KMVN-FM
Encyclopedia
KXOS is a Spanish AC station serving Los Angeles
and the surrounding area. The station is owned by Emmis Communications
and operated by Radio Centro, which owns several stations in Mexico.
On April 15, 2009, 93.9 switched to Spanish-language programming at midnight under a seven-year Local Marketing Agreement with Grupo Radio Centro of Mexico City that also gives GRC an option to purchase the station from Emmis, if the FCC in that time allows a foreign broadcaster to own an American broadcasting concern.
The station was known as "Movin' 93.9" with the call sign KMVN before the LMA
to Radio Centro. This station had a rhythmic AC format.
1540 AM with an easy listening
format. In 1977, under the ownership of Capital Cities Communications
, KPOL-FM broke away from the simulcast and adopted a soft rock format similar to crosstown KNX-FM using the on-air identity "94 FM". They changed call letters to KZLA in 1978 (one year later, 1540 AM rejoined the simulcast and also adopted the KZLA call letters).
Metromedia
's KLAC 570 AM had adopted a country format in 1970, initially competing with 2 stations with much weaker signals. In 1980 KHJ
930 AM, owned by RKO General
, changed formats to country. Around the same time, KZLA AM and FM dropped their soft rock format for country.
The three country music outlets struggled, including KZLA. In 1983 KHJ dropped country and returned to an adult contemporary format. KLAC held its own. At this point KZLA began to grow in the ratings as Los Angeles' only FM country station. On its website, it claimed to be the United States
' most-listened-to country radio station, even though they never managed to dent the top 15 in the Los Angeles Arbitron ratings during its 26-year run.
In 1984, Capital Cities sold KZLA-AM to Spanish Broadcasting System
(which rechristened it KSKQ) and KZLA-FM to Malrite Communications Group. Metromedia sold KLAC in 1987 to Malrite, which moved it to a classic country
format. By 1990, Malrite had changed KLAC to an adult standards format from Westwood One
, leaving KZLA as the established country music station in the market.
In 1994 Shamrock Broadcasting acquired KZLA and KLAC in a merger with Malrite; in 1996 Chancellor Media acquired all of Shamrock's stations, including KZLA and KLAC. The following year, Chancellor merged with Evergreen Media Corporation. Evergreen already had KKBT
(then on 92.3) and KOST
103.5; Chancellor subsequently acquired Viacom
's KYSR
98.7 and KXEZ 100.3. This gave Chancellor six FM stations. In 1998 Bonneville Broadcasting made a corporate deal to swap several stations with Chancellor, giving the latter six FM stations, including KOST, KBIG, KYSR, KKBT
, and KXEZ (which would change formats and calls), plus two AM stations: KFI
640, and KLAC 570. Bonneville, in return, would acquire KZLA.
KZLA modified the country format over the years, at times mixing in a few non-country pop songs and also playing more classic country. Bonneville exited Los Angeles in 2000 by selling KZLA to Emmis Communications
, the station's current owners. Under Emmis' ownership, most of the country songs they played during its tenure in the format were from 1987 to the present day, with some classic cuts mixed in.
In 2006, KZLA began to carry NASCAR
NEXTEL Cup Series races as the local affiliate of the Motor Racing Network
. The first broadcast was the Lenox Industrial Tools 300
at New Hampshire International Speedway
.
, KZLA's format was changed to rhythmic adult contemporary
music. After the station played "Tonight I Wanna Cry
" by Keith Urban
to end the old format, KZLA played "Let's Get It Started
" by The Black Eyed Peas
to start the new one. The first DJ to be "let go" was the very popular Brian Douglas who did evenings for four years. Soon after that, the station's demise was well under way with others losing their positions as well.
They were also the second station in the United States to adopt the "Movin'" concept, the first being KQMV
/Seattle, Washington
. KQMV is not owned by Emmis; however they did acquire the rights to use the moniker from consultant Alan Burns, who helped launched KQMV's format. Burns also teamed up with fellow consultant Guy Zapoleon (whose partnership with Burns dates back to the launch of KHMX/Houston
in 1991) on the new upstart.
