Category Archives: Hispanic Radio

A look at Jacobson’s discussions on the U.S. radio industry, and comments made to newspapers, radio stations and television stations.

Hispanic Radio, Uncategorized

Nominations Set For ​Medallas De Cortez Awards

Nominations Set For Medallas De Cortez Awards

The Hispanic Radio Conference is pleased to announce this year’s finalists for the prestigious Medallas de Cortez, the only awards dedicated to honoring the very best in Hispanic radio. The Medallas de Cortez awards are named in honor of Raoul Cortez, founder of the first Spanish-language radio station in the United States, KCOR/San Antonio, in 1946. Raoul Cortez was a visionary for his time and a legend for all times in the annals of Hispanic radio.

Radio Ink Publisher Deborah Parenti said, “The Medallas de Cortez awards represent a celebration of Hispanic radio and its dedicated professionals. Every one of them, in large markets and small communities, make Hispanic radio an intimate part of the lives of listeners and clients. This is the biggest year ever in terms of awards competition. While there can be only one winner in each category, we are extremely proud to recognize all of the finalists, who are truly worthy of our respect and admiration.”

Winners will be announced at the ceremony on Wednesday, March 28, as part of the Hispanic Radio Conference, March 28-29 in Fort Lauderdale at the Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty Six.

2017 Medallas de Cortez Awards Finalists

Marketer of the Year
Vladimir Gomez, Spanish Broadcasting System
Esmeralda Sosa, Univision/Los Angeles
David Loving, Univision/Houston
Liz Blacker, iHeartMedia
Jose Villafañe, Entravision

Local Personality of the Year
Eric Johnson & DJ Gallo Show, WYMY/Greensboro
Beto Diaz KLAX-FM/Los Angeles
Stephanie Himonidis, La Pantera Radio/San Antonio
Javier Romero, WAMR/Miami
Juan “Manny” Yanez, KOYE/Tyler-Longview
Betsy Vazquez, WXDJ/Miami
Josue “El Bronco” Del Castillo, KDDS/Seattle

Syndicated Personality of the Year
Cesar Lozano, Spanish Broadcasting System
Omar Y Argelia, Univision
Alex Lucas, AL & CM Broadcasting
El Bueno, La Mala y El Feo, Univision
Erazno y La Chokolata, Entravision

Program Director of the Year
Raymond Torres, WRUM & WRUB/Orlando, Tampa
Isabel Gonzalez, KLVE & KRCD/Los Angeles
Juan Martin Ovalle, KOYE/Tyler-Longview, TX
Oscar Rios, KLNO/Dallas
Julie Garza, WYMY/Greensboro, NC
Rogie Gallart, SBS/Puerto Rico
Pedro Escalera, KLZT-FM HD2/Austin, TX
Tony Luna, KLOL-FM/Houston

Sales Manager of the Year
Shirley Davenport, WYMY/Greensboro, NC
Elizabeth Paulina, WSKQ & WPAT/New York
Christian De La Cruz, KRZZ/San Francisco
Candy Cintron, WLZL/Washington, DC
Corinna Ruiz, KOYE/Tyler-Longview, TX
Mauricio Palacios, KISF, KRGT & KLSQ/Las Vegas

General/Market Manager of the Year
Brian Barber, WLKQ & WNSY/Atlanta
Carolina Santamarina, WXDJ, WRMA & WCMQ/Miami
Chris Carillo, KLAX & KXOL/Los Angeles
Ginger Dockery, KOYE/Tyler-Longview, TX
Mark Masepohl, KLNO, KDXX, KFZO & KFLC/Dallas
Roberto Yanez, KHOT, KOMR, KQMR & KHOV/Phoenix

Station of the Year
WCMQ/Miami
KLVE/Los Angeles
WRMA/Miami
KOYE/Tyler-Longview, TX
KGBT/McAllen, TX
WLZL/Washington, DC
WSKQ/New York

Broadcaster of the Year
Jesus Salas, Spanish Broadcasting System
Tomas Martinez, Solmart Media
Carlos Moncada, AL & CM Broadcasting
Mike Flood, KBBX/Omaha (Flood Communications)
Norberto Sanchez, Norsan Media

MONTERO TO RECEIVE SPECIAL HONOR

This year’s awards include the presentation of the Distinguished Leadership Award, which is not presented every year, and to outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of Hispanic radio. The special award will be presented this year to Francisco (Frank) Montero, managing partner of Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth.

