FM station taps into local Hispanic market

A touch of merengue. A dash of mariachi. A splash of salsa. A pinch of the rich, romantic expression of Spanish music.

They all add up to a new flavor on the airwaves: Las Vegas' first Hispanic FM radio station.

For much of the Hispanic community, it's been a long time coming.

"Everybody was asking for it. Finally it came," said Edwin Murillo, spokesman for KISF 103.5-FM, which recently switched formats from adult rhythm contemporary. "We're having a ball."

The re-formatted station -- formerly KEDG, "The Edge" -- debuted by playing Ricky Martin's fast-paced dance mix "La Copa de la Vida." The song, which translates to "The Cup of Life," was played nonstop every day until May 5 -- Cinco de Mayo -- to draw attention to the new station.

"We wanted to get the buzz around town to everybody in the community, not just Hispanics, but everybody," Murillo said. "We got the effect we wanted to get."

Heftel Broadcasting, the largest Spanish language broadcaster in the nation, based in Dallas, bought the station for $20.3 million. Heftel also owns local Spanish station KLSQ 870-AM, which it bought for $600,000 in 1995.

Murillo said Heftel has been trying to gain an FM station in Las Vegas for several years.

"With the growth, this is the perfect time to get an FM station for the Hispanic community," Murillo said. The station will serve the estimated 205,000 Hispanic residents in the Las Vegas area, comprising 16 percent of the population, according to the Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce. But that figure may be underestimating the current population.

"We know it's more than that," Jesus Carrillo, membership coordinator of the Latin Chamber of Commerce, said. "But we have to wait until the 2000 census (to get the up-to-date figures)."

The average age among local Hispanics is 28 and the annual buying power is $1.4 billion, Carrillo added. The main advertisers for the FM station include McDonalds, Burger King, Coca Cola and Ford and Chevy dealers, which also advertise on KLSQ.

KISF and KLSQ are currently simulcast. But while KLSQ may return to its former format of Northern Mexican-style music in late June, KISF covers a variety of Latin music, including Central American, Puerto Rican, Mexican and South American styles.

Playing such a blend is common in areas where there aren't many Hispanic stations in the market, Ron Rodriguez, editor of Radio & Records, a trade magazine, said.

But Rodriguez expects more Hispanic stations to dot the Las Vegas market.

"The demographics are going to force broadcasters to pay attention to the Latin market," he said. "There's a lot of money and it's untapped."

Scott Gentry, the president of Summit Media Inc., which owns the Spanish language television station Telemundo, plans to tap further into this market.

Gentry, who is also general manager of Hispanic station KDOX 1280-AM, plans to launch an FM Spanish language station within a year. Gentry says his format will be tailored to fit the Las Vegas Hispanic market, which is 70 percent Mexican.

"You can't have an eclectic format for Spanish because it doesn't work," he said. "Here in Las Vegas you have to be more selective."

KISF is geared toward 18- to 34-year-old listeners, with 25 being the average age. Salsa and merengue styles are featured on Friday and Saturday nights. "Rock en Espanol" airs Sunday nights.

"Our task is to cover as many people, as many audiences as possible," Murillo said.

The station is also receiving positive feedback from the "Anglo market," Zulama Bash, KISF operations manager, said, adding that Latino culture is a trend right now.

From the Taco Bell commercial to Latin night at local clubs, "everything Hispanic is hot and happening," she said. "It's catching on everywhere."

There are 41 Hispanic stations in the country's top 15 markets, she added. KISF's sister station in Los Angeles, KSCA 101.9-FM, was that city's top-rated station in the most recent ratings survey.

KSCA's morning talk show "El Cu Cuy de la Manana," which means "Boogie Man in the Morning" airs on KISF via satellite. El Cu Cuy counsels listeners on family affairs, reads the news and poetry and tells jokes.

"It's like Howard Stern in Spanish," Murillo said.

"Everybody was asking for it. Finally it came. We're having a ball."Edwin MurilloKISF SPOKESMAN

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