Clear Channel To Go Espaņol on Some Stations (September 17, 2004)

Clear Channel Communications Inc. said on Thursday that it will convert 20 to 25 stations to "Hispanic formats" over the next 12 to 18 months.

Currently, there is a rumor started up on The Reader Blurt page this week that one of the stations is the low-performing XOCL 99.3 from Tijuana, owned by XTRA Communicationes but programmed by Clear Channel.

Clear Channel already has 18 stations carrying Spanish-language programming out of over 1,200 stations it owns.

The first station to be converted will be in Atlanta, WWVA-FM/WVWA-FM, will go from news/talk to Spanish contemporary music.

Some of the converted stations will concentrate on regional Mexican, tropical or contemporary music, while others will play a range of genres.

Alfredo Alonso, who served most recently as president and chief executive of 20-station Hispanic radio network Mega Communications, was named as senior vice president of Hispanic Radio.

Clear Channel will be competeting against Spanish-lanugage radio king, Univision Communications Inc., who is the country's largest Spanish-language broadcaster, with 68 radio stations as of Aug. 4. The Los Angeles-based company acquired rival Hispanic Broadcasting Corp. in 2003. Univision runs Viva 102.9 and La Nueva 106.5 in San Diego

"The Hispanic radio audience remains largely underserved, especially outside the largest markets," said John Hogan, chief executive officer of Clear Channel's radio division.

Clear Channel's move comes as the fast-growing Hispanic market continues to outpace anemic growth in general radio.

Alonso said he believed Hispanic radio rivals like Univision Communications Inc. and Spanish Broadcasting System Inc. will welcome the competition.

"I think they'll realize that having Clear Channel competing is good for the industry. Another prominent broadcaster preaching the growth of the Hispanic market should help increase the potential of the format," he said.