KXOL-FM
Encyclopedia
KXOL-FM 96.3, Latino 96.3, is a Latin leaning Rhythmic
music radio station
in the Los Angeles
area.
radio station in Los Angeles known as KFSG, owned by the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel
(the call letters stood for "FourSquare Gospel"). They ran religious programming produced by their own church along with syndicated staples like "Focus on the Family
", "Joni and Friends
", "Insight for Living
", "In Touch
", among others. They ran such shows half the time, playing music the other half.
For years the station played traditional Christian music
with contemporary Christian for only a few hours a week on Saturday. But by 1981 they began to mix in softer contemporary Christian songs to their format. By 1987 KFSG was an adult contemporary Christian station playing artists like Twila Paris
, Steven Curtis Chapman
, Petra
, David Meece
, Randy Stonehill
, PFR
, White Heart
, among others.
The station was owned by the Foursquare Church until 2001 when it was sold to the Spanish Broadcasting System
. On April 30, 2001, KFSG moved its programming to 93.5 (now KDAY
) but dropped the music and went to Religious
talk
programming full time. By 2003, KFSG was off the air when that station was sold to another Spanish group.
The new owners gave 96.3 a Spanish
AC format, and the call letters were changed to KXOL on May 9, 2001. The station became known as El Sol 96.3 and their morning show was hosted by Sylvia Villagran who became the first woman to host a morning radio show in Los Angeles. According to Arbitron http://www.arbitron.com/home/content.stm, between 2001 and 2004 the show garnered high ratings, consistently placing it among the top three morning shows in Los Angeles. '"El Sol" was one of two Spanish Soft AC radio stations in Los Angeles until May 2005, when its format change left KLVE
as the only station in L.A. now playing the format.
KXOL decision to drop their Spanish adult contemporary format for hurban
wasn't without controversy: The abrupt switch violated a transmitter lease agreement that KXOL's parent company, Spanish Broadcasting System
(SBS), had with Emmis Communications
; the agreement required formal notification to Emmis of any change in format and expressly prohibited KXOL from programming to directly compete with Emmis' Rhythmic Contemporary
outlet KPWR
. SBS switched formats anyway, and Emmis filed a lawsuit to force SBS to either drop the format or find a new transmitter. SBS announced that KXOL would move to another transmitter site a month later, and both parties settled the dispute sometime after.
KXOL has had success as a Latin Urban, and much of that success is likely attributed to KXOL snatching some of (the now-defunct) KKBT and KPWR's Hispanic base. However, it has begun to tilt its direction slightly towards Hip-Hop but still remain within the Hurban area.
(aka Power 106), 102.7 KIIS
and KAMP ("97.1 AMP Radio") compete with KXOL in the L.A.
area. 99.1 KGGI
competes with KXOL in the IE
and parts of east L.A. County
. 104.7 KCAQ
(aka Q104-7) and 103.3 KVYB(aka The Vibe) compete with KXOL in parts of Ventura County
and L.A. County
(in areas near the L.A. County
-Ventura County
border line. KVYB's signal can only be heard in very little of KXOL's signal coverage areas because of KVYB's signal coming from distant Santa Barbara
.
96.1 KWIE
at one point had the same hurban
music format as KXOL, but then later changed to a Rhythmic Top 40
music format up until its flip to Regional Mexican
in August 2007. KVYB, whose format originally started out as a hybrid Hurban/Rhythmic because of its target audience at the beginning of that station's debut, has now completely shifted to a more Rhythmic direction.
Hispanic rhythmic
Hispanic rhythmic, also known as Hispanic urban or "Hurban", is an American radio and format genre that features a Spanish-language musical mix of Latin hip-hop, Mexican hip-hop, reggaeton, dancehall, Latin pop, dance, tropical and salsa hits, all geared towards a bilingual audience, most of them...
music radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
in the Los Angeles
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...
area.