“There could be no one more deserving than Frank,” Ms. Parenti said. “Frank has dedicated years of service to the Hispanic radio community, actively providing leadership and direction to organizations, including the founding of the Independent Spanish Broadcasters Association, aimed at fostering growth in the Hispanic radio sector.”

Montero was also instrumental in helping start the American Hispanic Owned Radio Association (AHORA). Over the years, he has represented the Hispanic Radio Association, the Puerto Rico Radio Broadcasters Association and served as an advisor to the Radio Ink Hispanic Radio Conference since its inception, among other significant contributions.

Click here to register for the Hispanic Radio Conference.  Adam R Jacobson, publisher of the Hispanic Market Overview and editor-in-chief of the Radio + Television Business Report, is participating as a moderator on a panel focused on Hispanic and multicultural millennials.

 

Bronze Sponsor

Medallas de Cortez Sponsor

Participating Sponsors

Corporate Sponsor

Media Partners
Headline, Hispanic Radio, Uncategorized

Chris Carillo To Oversee SBS/L.A. As Radlovic Exits Again

Chris Carrillo, a veteran of SBS’s Los Angeles operations who has served as GSM, LSM and as a Sr. AE for the company’s regional Mexican KLAX-FM 97.9 “La Raza” and Latin Rhythmic KXOL-FM “L.A. 96.3,” has been named VP/GM for the Spanish-language duo.

“Chris’s radio experience and acumen are a matter of indisputable record and we’re confident of his leadership abilities in taking our stations to the highest level of operational excellence in the Los Angeles market,” Rodriguez said. “He knows radio, he knows the advertisers, he knows the Company and its people and he’s intimately familiar with our West Coast stations. No one is more qualified to take over the reins of SBS Los Angeles.”

Carillo has also been a Sr. AE for Clear Channel’s radio stations in Los Angeles.

Carillo assumes duties held since mid-July by SBS COO Albert Rodiguez and, prior to that, by Marko Radlovic.

Radlovic exited on July 15 after rejoining SBS/Los Angeles as SVP/West Coast Regional Manager in June 2015.

In that role, he also had oversight of regional Mexican KRZZ-FM 93.3 in San Francisco.

Radlovic had previously held various managerial positions at SBS from 2001 through 2011, including roles as Chief Revenue Officer and COO. From 2011-2005, he served as President/Market Manager for Cumulus Media in Los Angeles.

 

 

 

Hispanic Radio, Uncategorized

ESPN Deportes Radio Returns To Bay Area At AM 910

As reported July 22 by Al Peterson’s NTS MediaOnline Today, KKSF-AM 910 in San Francisco has dropped its Talk lineup in favor of the syndicated ESPN Deportes Radio Spanish-language Sports network.

The iHeart Media station, which enjoys a full-market signal, will now be run via multi-year LMA with Dallas-based Deportes Media LLC.

With KKSF-AM, Deportes Media now operates in four markets; its other ESPN Deportes Radio stations are located in Miami, Houston, and Dallas.

KKSF-AM succeeds KTRB-AM 860 as the ESPN Deportes Radio affiliate in the Bay Area. However, it will not be carrying over the Alliance Radio Network-syndicated El Show de Piolin morning-drive program, hosted by former Univision radio mega-star Eddie “Piolin” Sotelo. According to Ed Krampf, the former Adelante Media Group executive who now reps El Show de Piolin, Alliance ended its relationship with Alliance Radio Network several months ago. The program had also aired on Deportes Media’s Dallas (KZMP-AM 1540) and Houston (KGOL-AM 1180) stations.

KTRB-AM over the July 4 weekend became a conservative Talk station via an LMA struck by Salem Media Group, as “AM 860 The Answer” — mirroring a presentation found at the company’s stations in Los Angeles and Tampa,among other markets. The station is currently in receivership. ESPN Deportes Radio had aired on KTRB since late June 2011.

KKSF-AM 910 had a shaky run as a Talk station, with hugely popular Sacramento-based morning hosts Armstrong & Getty replaced on April 1 by syndicated liberal talk host Stephanie Miller. Other hosts included Gil Gross, program director Cory Callewaert, Joel Riddel, the syndicated Alan Colmes and The Doghouse hosts Jeff “JV” Vendergrift and Dan “Elvis” Lay.

In a statement provided to NTS MediaOnline Today, iHeartMedia President for the San Francisco Region Katie Wilcox said, “ESPN Deportes will enjoy the benefits of full-market coverage on AM 910. We are pleased to have been able to find common ground that keeps Spanish language sports in the Bay Area while also allowing us to focus on our strong portfolio of music and entertainment offerings for our listeners.”