Jimmy Steal, Emmis' vice president of programming, cited declining ratings of the country format as well as an opportunity to increase overall station and corporate revenue.http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-dees18aug18,0,1985117.story
For a time, KZLA continued online, but the stream was later dropped. The FM station changed its call letters to KMVN on September 1, 2006. Tilden moved to KABC
, where he worked until being laid off in cost-cutting moves in 2008. Other personalities moved to KKGO. Garner's show, which was flagshipped at KZLA, moved to Clear Channel Communications
but does not have a Los Angeles affiliate.
On the heels of launching KMVN, Emmis also signed legendary entertainment personality Rick Dees
to host the morning drivetime show. Dees was host at another area station, KIIS-FM
, from 1983 to 2004. Dees returned to the airwaves on September 25 and also picked up his "Rick Dees' Weekly Top 40" program on Sunday mornings, which started October 1. KMVN aired Weekly Top 40 with most of the non-Rhythmic hits (mostly Rock/Pop) edited from the show because of KMVN's format. The morning show, Rick Dees in the Morning, aired from 5-10am and featured Patti "Long Legs" Lopez and Mark Wong. Over the course of a few months, the station began adding more staffers to its lineup, with Tera Bonilla doing middays, Mario Fuentes hired for afternoons, and Nena handling nights and weekends. In addition, DJ Enrie and DJ Rawn (both from KPWR) and DJ Icy Ice (a veteran of KKBT and KDAY
) became the station's mixers, as KMVN started adding mixshows to its lineup, which aired weekdays at noon and 5PM, and on Fridays ("Fiesta Mix") and Saturdays ("Movin' Party Mix", hosted by Clarence Barnes) from 7pm to 12 Midnight.
The station had failed to bring in more than half of the audience it did as a country music station according to Radio and Records. After being stuck below a 1.0% share in the first two rating periods, KMVN finally recovered in the Spring 2007 arbitrons when it started to show its first increase to a 1.2% share. With KBIG's decision to shift to a regular Adult Top 40 direction in September 2007, KMVN was hoping to inherit its rival's displaced listeners, who had grown accustomed to hearing the Rhythmic fare that KBIG used to play.
By October 2007 KMVN began to phase out most of its currents and '90s product, along with the mix shows, in an effort to improve the ratings, which had not been spectacular. They also changed their slogan to "The '70s and '80s Mix That Makes You Move," to identify with its gold-based direction. The changes had yet to translate into ratings. In the May 2008 Arbitrends, KMVN was in 34th place with a 0.8% audience share. By Summer 2008 KMVN began adding Classic and Dance-friendly Modern/New Wave hits from the 1980s to its musical mix but continued to stay within the Rhythmic Gold realm.
KMVN had been in competition with KHHT
"Hot 92.3", which began shifting from Urban AC to a Rhythmic AC approach in early 2008 in an effort to counter KMVN, whose format targeted the same Black/Hispanic audience as KHHT.
At midnight on April 15, 2009, the station ended its rhythmic AC format, and switched to a Spanish AC format.
On June 4, 2009, KMVN changed their call letters to KXOS, to go with the "Exitos" branding.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and the surrounding area. The station is owned by Emmis Communications
Emmis Communications
Emmis Communications is a media conglomerate based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company owns radio stations and magazines in the United States, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria.-History:...
and operated by Radio Centro, which owns several stations in Mexico.
On April 15, 2009, 93.9 switched to Spanish-language programming at midnight under a seven-year Local Marketing Agreement with Grupo Radio Centro of Mexico City that also gives GRC an option to purchase the station from Emmis, if the FCC in that time allows a foreign broadcaster to own an American broadcasting concern.
The station was known as "Movin' 93.9" with the call sign KMVN before the LMA
LMA
LMA may refer to:* Laryngeal mask airway, a mask used in anaesthesia and emergency medicine.* Leaf Mass per Area* League Managers Association, an organization representing managers of English football clubs....
to Radio Centro. This station had a rhythmic AC format.