History
For many years 96.3 was a ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
radio station in Los Angeles known as KFSG, owned by the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel
International Church of the Foursquare Gospel
The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, commonly referred to as the Foursquare Church, is an evangelical Pentecostal Christian denomination. As of 2000 it had a worldwide membership of over 8,000,000, with almost 60,000 churches in 144 countries. In 2006, membership in the United States...
(the call letters stood for "FourSquare Gospel"). They ran religious programming produced by their own church along with syndicated staples like "Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family is an American evangelical Christian tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 1977 by psychologist James Dobson, and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Focus on the Family is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations that rose to prominence in the 1980s...
", "Joni and Friends
Joni Eareckson Tada
Joni Eareckson Tada is an evangelical Christian author, radio host, and founder of Joni and Friends, an organization "accelerating Christian ministry in the disability community." "Joni" is pronounced as if it were spelled "Johnny" as she was named after her father.-Biography:As a teenager, Joni...
", "Insight for Living
Chuck Swindoll
Charles Rozell "Chuck" Swindoll is an evangelical Christian pastor, author, educator and radio preacher. He founded Insight for Living, currently headquartered in Plano, Texas, which airs a radio program of the same name on more than 2,000 stations around the world in 15 languages...
", "In Touch
In Touch Ministries
In Touch Ministries is a Christian Evangelical non-profit ministry founded by Charles Stanley, the former head of the Southern Baptist Convention...
", among others. They ran such shows half the time, playing music the other half.
For years the station played traditional Christian music
Christian music
Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely across the world....
with contemporary Christian for only a few hours a week on Saturday. But by 1981 they began to mix in softer contemporary Christian songs to their format. By 1987 KFSG was an adult contemporary Christian station playing artists like Twila Paris
Twila Paris
Twila Paris Wright is a Contemporary Christian Music songwriter, author, vocalist and pianist.-Musical career:Since 1980, Twila Paris has released 22 albums, amassed 33 number one Christian Radio singles, and was named the Gospel Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year three years in a row...
, Steven Curtis Chapman
Steven Curtis Chapman
Steven Curtis Chapman is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, actor, author, and social activist.After starting his career in the late 1980s as a singer/songwriter of contemporary Christian music, Chapman has since been recognized as one of the most prolific singers in the genre,...
, Petra
Petra (band)
Petra is a music group regarded as a pioneer of the Christian rock and contemporary Christian music genres. Formed in 1972, the band took its name from the Greek word for "rock"...
, David Meece
David Meece
David Meece is a Contemporary Christian musician who enjoyed success in the mid 80s throughout the early 2000s with more than 30 Top 10 hits ....
, Randy Stonehill
Randy Stonehill
Randall Evan "Randy" Stonehill is an American singer-songwriter from Stockton, California, best known as one of the so-called "fathers of contemporary Christian music". His music is primarily folk rock in the style of James Taylor, but he has assayed other styles, with various albums focused on...
, PFR
PFR
PFR was a Christian music group in the mid 1990s. Although the group disbanded in 1997, they reunited in 2000 and have since recorded two albums, and they continue to play together.-History:...
, White Heart
White Heart
White Heart, also listed as Whiteheart, was a Contemporary Christian Music pop-rock band which formed in 1982. White Heart's discography includes thirteen albums, the most recent of which was released in 1997. Original members Billy Smiley and Mark Gersmehl worked with a continually-changing cast...
, among others.
The station was owned by the Foursquare Church until 2001 when it was sold to the 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...
. On April 30, 2001, KFSG moved its programming to 93.5 (now 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...
) but dropped the music and went to Religious
Religious broadcasting
Religious broadcasting refers to broadcasting by religious organizations, usually with a religious message. Many religious organizations have long recorded content such as sermons and lectures, and have moved into distributing content on their Internet websites.While this article emphasises...
talk
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
programming full time. By 2003, KFSG was off the air when that station was sold to another Spanish group.