Hispanic Radio

L.A. Rams New Español Flagship: ESPN Deportes Radio 1330

By Adam R Jacobson

LOS ANGELES — The return of the National Football League to Southern California will now be further enjoyed by fans who prefer to consume their play-by-play coverage en español via their AM radios.

The L.A. Rams, who are returning to Los Angeles with the 2016-17 season after moving to St. Louis after the 1994-95 season, this afternoon announced that it has reached an exclusive rights agreement with Lotus Broadcasting’s KWKW-AM 1330 — the ESPN Deportes Radio affiliate serving Southern California.

The pact makes ESPN Deportes Radio 1330 the team’s official Spanish-language flagship station.

All preseason, regular season, and postseason games will air on the station.

“We are pleased to partner with KWKW to bring Rams football to our Hispanic fans across California and beyond,” said Los Angeles Rams COO Kevin Demoff.  “Through high-quality production and exclusive programming, KWKW will help make our games accessible to all Rams fans for our exciting return back home to Los Angeles.”

The Rams Spanish game-day broadcasts will feature six hours of programming, including a two-hour pregame show, play-by-play commentary and analysis, and a one-hour post-game show. In addition, ESPN Deportes 1330 will air a variety of ancillary Rams content, including regularly scheduled “Rams Reports” and “Lets Talk Rams” call-in talk segments specifically tailored for fans that prefer to consume Spanish-language media.

Lotus’ Jim Kalmenson, who oversees KWKW and the station’s partnership with ESPN Deportes Radio, called the selection of his station as the Rams’ Hispanic flagship “monumental.” He said, “Our Rams broadcast promises to be a huge attraction to both our listening audience as well as our sponsors. We are excited by the Rams’ genuine commitment to be involved with, and to serve, the Hispanic community.”

KWKW will produce and distribute broadcasts across what is being billed as the Rams Spanish Radio Network. Two Lazer Broadcasting stations – KOXR-AM 910 “La Mexicana” in Oxnard-Ventura and KCAL-AM 1410 “La Mexicana” in Riverside-San Bernardino, join Lotus’ Spanish Contemporary Pop KMJE-FM “Vive 92.1” in Sacramento and the broadcaster’s ESPN Deportes Radio affiliates KWAC-AM 1490 in Bakersfield, KGST-AM 1600 in Fresno and KENO-AM 1460 in Las Vegas in airing all Rams-related programming.

In addition to KWKW’s main signal, Rams programming will air on ESPN Deportes Radio simulcast partner KTMZ-AM 1220 in Pomona, serving the San Gabriel Valley east of downtown L.A.

The coverage area is intriguing, as the San Joaquin Valley and the greater Sacramento area is unabashedly full of Oakland Raiders fans, in addition to fans of the San Francisco 49ers. However, the NFL tends to allow radio coverage of nearby teams from opposing conferences without opposition. For instance, WMEN-AM 640 in West Palm Beach airs Tampa Bay Buccaneers games even though it covers much of the Miami Dolphins’ home market as the Buccaneers are in the NFC and the Dolphins are in the AFC. The 49ers do not have NFC exclusive rights in these California markets.

In expressing his excitement to be part of the Rams Radio Network, Radio Lazer owner Alfredo Plascencia said, “Hispanics love professional football, and we are very excited to bring one of the most dynamic sports franchises in history to our listeners in Oxnard and Riverside-San Bernardino.”

As has been shown in recent studies on the U.S. Hispanic sports fan, the NFL ranks as the most popular sport among all Hispanics. However, when viewed by language of preference, the NFL has lagged among Latinos who prefer to communicate in Spanish.

Kalmenson and the ESPN Deportes Radio 1330 team now have the opportunity to make an impact, while strengthening its presence as the radio leader for Hispanic sports fans in the region. In addition to the Rams, KWKW will continue to serve as the flagship station for the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, L.A. Galaxy, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In the event of conflicts, KTMZ serves as the alternate over-the-air broadcast home.

Hispanic Radio

OMI, Major Lazer, French DJ Feder Finish In Top 3 Of 2015’s ‘Hottest’ Tracks

Back To The Future could be a good theme for how 2015 ended up musically. Some 30 years from now, we could look back and marvel at just how amazing 2015 was for music. Yet as the year ends, we are all collectively scratching our heads wondering what the hell happened between last year and this year.

