South Texas vs Chicago

[b344077]

I spent the last few days in Mission, Texas (near McAllen).

If you think radio is bad here, try down there. Here are your options: Religious, Spanish, Country, Conservative talk with one or two rock staions. Spansih language is by far the most conspicous with Mexico just a few miles away. The "public" station is actually partly in the spanish language.

No wonder my relatives subscribe to satellite radio.

 

[JustinT]

I spent the last few days in Mission, Texas (near McAllen).

If you think radio is bad here, try down there. Here are your options: Religious, Spanish, Country, Conservative talk with one or two rock staions. Spansih language is by far the most conspicous with Mexico just a few miles away. The "public" station is actually partly in the spanish language.

No wonder my relatives subscribe to satellite radio.

I spent a week in McAllen in March. To me, the best station in that market was XHMLS 91.3 (EXA Fm) from across the border in Matamoros - features Spanish-language announcers, 50% Spanish-language top-40 hits, and 50% English-language top-40 along with the occasional recurrent. Makes you wonder if something like that would work in the US?

 

[davideduardo]

I spent the last few days in Mission, Texas (near McAllen).

If you think radio is bad here, try down there. Here are your options: Religious, Spanish, Country, Conservative talk with one or two rock staions. Spansih language is by far the most conspicous with Mexico just a few miles away. The "public" station is actually partly in the spanish language.

No wonder my relatives subscribe to satellite radio.

Of course, the market is about 92% Hispanic... obviously you are going to hear stations that cater to Hispanics, ranging from Spanish dominant to later generation English speakers. Of course, half the stations you hear are in Mexico, where it would be natural to be in Spanish.

My point? The market is offering programming choices appropriate for the local population. Bad for a visitor? Maybe. But out of towners don't sustain radio stations.

 

[jeffdfw]

Well, the poulation is about 78% hispanic. Here is a list of the McAllen stations...

Radio stations
KCAS The New KCAS 91.5 FM -
KURV 710 AM News Talk Radio
XERDO LA RADIO 1450 AM (Spanish Oldies/News)
XEMS Radio Mexicana 1490 AM (Regional Mexican)
XHRYS Uni 90.1 FM (Spanish Hit Radio)
XHRYN Uni 90.5 FM (Spanish Hit Radio)
XHRYA MasMusic 90.9FM (Bilingual Hit Music)
XMLS EXA 91.3 FM (Spanish Hit Radio)
XHAAA La Caliente 93.1 FM (Mexican Norteño)
KFRQ Q94.5 FM (Classic/Modern/Hard Rock) Official Site
XHRT Xtrema 95.3 FM (Spanish Hit Radio)
KBTQ Recuerdo 96.1 FM (Mexican Oldies)
KVMV Family Friendly & Commercial Free 96.9 FM (Adult Contemporary Christian)
KGBT-FM Solamente Exitos 98.5 FM (Mexican Norteño)
KKPS Que Pasa 99.5 FM (Local Tejano Music) Official Site
KTEX South Texas Country 100.3 FM (Country)
KNVO-FM Super Star 101.1 FM (Bilingual Hit Music) Official Site
XHAVO 101.5 FM 92.7 Musica International
KBFM Wild 104.1 FM (Hip-Hop/R&B)
KJAV The Jack 104.9 FM ("Jack" Format)
KQXX The X 105.5 FM (Classic-rock)
KHKZ Hot Kiss 106.3 FM (Hot AC) Official Site
XHVTH La mas buena 107.1 FM (Mexican Norteño)
KVLY Mix 107.9 FM (Hot AC) Official Site

 

[LibertyNT]

Dont Forget Classic Hits 1700 KVNS!

 

[davideduardo]

Well, the poulation is about 78% hispanic. Here is a list of the McAllen stations...

Well, the 12+ is 87% Hispanic for the MSA, but with larger family size, the under-12 is even more Hispanic, giving an over-90% Hispanic population in the market.

Just on the US side, there are 40 stations in the market, 15 non-coms and 25 commercial AM and FM stations.

KBFM CHR
KBNR Spanish noncom
KBTQ Adult hits Spanish
KBUC Country
KCAS Religion
KCCP LP Talk
KESO Mexican Regional
KFRQ Rock
KGBT Variety Spanish
KGBT Regional Mexican
KHID Classical
KHKZ Hot AC
KIRT Spanish language Christian
KJAV Adult Hits
KKPS Regional mixed with tejano
KMBH Classical
KNVO CHR-pop Spanish
KOIR Spaish Christina
KQXX Oldies
KRGE Spanish Christian
KRIO Spanish religious
KSOX Sports
KTEX Country
KUBR Spanish Christian
KURV News-Talk
KVJY Spanish, religion I think.
KVLY AC
KVMV AC
KVNS Oldies
KZSP Adult hits.

Reynosa alone has these... that's 21 more without even adding the Matamoros stations that get into the Reynosa book... another 12 or so.