The new owners gave 96.3 a Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
AC format, and the call letters were changed to KXOL on May 9, 2001. The station became known as El Sol 96.3 and their morning show was hosted by Sylvia Villagran who became the first woman to host a morning radio show in Los Angeles. According to Arbitron http://www.arbitron.com/home/content.stm, between 2001 and 2004 the show garnered high ratings, consistently placing it among the top three morning shows in Los Angeles. '"El Sol" was one of two Spanish Soft AC radio stations in Los Angeles until May 2005, when its format change left KLVE
KLVE
KLVE , known as "K-LOVE 107.5 FM", is a radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, with an Spanish AC musical format. It is owned by Univision.-History:...
as the only station in L.A. now playing the format.
KXOL decision to drop their Spanish adult contemporary format for hurban
Hurban
Hurban is a relatively new radio programming format from radio chain giant Clear Channel Communications and Senior VP Alfredo Alonso. Hurban radio stations target young Hispanics in the United States, primarily consisting of reggaeton, hip-hop, and dance music...
wasn't without controversy: The abrupt switch violated a transmitter lease agreement that KXOL's parent company, 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...
(SBS), had with 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 agreement required formal notification to Emmis of any change in format and expressly prohibited KXOL from programming to directly compete with Emmis' Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
outlet KPWR
KPWR
KPWR is a commercial radio station located in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area on an analog signal and in HD Radio...
. SBS switched formats anyway, and Emmis filed a lawsuit to force SBS to either drop the format or find a new transmitter. SBS announced that KXOL would move to another transmitter site a month later, and both parties settled the dispute sometime after.
KXOL has had success as a Latin Urban, and much of that success is likely attributed to KXOL snatching some of (the now-defunct) KKBT and KPWR's Hispanic base. However, it has begun to tilt its direction slightly towards Hip-Hop but still remain within the Hurban area.
Competition
KXOL has 5 competing stations. 105.9 KPWRKPWR
KPWR is a commercial radio station located in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area on an analog signal and in HD Radio...
(aka Power 106), 102.7 KIIS
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...
and KAMP ("97.1 AMP Radio") compete with KXOL in the L.A.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
area. 99.1 KGGI
KGGI
KGGI is a commercial radio station in Riverside, California, broadcasting to the Riverside-San Bernardino, California area on 99.1 FM. The station airs a Rhythmic Top 40 music format owned by Clear Channel Communications....
competes with KXOL in the IE
Inland Empire (California)
The Inland Empire is a region in Southern California. The region sits directly east of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Inland Empire most commonly is used in reference to the U.S. Census Bureau's federally-defined Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area, which covers more than...
and parts of east L.A. County
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
. 104.7 KCAQ
KCAQ
KCAQ, also known as Q-104.7, is a Rhythmic Top 40 outlet serving the Ventura County, California area. They also cover nearby Santa Barbara County, California...
(aka Q104-7) and 103.3 KVYB(aka The Vibe) compete with KXOL in parts of Ventura County
Ventura County, California
Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...
and L.A. County
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
(in areas near the L.A. County
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
-Ventura County
Ventura County, California
Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...
border line. KVYB's signal can only be heard in very little of KXOL's signal coverage areas because of KVYB's signal coming from distant Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
.
96.1 KWIE
KRQB
KRQB is one of four southern California radio stations branded as "Que Buena" and which all play Mexican regional music. Its shared owner is Liberman Broadcasting.-History:...
at one point had the same hurban
Hurban
Hurban is a relatively new radio programming format from radio chain giant Clear Channel Communications and Senior VP Alfredo Alonso. Hurban radio stations target young Hispanics in the United States, primarily consisting of reggaeton, hip-hop, and dance music...
music format as KXOL, but then later changed to a Rhythmic Top 40
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
music format up until its flip to Regional Mexican
Regional Mexican
Regional Mexican is a radio format for music radio, typically defined to include Banda, Ranchera, Mariachi and Norteña. It is the most popular radio format targeting Hispanic Americans in the United States....
in August 2007. KVYB, whose format originally started out as a hybrid Hurban/Rhythmic because of its target audience at the beginning of that station's debut, has now completely shifted to a more Rhythmic direction.