The same thing happened at the end of 1985, when the American Top 40 chart was fairly lackluster, pure rock music had suddenly faded, and a mediocre blend of ballads and Rock 40 was now being matched by freestyle dance music, crossover funk and R&B, and an evolving modern rock scene that suddenly incorporated industrial sounds with Casio keyboards.

As we look back on 2015 as a whole, across genres and nations, in this ARJ HOTTEST 100 countdown, the music produced during this 12 month period is quite impressive. It took hours of effort, however, and listening to songs for the first time in mid-November. But, it’s no 2014.

The year in music for 2014 was quite simply the finest seen in nearly two decades, with tremendous singles across a variety of formats. This year, songs released in 2014 still warranted high airplay well into fall 2015; the abundance of quality singles simply wasn’t there. Eurodance soundalikes came one after the next; no country tracks or straight R&B make a strong impact. Hunting high and low on global Shazam charts proved to provide a wealth of terrific tunes.

Still, there was concern by Halloween that a top 100 list would be impossible, given the high level of recurrents still in power rotation on the radio and on my iPod playlist – the “scientific” gauge of rankings seen here.

So what’s on top? Adele. No. Surprised? Of course not. There were other songs released in 2015 prior to this masterpiece.

There are few surprises. Justin Bieber is on the list. Seriously. Merle Haggard is on the list. Seriously. So is Birdy. And people you’ve probably never heard of, like J Boog. And, there are lots of “hits” based on where they were released. Yes, “Shut Up and Dance” is on here. I hate this song. But, I couldn’t escape it so it’s here.

So here we go … The ARJ Hottest 100 of 2015. You may not agree. You may wonder what the heck is wrong with me. Again, this is a chart based on total iPod spins in combination with exposure from radio station streams consumed during the entire year, and radio stations in Maui, Los Angeles, New York’s Hudson Valley and Miami-Fort Lauderdale.

https://player.spotify.com/user/12148775063/playlist/5YyVUBTnlOqDnZBZ5iHl3P

Note: The ARJ Hottest 100 Spotify playlist is not a comprehensive audio accompaniment, as several songs listed are not on Spotify. These songs can be found individually on YouTube.

 