DIGITAL XHAVO
LA CALIENTE XHAAA
LA LEY XHRR
XTREMA 95.3 XHRT
STEREO HITS XHRYS
LA LUPE XHCAO
LA CONSENTIDA XEFD
LA PODEROSA XERKS
RADIO GAPE XEOQ
LA PAPAYA TROPICAL XEOR
RADIO REY XERI
MAS MUSIC XHRYA
VOZ 1170 XERT
LA LUPE XEGH
LA MAS BUENA XHVTH
RADIO MEXICANA XEMS
RADIO GALLITO XEO
RADIO 1450 XERDO
LA TRIPLE T XESFT
LA MAS BUENA XEZD
LA GDE. DE LA FRONT.CHICA XHRAW

So there are around 70 full or partial signals there!

 

[prodigy3]

I live in San Antonio and it's about 50/50 a little more hispanics, I hate the radio stations here and Austin is basically the same...... I just listen to my iPhone iheartradio!!!

 

[b344077]

As I listened to the english language stations, I found that several "local" show appeared to be cybercasts. The NPR station is pathetic. As someone who has spent a career in marketing and sales with a tour at Arbitron, I fully understand the realities of this business and how markets are structured, the RGV market still sucks.

The US market is spread over several towns: Brownsville-Harlingen-Weslaco-McAllen-Mission, etc. It appears that few stations cover the "entire market".

TV is just as bad. I watched the NBC 10:00PM news: one camera(stationary), one talent-a talking head, no field reporters, it appeared that several stories were canned pieces. I also wondered whether or not the weather segment was syndicated.

Some market.

 

[davideduardo]

The US market is spread over several towns: Brownsville-Harlingen-Weslaco-McAllen-Mission, etc. It appears that few stations cover the "entire market".

In a sense, the "few stations" comment is the same for San Francisco where no FM covers the whole market, and only a couple of AMs do.

In the LGRV, the centrally located Class C FMs all cover the whole market. For example, stations like KGBT and KTEX put a 64 dbu over about 95% of the population of Cameron and Hidalgo counties, the two parts of the MSA.

On the other hand, the market is 59th in Population but 72nd in revenue... and has the lowest household income of any top 100 market. It's divided into several well defined subsets ranging from the half that is Spanish dominant to the non-Hispanic part and even the part made up of Hispanics who are so assimilated as to not be culturally part of the Hispanic definition.

So, you might want to compare the LRGV to a market like Macon, Montgomery, Biloxi or Tyler-Temple when evaluating local English language TV.

 

[Scholarm1111]

Try Laredo for English language TV, one network station and on weekends the same person does news, weather and sports.

Actually, I think the RGV and Laredo are really interesting radio markets - with many stations on different sides of the border and a whole range of music formats targeting the Spanish speaking listener. In Laredo for example, there are at least 4 or 5 music formats from Nuevo Laredo on AM, beats nothing but talk in many U.S. markets. I also think Wild 104 in RGV is probably my favorite rhythmic CHR in Texas, I would definitely take it over KZFM here in Corpus Christi.

 

[davideduardo]

In Laredo for example, there are at least 4 or 5 music formats from Nuevo Laredo on AM, beats nothing but talk in many U.S. markets.

I wonder how many of the border area AMs will be left after Mexico completes its region-by-region plan to move 90% or so of all AMs to FM.

 

[JustinT]

DavidEduardo, just wondering if you could shed some light on my question about whether a format like EXA could work in the US? I took a look at the 6+/12+ numbers for San Diego and Brownsville/McAllen, and the EXA stations were near the bottom of the book.

Just interested if Spanish-speaking Hispanics are looking for something entirely different out of Spanish-language radio in the US, or if those stations just don't do as well as the typical Spanish-language formats since from my experience listening to XHMLS, the station was very clearly targeting Matamoros and didn't seem to care if anyone at all was listening north of the border. Thanks.

 

[davideduardo]

DavidEduardo, just wondering if you could shed some light on my question about whether a format like EXA could work in the US? I took a look at the 6+/12+ numbers for San Diego and Brownsville/McAllen, and the EXA stations were near the bottom of the book.

Just interested if Spanish-speaking Hispanics are looking for something entirely different out of Spanish-language radio in the US, or if those stations just don't do as well as the typical Spanish-language formats since from my experience listening to XHMLS, the station was very clearly targeting Matamoros and didn't seem to care if anyone at all was listening north of the border. Thanks.

If you look at the ratings and the playlist of KVIB in Phoenix or WMGE in Miami, you will see the kind of pop station that works in thw US... it's very rhythmmic overall and has lots more reggaetón and a lot less alternitive Belinda-like stuff that only works in big-city Mexico.

In SD, Exa targets San Diego, but just can't get traction. They have even had PDs from LA, and still nothing because the "Orange Experience" is focused on that urban middle class audience that just does not emigrate.