Could Detroit support a FM commercial Spanish language station?

[Deleted User 15727]

Now, I know Detroit is a very different market then Chicago, NYC, or even Atlanta. However, the Hispanic/Latino population has been growing in recent years and I think it's a matter of time before a commercial FM station flips to a Regional Mexican format.

I'm not talking a translator or some crummy AM station( like 1090 ) up on the nose bleed section of the AM dial. I'm talking like, for example audacy flips 98.7 or somehow I-heart put there El Patron format on 106.7. It seems to me the market is just kind of out of ideas, in terms of formats. Also, I see a potential untapped audience.

Thoughts?

[TC Talks]

You might have better luck with an all polish station

[sfpcc1]

You might have better luck with an all polish station

I Agree. I am not sure it its viable but the Hispanic population in this city does deserve one.

Did Detroit ever have an all Polish radio station, like during the 30' till the 50's.?

[Deleted User 15716]

Why am I thinking there already is at least one I can hear while cruising Downriver. It won't be until tomorrow until I will be mobile and can scan the band. Seems up high like 107 point something.

Of course it may not be a commercial station, maybe some Dearborn high school radio station. I certainly wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

[ChrisWL1980]

You might have better luck with an all polish station

I Agree. I am not sure it its viable but the Hispanic population in this city does deserve one.

Did Detroit ever have an all Polish radio station, like during the 30' till the 50's.?

Anything that wasn't network affiliated in the pre-Top 40 era probably had at least some foreign language programming. I would assume WJLB, which used to daypart between R&B and ethnic programs when it was on AM, was probably the station of choice for Polish Detroiters looking for programming in their native language. I don't think there has ever been a station broadcasting 100% in Polish though.

[lush.rimbaugh]

I say yes, especially if it's highly sindicated and aims itself at the pop market. I wondered in my '22 predictions whether this was possible as a new local marketing agreement with the Masons to run 107.5. Univision's 'Latino Mix' format would be a good call.

[lush.rimbaugh]

I don't see why a latin format wouldn't appeal to the Black community. It's why I think it would be successful in Detroit - a station that is heavily latin-pop would attract more than just Latin Detroiters.

But ok, let's say not 107.5. Then 93.1 DRQ could come back as a Latin pop/dance station.

[ftballfan]

Here are some smaller markets in the Midwest with full-power commercial Spanish FMs:
Columbus, Ohio, which I think is a smaller Hispanic market than Detroit, has not one, but two full power Spanish FM stations (102.5 WWLG and 103.1 WVKO, both rimshots).
Milwaukee has had a Spanish FM since 2005 (104.7 WDDW, which is a rimshot but does put a strong signal over MKE's most-Hispanic areas).
Green Bay has a Spanish FM (92.7 WAUN. which uses two translators owned by Del Reynolds to get into Green Bay and Sturgeon Bay as its main signal's 60dBu peters out just east of Green Bay and just south of Sturgeon Bay)

[billmich88888]

full power but rim-shot is NOT the same as an IN MARKET full power station

[Ben Zonia]

Townsquare’s WCRZ should be screaming about the translator on 107.9. I really would like to see what the mod levels and measured DA relative fields are on that translator. I bet if you did a Longley Rice on that with actual DA relative fields, there would be prohibited interference. Denny Moon wouldn’t have let that go if he was associated with it.

Dave Magnum owns WAUN. The translators go outside the 60 dBu and have to be owned by some other entity.