1              OMI                                      Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix)

2             MAJOR LAZER X DJ SNAKE f/MØ        Lean On

3             FEDER f/LYSE                  Goodbye

4             ANNA NAKLAB & ALLE FARBEN & YOUNOTUS         Supergirl

5             ADELE                                 Hell0

6             KYGO   f/CONRAD SEWELL                                      Firestone

7             ROBIN SCHULTZ f/ FRANCESCO YATES           Sugar

8             TWENTYONE PILOTS  Tear In My Heart

9             LOST FREQUENCIES   Are You With Me?

10           JR JR                                    Gone

11            NICKY JAM & ENRIQUE IGLESIAS       El Perdón

12            THE WEEKND                  Can’t Feel My Face

13           DEAR ROUGE                  Black To Gold

14           DISCLOSURE f/SAM SMITH     Hotline Bling (Radio 1 Live From Maida Vale)

15           ELLE KING                         Ex’s & Oh’s

16           AVALANCHE CITY         Inside Out

17           DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE             Black Sun

18           COLD WAR KIDS            First

19           BAIO                                     Sister of Pearl

20           MARK RONSON f/BRUNO MARS        Uptown Funk

21            DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE             Ghosts of Beverly Drive

22           ALVARO SOLER             El Mismo Sol

23           UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA    Necessary Evil

24           BECK    Dreams

25           RAURY f/Tom Morello              Friends

26           NEW ORDER                    Restless

27           EL VY                                    Return To the Moon

28           SEINABO SEY                  Younger

29           BLEACHERS                     Rollercoaster

30          ROBIN SCHULZ f/ILSEY              Headlights

31           KYGO   f/PARSON JAMES                         Stole The Show

32           NATALIA LAFOURCADE           Hasta La Raíz

33           FUTURE ISLANDS         Seasons (Waiting on You)-BADBADNOTGOOD Remix

34          GARRETT DOUGLAS f/LEONARD AGUON      Bad Or Good

35           SIA         Elastic Heart

36          SABINA DDUMBA        Not Too Young

37           JOSEF SALVAT               Open Season (Une Autre Saison)

38          JAMIE LAWSON            Wasn’t Expecting That

39          LOUANE                            Avenir

40          COMMON KINGS          Since I Woke Up

41           WOLF ALICE                    Bros

42           CULTURA PROFETICA               Saca, Prende y Sorprende

43          KURT VILE                         Pretty Pimpin

44          ED SHEERAN                   Thinking Out Loud

45          ELLIE GOULDING          Love Me Like You Do

46          CESARE CREMONINI  Lost In the Weekend
47          DISCLOSURE f/SAM SMITH     Omen

48          BORNS                Electric Love

49          MADCON & RAY DALTON       Don’t Worry

50          FLORENCE + THE MACHINE   Ship To Wreck

51           LOST FREQUENCIES f/JANIECK DEVY               Reality

52           DIPLO & SLEEPY TOM                Be Right There

53           J BALVIN                            Ginza

54          BIRDY + RHODES          Let It All Go

55           MATT SIMONS               Catch and Release (Deepend Remix)

56          NELSON FREITAS         Miúda Linda

57           J BOOG                               Let Me Love You (Country Bus Riddim)

58          ALESSIA CARA               Here

59          JESS KENT                         Get Down

60          KUTIMAN                          Intergalatic Lovers

61           CALVIN HARRIS AND DISCLIPLES       How Deep Is Your Love?

62           SLIGHTLY STOOPID     The Prophet

63          COMMON KINGS          Ain’t No Stopping

64          CHVRCHES                        Leave A Trace

65          COLOURS                         Monster

66          JOSE GONZALEZ           Let It Carry You

67          ROYKSOPP                       I Had This Thing

68          JUSTIN BIEBER               What Do You Mean?

69          X AMBASSADORS        Renegades

70          AGES f/JOHANNES EDER          Chances

71           MODEST MOUSE          Lampshades On Fire

72           LOW                                     What Part of Me

73           DUKE DUMONT             Ocean Drive

74          JAMIE XX f/ROMY        Loud Places

75           ANDREW MCMAHON IN THE WILDERNESS                 Cecilia and the Satellite
76          MAGIC!                               No Way No

77           SILVERSUN PICKUPS  Nightlight

78          ROBERT DeLONG         Long Way Down

79          THE ARCS                          Outta My Mind

80          MS MR                                Criminals

81           SIDO f/Andreas Bourani           Astronaut

82           CATFISH & THE BOTTLEMEN                 Cocoon

83          EAGLES OF DEATH METAL      Save A Prayer

84          SEINABO SEY                  Hard Time

85          MORGAN PAGE f/Lissie             Open Heart

86          JAILL                                    Getaway

87          COLEMAN HELL            2 Heads

88          SIX60                                   Purple

89          SIGALA                               Easy Love

90          NAMIKA                             Lieblingsmensch

91           YEARS & YEARS            King

92           WILLIE NELSON & MERLE HAGGARD               Alice In Hulaland

93          ATLAS GENIUS               Molecules

94          TOR MILLER                    Carter & Cash

95          BRONZE RADIO RETURN         Light Me Up

96          OLLY MURS f/DEMI LOVATO                 Up

97          WALK THE MOON        Shut Up and Dance

98          DAVE GAHAN & SOULSAVERS              All of This and Nothing

99          ST. LUCIA                          Dancing On Glass

100        CLASS ACTRESS            More Than You

Hispanic Radio, Uncategorized

Nielsen Audio Says No To Telos Alliance’s Voltair Processor

By Adam R Jacobson

In a web presentation moderated this afternoon by Nielsen Audio EVP of Local Media Client Solutions Matt O’Grady, SVP of Product Leadership Jennifer Huston and Chief Engineer Arun Ramaswamy, the nation’s leading provider of AM and FM radio ratings estimates concluded that Telos Alliance’s Voltair processor “introduces audible artifacts for listeners” and “interferes with the encoding process by altering Nielsen watermarks and by making them audible.”

In short: The controversial audio processing system can, in extreme cases, affect the accuracy of one’s exposure to radio signals by the Nielsen Audio Portable People Meter (PPM).

This, along with the fact that Voltair is used by some but not all encoded radio stations, resulted in Nielsen declaring that it will not support Voltair.

The announcement, while not surprising, left some in the radio industry puzzled on what to do should they be using the system.

“Soooo…we don’t support Voltair, but we are not saying you must take it out of your Processing Racks???,” Nashville-based air personality Kenny Smoov Tweeted following the call.

Meanwhile, radio industry trade publications posted updates in real time despite Nielsen Audio’s decision to bar press from the client-only call, open to representatives from the NAB and RAB in addition to radio station personnel and executives.

