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XEWW 690 to be Sold+ Flip to Mandarin Chinese Language Programming

P

pjc1961

Star Participant
Grupo Latino de Radio (GLR) has announced it is selling its equity stake in XEWW (Spanish-language news-talk “W Radio”)
to H&H Group USA, 97% controlled by Vivian Huo, with the remaining 3% owned by Julian Sant.

The new owners propose a format “including music, entertainment, weather report, local (Los Angeles) traffic report and local Chinese community news.”

InsideRadio.com story -->

http://www.insideradio.com/free/soc...cle_d5c425c0-840c-11e8-889e-df1a4cd5925c.html
 
This is not a really, really late April Fool's, correct? If not, this is the weirdest flip I've ever seen. How can an XE station get away with Chinese programming? I know some are in English and operate from San Diego, but hasn't XEWW always been operated from a Tijuana studio (and sometimes from Mexico City?) WOW!
 
crainbebo said:
This is not a really, really late April Fool's, correct? If not, this is the weirdest flip I've ever seen. How can an XE station get away with Chinese programming? I know some are in English and operate from San Diego, but hasn't XEWW always been operated from a Tijuana studio (and sometimes from Mexico City?) WOW!
Click to expand...

I think that even after becoming XEWW the station was programmed from the US. If I understand correctly, the ownership of the station in Mexico has been fairly constant, but the companies leasing the programming have changed at least 3 times over the last 20 years.
 
crainbebo said:
This is not a really, really late April Fool's, correct? If not, this is the weirdest flip I've ever seen. How can an XE station get away with Chinese programming? I know some are in English and operate from San Diego, but hasn't XEWW always been operated from a Tijuana studio (and sometimes from Mexico City?) WOW!
Click to expand...

For the initial years after XETRA became XEWW the station operated out of studios in Burbank with LA talent that had been on stations like KWKW and KTNQ. When the signal proved to be unreliable for LA listening in this age of man-made noise, they started adding more programming from their Mexico City station, XEW, the flagship for their La W network.

The market for the station is Tijuana and San Diego, but like many Mexican networked stations, local programming is not considered necessary.
 
johndavis said:
I think that even after becoming XEWW the station was programmed from the US. If I understand correctly, the ownership of the station in Mexico has been fairly constant, but the companies leasing the programming have changed at least 3 times over the last 20 years.
Click to expand...

Since becoming XEWW, the station has always been part of the multi-national Prisa group from Spain. For a while they programmed from LA but then switched to being mostly a repeater for XEW in Mexico City. Both are Prisa stations. GLR is a subsidiary of Prisa.
 
pjc1961 said:
The new owners propose a format “including music, entertainment, weather report, local (Los Angeles) traffic report and local Chinese community news.”
Click to expand...

They obviously don't understand that 690 does not have a usable signal in most of LA. Except along the coast, it's noisy reception. That's why the "W Radio" Spanish format did not register, even with billboard campaigns. And it is why 1090 gave up on trying to be an LA station, too.

Somebody obviously has more money than brains.
 
The Chinese and Taiwanese communities in San Diego are growing, as they are throughout California. For instance, there are about 20 of the 99 Ranch supermarkets, catering to Chinese/Taiwanese shoppers in and around LA. But there are three in San Diego. Same for 85 Degrees Coffee Shops, a Taiwan based chain. There are about 25 or so in and around LA, four in San Diego and its suburbs.

LA has one Mandarin radio station, and there's one in the Ontario area east of LA. So I suppose XETRA can target San Diego, with some listening in LA. If I remember correctly, 1240 was Mandarin part of the day at one time in San Diego. Of course, that was a 1000 watt station, while XETRA is 77,000 watts by day, 50,000 watts at night.

Even in LA, I would imagine Mandarin speakers might put up with a fuzzy signal, even if English and Spanish speakers might not, so they can hear their native language. And I didn't have any trouble hearing XEPRS or XETRA while driving around LA recently. I don't remember any dead spots or places where the noise became too much. I don't think I'd get a decent signal on a home radio. But in the car, they were fine.
 
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The biggest head-scratcher for me was KCFJ in far-flung Alturas in northeastern California programming China Radio International. It has a decent reach, but who's listening?
 
Dvdnjr said:
Is XEWW 690 licence and radio farm down in Rosarito still owned by Televisa or GLR.
Click to expand...

The "Televisa Radio" properties are owned 50% by Televisa and 50% by Grupo Prisa from Spain, and operated 100% by Prisa. Mr. Azcárraga Jean has been quoted as saying words to the effect that "Televisa does not know how to do radio".

The part of Televisa Radio that Prisa does not own is now up for sale. Televisa wants out of radio entirely.

GLR is the US subsidiary of Grupo Prisa, and does not own anything in Mexico.

GLR owns the US sales rights to XEWW. The Mexican concept of "sales rights" is different than the US concept of a rep firm; the sales representative provides management and programming services, too.

The Rosarito antenna farm has several separately owned stations using the same vicinity. XEWW does not own the property the other stations they are near... just their own site.
 
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