Early years
KPOL-FM 93.9 signed on in 1958 as a simulcast of KPOLKPOL (AM)
KPOL was a radio station that operated in Los Angeles, California, USA. The station played a number of music formats, including polka, top 40, rock, and beautiful music, from 1952 to 1981....
1540 AM with an easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
format. In 1977, under the ownership of Capital Cities Communications
Capital Cities Communications
Capital Cities redirects here. For the article about the seat of a government, see Capital .Capital Cities Communications was an American media company best known for its surprise purchase of the much larger American Broadcasting Company in 1985...
, KPOL-FM broke away from the simulcast and adopted a soft rock format similar to crosstown KNX-FM using the on-air identity "94 FM". They changed call letters to KZLA in 1978 (one year later, 1540 AM rejoined the simulcast and also adopted the KZLA call letters).
Metromedia
Metromedia
Metromedia was a media company that owned radio and television stations in the United States from 1956 to 1986 and owned Orion Pictures from 1986-1997.- Overview :...
's KLAC 570 AM had adopted a country format in 1970, initially competing with 2 stations with much weaker signals. In 1980 KHJ
KHJ (AM)
KHJ Radio in Los Angeles, California broadcasts Spanish-language entertainment programming as La Ranchera. It was also one of America's most formidable Top 40 radio stations in the 1960s and 1970s as 93 KHJ before changing its format in 1980....
930 AM, owned by RKO General
RKO General
RKO General was the main holding company through 1991 for the noncore businesses of the General Tire and Rubber Company and, after General Tire's reorganization in the 1980s, GenCorp. The business was based around the consolidation of its parent company's broadcasting interests, dating to 1943, and...
, changed formats to country. Around the same time, KZLA AM and FM dropped their soft rock format for country.
The three country music outlets struggled, including KZLA. In 1983 KHJ dropped country and returned to an adult contemporary format. KLAC held its own. At this point KZLA began to grow in the ratings as Los Angeles' only FM country station. On its website, it claimed to be the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' most-listened-to country radio station, even though they never managed to dent the top 15 in the Los Angeles Arbitron ratings during its 26-year run.
In 1984, Capital Cities sold KZLA-AM to Spanish Broadcasting System
Spanish Broadcasting System
Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States. SBS is also invested in television and internet properties, deriving the majority of its income from advertising through its media products.SBS owns the internet portal LaMusica.com...
(which rechristened it KSKQ) and KZLA-FM to Malrite Communications Group. Metromedia sold KLAC in 1987 to Malrite, which moved it to a classic country
Classic country
Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country hits from past decades.This genre generally follows one of two formats: those specializing in hits from the 1920s through the early 1970s, and focus primarily on innovators and artists from country music's Golden...
format. By 1990, Malrite had changed KLAC to an adult standards format from Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
, leaving KZLA as the established country music station in the market.
In 1994 Shamrock Broadcasting acquired KZLA and KLAC in a merger with Malrite; in 1996 Chancellor Media acquired all of Shamrock's stations, including KZLA and KLAC. The following year, Chancellor merged with Evergreen Media Corporation. Evergreen already had KKBT
KKBT
KSWD is a Bonneville International-owned radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, USA. The station currently broadcasts a wide-ranging classic rock format...
(then on 92.3) and KOST
KOST
KOST is a radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, with an adult contemporary musical format. It is one of three adult contemporary formatted radio station in the Los Angeles/Orange County area, the others being sister station KBIG and CBS-owned KTWV...
103.5; Chancellor subsequently acquired Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
's KYSR
KYSR
KYSR is a commercial modern rock radio station in Los Angeles, California, covering the Los Angeles, Orange County, and Inland Empire areas on 98.7 FM. KYSR is also simulcasted on KSRY 103.1 FM in Tehachapi, California...
98.7 and KXEZ 100.3. This gave Chancellor six FM stations. In 1998 Bonneville Broadcasting made a corporate deal to swap several stations with Chancellor, giving the latter six FM stations, including KOST, KBIG, KYSR, KKBT
KKBT
KSWD is a Bonneville International-owned radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, USA. The station currently broadcasts a wide-ranging classic rock format...