Among Nielsen Audio’s other conclusions on Voltair:

* PPM can pick up more codes with Voltair “in some situations where background noise is equal to or greater than the audio content.”

* Voltair generates variability; when the “dial is turned up,” the effect on the watermark and the codes is increased.

* The Voltair effect was more visible at the minute-level than at the adjusted quarter-hour level

As reported by industry trade portal AllAccess.com, Huston told those on the webinar that while PPM picked up more codes with Voltair, its impact on ratings is unknown at this time as stations using the device have not disclosed to Nielsen Audio that they are doing so. “Whether this is true listening is inconclusive at this point,” Ramaswamy added.

While Nielsen is not supporting Voltair, the company unveiled that it is testing new watermark improvements. According to AllAccess.com and Radioinsight.com, it will be available to subscribers in Q4. This will effectively allow stations to adjust gain for the watermark based on noise in the signal. Nielsen Audio has also developed “a next generation in-station monitor to replace the existing monitor.” This will be rolled out in 2016.

Meanwhile, open-ended interpretations of what radio stations should do about Voltair continue to be voiced.

“Any mention of penalties for stations that continue to use Voltair?” asked Dale Dubilowski, Director of Interactive Media for Blackburn Radio, based in Ontario.

Dubilowski knows all too well about Voltair’s impact on radio listening estimates: Numeris, the Canadian non-profit rating consortium, placed a ban on its use by all AM and FM stations, questioning the fairness of having some broadcasters–but not all–use the device.

Such a move will likely not happen in the U.S. But what’s to come is likely to be the question of the year for an industry seeking a rebound through an accountability system demanded by media buyers and planners that is now shrouded in a sea of uncertainty.

 

ARJ

General, Hispanic Radio

José Valle Bounced From Univision Radio; Takes ‘Political & Advocacy Sales’ Role

By Adam R Jacobson

MIAMI — In a somewhat surprising move, Univision Communications today relieved José Valle–president of Univision Radio–of his duties.

Effective immediately, Valle takes on a new role as president of political and advocacy sales.

Univision Local Media EVP Jaime Jiménez takes on Valle’s former duties, which Valle had held since 2011.

Valle’s specific tasks as president of political and advocacy sales were not disclosed by Univision. However, the move comes just one day after Univision News and The Washington Post announced a partnership for political coverage tied to the 2016 Republican presidential nomination process and next year’s presidential campaign.

Valle will remain based in Los Angeles and retains his seat as a Univision Communications Inc. Officer of the Company.

UCI president of advertising sales and marketing Keith Turner, who Valle will continue to report to, commented, “José brings a fantastic background with diverse experience in sales, general management, local television and radio which make him uniquely qualified to help potential Political and Advocacy clients see all of the opportunities Hispanic constituents and UCI present.”

Valle’s resume includes stints as president and GM of KVEA-Channel 52 in Los Angeles, one of Telemundo’s biggest O&O TV stations. He’s also been VP/GM of KXTX-Channel 39 in Dallas, another Telemundo O&O.

Meanwhile, Jiménez will now oversee all content for 67 AM and FM radio stations serving U.S. Hispanics–including Talk WKAQ-AM and Hispanic Top 40 WKAQ-FM (KQ105) in Puerto Rico. He will also effectively serve as the operations and management leader for Univision Radio’s stations in Los Angeles, Miami and San Antonio.

Jiménez has been SVP/GM for Univision Radio/Los Angeles and previously held LSM duties for Univision’s two broadcast TV stations in Los Angeles: KMEX Univision 34 and KFTR UniMas 46. Prior to that, Jiménez enjoyed a career at Telemundo.

As part of the changes, Univision Radio’s AM stations “will be integrated locally,” effective immediately. What this means was not immediately clear; many recent Univision AMs took on a underperforming nationally distributed Spanish News/Talk format.  However, the company notes the integrated local content approach “will allow for more targeted local content, giving listeners more of the fresh, localized content they want and advertisers the opportunity to reach a hyper engaged, market-specific consumer group.”

In unrelated news, Univision Communications today terminated its business relationship with the Miss Universe Organization, which is part-owned by Donald J. Trump. The decision was based on Trump’s recent remarks about Mexican immigrants.

“At Univision, we see first-hand the work ethic, love for family, strong religious values and the important role Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans have had and will continue to have in building the future of our country,” the company said in a statement. “We will not be airing the Miss USA pageant on July 12 or work on any other projects tied to the Trump Organization.”

