here? Yes, different owners, but it would fit the “Ritmo” branding: Lucy Gives Way To Latino 93.3 In Austin - RadioInsight
Names like "Ritmo" have been around for the better part of 75 to 80 years. I remember visiting "Radio Ritmo" on 1290 in Medellín, Colombia in 1963!
90 days is an approximation. There can be delays at the FCC, a need for some additional paperwork, even things like changes in large shareholders that affect control.
Yes! It was totally aimed at Domicans in Puerto Rico. While that is a huge group of perhaps 400,000 people, it is considered to be very low income and the agencies in San Juan never considered the station a useful buy (larger stations in PR do over 90% of their billing with local agencies) and there is no significant Dominican business community with money to buy radio advertising.
All merengue and bachata is not going to get any significant Puerto Rican audience... just Dominican.
What do you mean by "típico"? I have never heard that term applied to music in PR in the last 53 years! Do you mean "música jíbara" which is the traditional country music of the rural folks of the Island which is sometimes still played on the radio as part of Puerto Rican Christmas programming. Or played at 5 AM on a couple of tiny market AMs out on the Island.
If they are "Mexican American" with or without a hyphen, they are second generation or later and don't listen to Spanish language radio much, if at all. The AQH audience for Spanish language is pretty much all first generation.
It's been going for about 35 years already, and seems to be getting bigger still.
Going back to Súper Q around 1980, all attempts to do a 50-50 split of English and Spanish pop has never worked. Today there is very little pop in Spanish that is not reggaetón, so it would be mixing reggaetón with hip hop, and I don't think that works.
Interesting to think about, though.
Of course, if the name is really "Ritmo" that indicates a rhythmic format as "ritmo" means "rhythm". But there are many rhythmic variants in Latin America but they would have to find one that fits Mexican taste as there is no non-Mexican group large enough to sustain a major station today.
I mean Típico as in Dominican Típico, basically Merengue with an accordion.
I'm not sure if you know this, but literally even KXOL carries Alex Sensation, a Spanish DJ who starts with Salsa, Merengue and Bachata. Bachata is also very popular with all of Latino America, not just Dominicans and Puerto Ricans. Romeo Santos, Prince Royce, Anthony Santos and Raulin Rodriguez are prime examples of Bachateros who have gained popularity all over Latin America, they're just overshadowed by the local artists, but they're still popular.
Rítmo's last few months were split between the four genres of music I mentioned earlier.
Having programmed a rather successful all-merengue station in Santo Domingo for a number of years, I can't say that we used that term. In fact, the owner of the station also had a merengue and bachata record label (Bienvenido Rodríguez and Karen Records). The station was Z-101 and it was absolute #1 in the Capitai' with music, but as I developed its morning show, "El Gobierno de la Mañana" (and hired Willie Rodríguez and Marino 'El Canguro' Guzmán) we gradually reduced the music throughout the day to become an all talk and news station.
That is an enormous exaggeration. While some bachata songs have been hits outside the Dominican Republic, the genre is not a huge influence. Add in Monchi & Alexandra and a few Juan Luis Guerra songs, and what you have are some nice, big hits but not a hit genre.
How many bachatas are played on stations and streams in México or Ecuador or Chile or Argentina?
In a failed attempt to broaden the music mix beyond just Dominicans, since they found that advertisers wanted nothing to do with that format and audience.
To go against KRBE you’d need a Missouri City signal not a rimshot.
That's not what I proposed.
What I'm getting at is building a Spanish language Top-40 station that has a healthy rotation of American Top-40 hits. Both KLOL and KAMA have their own take on what is considered "Spanish Pop". But neither plays much English Top-40 despite the fact that it could appeal to a healthy number of their existing listeners.
Personally, I think it makes more sense to do Regional Mexican. KLOL and KAMA are better facilities than KROI IMO. But if they really insist, then a Spanish + English Top-40 semi hybrid is what I would recommend. Copying Latino Mix or Mega will result in immediate failure.
As I said...
"Going back to Súper Q (in Miami) around 1980, all attempts to do a 50-50 split of English and Spanish pop have never worked. Today there is very little pop in Spanish that is not reggaetón, so it would be mixing reggaetón with hip hop, and I don't think that works. "
Did the FCC approve the RO/Cox sale today? Seeing the grants of the “Assignment Amendments” for the transfer of the Cox stations as well as the KROI/KTHT Trust divestitures. Is this for the overall sale or just a phase of it?