, and KXEZ (which would change formats and calls), plus two AM stations: KFI
KFI
KFI is an AM radio station in Los Angeles, California. It received its license to operate on March 31, 1922 and began operating on April 16, 1922 as one of the United States' first high-powered, "clear-channel" stations...
640, and KLAC 570. Bonneville, in return, would acquire KZLA.
KZLA modified the country format over the years, at times mixing in a few non-country pop songs and also playing more classic country. Bonneville exited Los Angeles in 2000 by selling KZLA to Emmis Communications
Emmis Communications
Emmis Communications is a media conglomerate based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company owns radio stations and magazines in the United States, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria.-History:...
, the station's current owners. Under Emmis' ownership, most of the country songs they played during its tenure in the format were from 1987 to the present day, with some classic cuts mixed in.
In 2006, KZLA began to carry NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
NEXTEL Cup Series races as the local affiliate of the Motor Racing Network
Motor Racing Network
The Motor Racing Network is the principal radio broadcasting operation of NASCAR, promoting themselves as "The Voice of NASCAR." It broadcasts coverage of most major NASCAR races at the top three levels of NASCAR at tracks owned by International Speedway Corporation as well as Dover International...
. The first broadcast was the Lenox Industrial Tools 300
Lenox Industrial Tools 300
The Lenox Industrial Tools 301 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. Newell Rubbermaid, through its Lenox Industrial Tools subsidiary, is the title sponsor of the race and has been since 2006...
at New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic...
.
MOViN 93.9
On August 17, 2006 at 10:20 a.m. Pacific timePacific Time Zone
The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC-7.In the United States...
, KZLA's format was changed to rhythmic adult contemporary
Rhythmic Adult Contemporary
Rhythmic adult contemporary is a format used on stations in the United States and Canada. It usually gears toward an older audience, ages 25 to 54. Stations using this format play disco from the 1970s and early 1980s, dance/pop music, adult-friendly hip hop/old school tracks, R&B, dance/freestyle...
music. After the station played "Tonight I Wanna Cry
Tonight I Wanna Cry
"Tonight I Wanna Cry" is a song co-written and recorded by Australian country music artist Keith Urban. It was released in November 2005 as the last official single off Urban's Be Here album. It peaked at number 2 on the U.S...
" by Keith Urban
Keith Urban
Keith Lionel Urban is a New Zealand-born Australian, country music singer, songwriter and guitarist whose commercial success has been mainly in the United States and Australia. Urban was born in New Zealand and began his career in Australia at an early age...
to end the old format, KZLA played "Let's Get It Started
Let's Get It Started
"Let's Get It Started", , appears on The Black Eyed Peas' 2003 album Elephunk. It is the fourth single from the album...
" by The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
to start the new one. The first DJ to be "let go" was the very popular Brian Douglas who did evenings for four years. Soon after that, the station's demise was well under way with others losing their positions as well.
They were also the second station in the United States to adopt the "Movin'" concept, the first being KQMV
KQMV
KQMV , known as "Movin' 92.5," is a Rhythmic-leaning CHR radio station serving the Puget Sound area. The Sandusky Radio outlet operates at 92.5 MHz with an ERP of 56.8 kW and its community of license is Bellevue, Washington...
/Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. KQMV is not owned by Emmis; however they did acquire the rights to use the moniker from consultant Alan Burns, who helped launched KQMV's format. Burns also teamed up with fellow consultant Guy Zapoleon (whose partnership with Burns dates back to the launch of KHMX/Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
in 1991) on the new upstart.
Jimmy Steal, Emmis' vice president of programming, cited declining ratings of the country format as well as an opportunity to increase overall station and corporate revenue.http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-dees18aug18,0,1985117.story
For a time, KZLA continued online, but the stream was later dropped. The FM station changed its call letters to KMVN on September 1, 2006. Tilden moved to KABC
KABC (AM)
KABC is a Los Angeles radio station, and a West Coast flagship station for the Cumulus Media company. A pioneer of the talk radio format, the station went "all-talk" in 1960 and was one of the first stations to do so...