However, the company did note that Univision News and the local news division will not censor any coverage of all candidates, including that of Donald Trump, thus ensuring its audience continues to have access to all points of view.

ARJ

Featured, Hispanic Radio

Piolín Part II: 16 Entravision Stations Add Host’s New Radio Show

December 9, 2015 — The one-time rey of la radio is heading back to the AM/FM dial, and AGM isn’t the only broadcaster partnering up with the man known in Spanish as “Tweety Bird.”

Eddie “Piolín” Sotelo, whose new self-syndicated El Show de Piolín will air on two American General Media (AGM) stations starting in January, has also reached a deal with Entravision Communications that will see the program land on 16 stations in 14 markets, starting Monday, January 5.

“Piolín’s return to network radio is nothing short of monumental, and we are eager to bring his incredibly popular program to our twelve Tricolor stations, La Nueva in the Rio Grande Valley and Super Estrella in Los Angeles,” said company COO Jeff Liberman. “Building on the success of our wildly popular afternoon program El Show de Erazno y La Chokolata, Piolín is a perfect complement to our current programming lineup. Further, the addition of Piolín will significantly strengthen Entravision Solutions as the premier advertising sales organization for syndicated Spanish-language content nationally. When combined with our fast-growing digital assets and big data resources, we are ideally positioned to maximize the incredible star power that Piolín brings to our multimedia organization.”

Entravision Solutions, the company’s national sales and marketing arm, will retain the exclusive rights to handle network advertising sales for El Show de Piolín, which is being syndicated across the country with the assistance of Ed Krampf, COO of Adelante Media Group, which is presently divesting its media holdings.

“I am so excited to be launching El Show De Piolin through my syndication company, Alliance Radio Network,” said Sotelo. “I am also thrilled to be working with Entravision again, not only as the major affiliate group but also as the sales organization representing all network sales for the program. The move is the natural next step for me, and I can’t wait to bring the show to their incredible and dynamic audience … I can’t wait to get back in front of my wonderful fans!”

Specifically, El Show de Piolín will be heard on KLNZ La Tricolor 103.5 FM in Phoenix; KMXX La Tricolor 99.3 FM in El Centro-Yuma, KSSC/KSSD/KSSE Super Estrella 107.1 FM in Los Angeles/Oxnard-Ventura/Riverside-San Bernardino, KLOK La Tricolor 99.5 FM in Monterey, KPST La Tricolor 103.5 FM in Palm Springs, KRCX La Tricolor 99.9 FM in Sacramento, and KMIX La Tricolor 100.9 FM in Modesto, Calif.; KPVW La Tricolor 107.1 FM  in Aspen and KXPK La Tricolor 96.5 FM in Denver; KQRT La Tricolor 105.1 FM in Las Vegas and KRNV La Tricolor 102.1 FM in Reno, Nevada; and KYSE La Tricolor 94.7 FM in El Paso, KAIQ La Tricolor 95.5 FM in Lubbock and KKPS La Nueva 99.5 FM in McAllen- Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas.

The placement of Piolín’s new terrestrial radio show on Entravision’s “Super Estrella” trimulcast in Southern California brings immediate speculation that the Spanish Hot Adult Contemporary station will change formats to a form of regional Mexican programming. The company did not offer any hints as to any other programming adjustments at Super Estrella.

— Adam R Jacobson, reporting from Miami

Hispanic Radio

‘Piolin’ Flies Back To Terrestrial Radio With AGM Deal

By Adam R Jacobson

LOS ANGELES — December 4, 2014 — Three months after disappearing from satellite radio broadcaster SiriusXM, the former king of Spanish-language AM and FM radio is heading back to terrestrial radio.

However, it’s not known if he’ll be heard in L.A. or in any major market soon.

 

Eddie ‘Piolin’ Sotelo, who shot to fame at Univision Radio’s KSCA-FM 101.9 in Los Angeles before abruptly exiting the top-rated regional Mexican station amid sexual harassment allegations in July 2013, will now have his El Show de Piolin heard on two American General Media (AGM) stations: “Radio Lobo” KLVO-FM 97.7/KKIM-FM 94.7, serving the Albuquerque-Santa Fe DMA; and KEBT-FM “96.9 La Caliente” in Bakersfield, Calif. The new incarnation of El Show de Piolin will be heard on the stations in January.

