WKZX 93.5 - Why is it Spanish?

[RMarino]

Looking at the Knoxville ratings on R&R, I see that WKZX is sitting down at the bottom with a 0.6, programming to a market which, according to R&R, has a 1.6% Spanish population. So my question is, why is this station programming a format that will never get above a 1.6? WKZX has a very good signal across the market and it seems there is a greater potential for this station.

 

[BRice16]

Because their ad revenue is over double what they were getting as an AC.

I think the 1.6% mark is a little low, based on what I'm seeing around the area. Down in Lenoir City, where the station is based, there is a large pocket of, um, undocumented, "workers." And they get paid in cash. Advertisers like cash, and have found that they are getting quite the return on their investment.

KZX has a monopoly on the FM spanish format in the area.

It should be noted that AM1340 is doing extremely well financially with Spanish.

 

[RMarino]

I thought the 1.6% was a little low too. If this Spanish format on FM is doing so well here, I wonder why Spanish on FM hasn't been tried in other areas such as Nashville. I know in Memphis, they had a Spanish FM rimshot with a signal similar to WKZX (96.1 out of Tunica) but it recently went back to English with a AAA format. It's kinda odd that Spanish FM would be more successful here than Nashville and Memphis.

 

[SuperQ]

AM 1340 is NOT doing extremely well with Spanish. Norsan is desperately trying to unload that flock of AM's he bought trying to build a network. He's already sold Fayetteville. He'll take less than he paid to dump WKGN so step right up and make an offer.

Espanol is perfect for the owner of WKZX. Most of the advertisers pay in cash which slides right into his pocket allowing the IRS and the other leaches to remain on a need to know basis.

 

[BRice16]

AM 1340 is NOT doing extremely well with Spanish.

I had heard otherwise, so I stand corrected.

 

[Mid West Clubber]

Ive heard the same things about Spanish formats getting cash easy and fast, and thats how they last. I live in Indianapolis now days, and our spanish population is only 1.8,,, so just a notch more than yours,, but we have had Latino 107.1 doing spannish since 2001,,, although it has changed to various versions of spanish, from Spanish CHR hits,,,, to Spanish Dance Music and Reggeaton, to now Regional Mexican,, pretty horrible sounding now, I didnt mind the other too formats, but this Regional Mexican sounds like Circus music, not to mention that their Transmitter with only 6kw located 30 miles out in the boonies doesnt help, and their signal is non existent on the north east side of indianapolis, but if it wasnt making money, someone would flip it by now... Also,, our Daytimer AM 810 is spanish Oldies AC....?????

What format holes are in knoxville now... Obviously the 80s format is dead, especially with jack on 95.7.. Another hot AC against Star and B-97.5 would sink.. Like Mix 95.7 did...Twice..... A real CHR or a CHR Dance like the old 95.3 TNZ might fly,, but with the POP on Star 102.1, and the Hip hop on 104.5 i kinda doubt they would consider that format. Rock is on 94.3 the X for the new stuff and Wimz is legendary Classic rock on a massive signal so No to a rock format. The market already has 107.7, 96.7, and I think now 93.1 is all country, so no go there either.... Looks like Spanish it is.... But If I could get my hands on 100.3...... Oh my... the possibilitys... It may not be the old WOKI, and maybe not even top 40, unless it was more aggressive than Star, and played more Rap, as well as more Rock from 94.3 The X in order to sound hotter than Star....... One thing for sure, it wouldnt be a talk format on that flame thrower.... If I had to keep the KONX Calls or whatever they are called now I would probably call it K-100...... I know.. I know.... Its a pipe dream... When 100.3 was I-100 and FM 100 I have picked it up near Indianapolis Indiana, and about 30 miles south of Atlanta... It took a little more than dead band conditions, but before we got a local on 100.3 hear near indianapolis, it was still possible to DX 100.3,, even since it was Talk, and when it was The river and Eagle 100.... Im only about 260 miles from Knoxville, and then Atlanta,, plus 30 more miles is about that same distance,, so very doable when Tropo Kicked in...

 

[southerncomfort]

.... Looks like Spanish it is....

I don't think so, I think there's room for R&B Oldies! Arbitron says there's a 5.7% Black Population in Knoxville, absolutely no one serves them. A Station like WRBO in Memphis would pull a large part of that population plus the white folk who grew up listening to that type of music on Top40 Radio!

 

[SuperQ]

Absolutely no one serves them because there is so little black-owned or black targeted business in Knoxville. In Memphis you will have Kroger locations that are mostly patronized by African Americans and they will budget money for that part of the market. Plus so many small entrepeneurial businesses exist for that market. In Knoxville there are few businesses whose customer base is primarily African American, so very little ad money is targeted toward them. The African American customer is more assimilated into the broader business market than most Southern cities. That's good or bad depending on your point of view, but bad if you're trying to sell media targeted to that minority population. There are some national type accounts that are required to spend money on urban type radio, but 104.5 takes care of them well enough.

Businesses will spend money specifically to reach Hispanics because they are not assimilated to that point in this market.

Also bear in mind that because there has never been any successful urban radio in Knoxville, that music that WRBO plays was not as much a part of the shared musical experience for those who grew up in Knoxville.

And this session of Sociology 101 has concluded.

 

[csneed5]

Don't know too much about K'town, but Chattanooga has a small, but growing audience of Hispanics. And then, there's Dalton, Georgia, where almost half the entire population is Hispanic. Most of the workforce there is in the carpet industry and the alure of paying jobs with benefits, attracts many Hispanics from Florida and Texas..all of them legal, by the way. And this is still despite the downturn in the housing industry.

I believe there are now 3 stations in the Chattanooga DMA (two FM and 1 AM..or maybe the other way around) programming all Spanish, there is talk at one of the TV stations of programming Telemundo on one of its digital subchannels. And it makes perfect economical sense. You'll certainly make more money with Telemundo and its growing American audience, than a stale repeat of your 6 o'clock weather forecast (i.e. the old NBC Weather Plus, now a distant memory).

It also makes more economical sense, because even though Dalton and Whitfield County are squarely in the Chattanooga DMA, all of the Atlanta TV stations are carried on cable and satellite there, and every year, Chattanooga has to fight to keep Dalton in its market. If Telemundo on a digital subchannel helps keep it, then it's worth it.

 

[Mid West Clubber]

Yeah you guys have a point, do you think that urban AC or rhythmic AC would work in Knoxville... i would probably listen while driving through as long as it isnt all soft Ballbds... but I think a station that played old R&B Dance hits from the old 95.3 TNZ as well as newer but not rap black music could cut it... I live In Indiana now, and our Hispanic and Black audience is much more repped here... maybe a classic Soul and R&B station up to todays Rhythmic Black music,, or a Rhythmic AC that would play dance music from the 80s, mostly black skewed, and a bit of New Dance-and or R&B could work cause 93.5 serves metro knoville pretty well... Maybe a hybrid of Urban-Rhythmic AC might work,,, but most Urban ACs and Rhythmic ACs are not performing well right now aside from areas where this music has been previously exposed.. and you guys know that since 95.3 TNZ went off air in the late 80s, black music hasnt been repped in K-town much aside from when Wild 98.7 and hot 104.5 signed on,,, and those were both youth stations, so maybe a station like the old 95.3 TNZ before they went CHR POp against WOKI may work..... But in other words, would a Black skewed Dance-R&B station in Knoxville work as long as some ballads where repped and they were involved in the commumity, would it work???