, where he worked until being laid off in cost-cutting moves in 2008. Other personalities moved to KKGO. Garner's show, which was flagshipped at KZLA, moved to Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
but does not have a Los Angeles affiliate.
On the heels of launching KMVN, Emmis also signed legendary entertainment personality Rick Dees
Rick Dees
Rigdon Osmond "Rick" Dees III is an American comedic performer, entertainer, and radio personality, best known for his internationally syndicated radio show The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown and for the novelty song "Disco Duck." He is a People's Choice Award recipient, a Grammy-nominated...
to host the morning drivetime show. Dees was host at another area station, KIIS-FM
KIIS-FM
KIIS-FM is a Los Angeles, California, USA-based radio station with a partial Top 40 musical format. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications. KIIS is also simulcasted on KVVS in Rosamond, at 105.5 MHz...
, from 1983 to 2004. Dees returned to the airwaves on September 25 and also picked up his "Rick Dees' Weekly Top 40" program on Sunday mornings, which started October 1. KMVN aired Weekly Top 40 with most of the non-Rhythmic hits (mostly Rock/Pop) edited from the show because of KMVN's format. The morning show, Rick Dees in the Morning, aired from 5-10am and featured Patti "Long Legs" Lopez and Mark Wong. Over the course of a few months, the station began adding more staffers to its lineup, with Tera Bonilla doing middays, Mario Fuentes hired for afternoons, and Nena handling nights and weekends. In addition, DJ Enrie and DJ Rawn (both from KPWR) and DJ Icy Ice (a veteran of KKBT and KDAY
KDAY
KDAY in Redondo Beach and KDEY in Ontario are a pair of synchrocasting radio stations based in South Los Angeles that airs an Classic hip-hop format aimed at African Americans in the 18-49 range. The station is owned by Magic Broadcasting, LLC and broadcasts at 93.5 MHz on the FM dial...
) became the station's mixers, as KMVN started adding mixshows to its lineup, which aired weekdays at noon and 5PM, and on Fridays ("Fiesta Mix") and Saturdays ("Movin' Party Mix", hosted by Clarence Barnes) from 7pm to 12 Midnight.
The station had failed to bring in more than half of the audience it did as a country music station according to Radio and Records. After being stuck below a 1.0% share in the first two rating periods, KMVN finally recovered in the Spring 2007 arbitrons when it started to show its first increase to a 1.2% share. With KBIG's decision to shift to a regular Adult Top 40 direction in September 2007, KMVN was hoping to inherit its rival's displaced listeners, who had grown accustomed to hearing the Rhythmic fare that KBIG used to play.
By October 2007 KMVN began to phase out most of its currents and '90s product, along with the mix shows, in an effort to improve the ratings, which had not been spectacular. They also changed their slogan to "The '70s and '80s Mix That Makes You Move," to identify with its gold-based direction. The changes had yet to translate into ratings. In the May 2008 Arbitrends, KMVN was in 34th place with a 0.8% audience share. By Summer 2008 KMVN began adding Classic and Dance-friendly Modern/New Wave hits from the 1980s to its musical mix but continued to stay within the Rhythmic Gold realm.
KMVN had been in competition with KHHT
KHHT
KHHT is a radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, USA with a Rhythmic Oldies musical format. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications.-KFAC:...
"Hot 92.3", which began shifting from Urban AC to a Rhythmic AC approach in early 2008 in an effort to counter KMVN, whose format targeted the same Black/Hispanic audience as KHHT.
Exitos 93.9
On April 3, 2009, Emmis announced that they had entered into a seven-year local marketing agreement with Grupo Radio Centro of Mexico City. Beginning April 15, GRC started to provide Spanish-language programming and sell advertising time. GRC also entered into a seven-year call and put option agreement with Emmis which would allow them to purchase the assets of KMVN, although that portion of the deal is contingent on the FCC allowing a foreign broadcaster to own an American station, which is currently disallowed.At midnight on April 15, 2009, the station ended its rhythmic AC format, and switched to a Spanish AC format.
On June 4, 2009, KMVN changed their call letters to KXOS, to go with the "Exitos" branding.