It’s the start of a climb back to the top for Piolin, who joined SiriusXM in October 2013 as part of a major initiative to lure Hispanic subscribers. The addition of the one-time Arbitron ratings champ proved less than successful for SiriusXM, and the satcaster canceled El Show de Piolin just after Labor Day 2014.

Piolin’s much-heralded arrival at SiriusXM came amid claims he had sexually harrassed a male producer. At the same time, Piolin was forced to pay $100,000 in legal fees for former co-workers who a judge ruled had not extorted the host.

Piolin’s new show will be syndicated to AGM’s two stations, and it is not yet publicly known where the show will be based or who will be distributing the program.

 

 

Hispanic Radio

CBS Radio Gets Power 96, Kiss Country and WQAM In Swap With Beasley

MIAMI — Following widespread industry speculation about an imminent deal, Naples, Florida-based Beasley Broadcast Group and CBS Radio jointly announced this morning that they have reached an agreement that sees the company swapping stations in Philadelphia, Charlotte, Tampa-St. Petersburg and the Miami-Fort Lauderdale markets.

CBS Radio will gain the following stations in Philadelphia: Country WXTU-FM 92.5, and CHR/Rhythmic WRDW-FM “Wired 96.5.” The deal gives CBS two more FMs to add to its existing cluster. CBS also owns KYW-Channel 3 and and CW affiliate WPSG-Channel 57.

CBS Radio will gain the following stations in Miami-Fort Lauderdale: Sports Talk WQAM-AM 560, CHR/Rhythmic WPOW-FM “Power 96”, and Country WKIS-FM “99-9 KISS Country”. CBS owns WFOR-Channel 4 and MY Network affiliate WBFS-Channel 33 in Miami; the company previously owned a cluster of radio stations just to the north, in West Palm Beach-Boca Raton. Those stations are now owned by Digity, succeeding Palm Beach Broadcasting. 

Beasley will receive the following stations in Charlotte:  Urban AC WBAV-FM “V101.9”, Sports Talk WFNZ-AM610 “The Fan,” CHR/Pop WNKS-FM “KISS 95.1,” Urban WPEG -FM “Power 98,” Country WSOC-FM, AC WKQC-FM “K 104.7,” and Sports Talk WBCN-AM “CBS Sports Radio 1660.”

Beasley will receive the following stations in Tampa-St. Petersburg:  Sports Talk WHFS-AM “CBS Sports Radio 1010,” Sports Talk WHFS-FM “98.7 The Fan,” Urban WLLD-FM “Wild 94.1,” Country WQYK-FM 99.5, Classic Hits WRBQ-FM 104.7 “Q105,” and Tropical WYUU-FM 92.5 (Maxima FM).

Finally, Beasley will gain Sports Talk WIP-AM 610; WIP-FM 94.1 is not involved in the deal. Beasley will now have three AMs in Philadelphia, with AM 610 joining WWDB-AM 860 and Christian talk and teaching WTMR-AM 800.

In an internal announcement to CBS Radio staff, division President and CEO Dan Mason said, “There are many positive effects this move will have on CBS Radio in the future. Most importantly, for the first time we will own radio stations in Miami– a market where CBS already successfully operates two television stations. We have all seen the tremendous value we create by having our local radio and television properties work hand in hand.  Our voices reach further, brands are more integrated into the daily lives of the audience, and advertisers can speak to a wide variety of consumers constantly on the go. Secondly, we are attaining stations that appropriately align with our programming expertise in popular music and sports, two areas we have made significant investments in over the past few years.  This also allows us to focus on markets that are showing the biggest growth potential and greatest returns on our investments.”

Staff Changes Coming

“This move does mean we will soon be parting ways with a number of our respected colleagues,” Mason added, without elaborating on who could be departing.

George Beasley, CEO and Chairman of his family-operated publicly traded broadcast company, added, “Focusing on strong core programming and targeted localism is the cornerstone of Beasley’s operating philosophy, and it has proven vital to the company’s ratings strength and success. While Beasley has operated in Philadelphia and Miami and understands the value of stations in those markets, as well as the revenue they generate, consolidation and ownership of the maximum amount of stations in each market has been a long-term and consistent goal for the Company. This transaction places us in the unique position of owning a full complement of FM stations in seven of the twelve markets in which we operate. As we look forward to welcoming the CBS stations to Beasley and to integrating two new markets into our portfolio, we will continue delivering quality programming, effective online marketing solutions and dedicated service to the local communities we serve. Once approved by the FCC, it is my opinion that this transaction will create a win-win opportunity for both CBS Radio and Beasley.

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