WNOW
Encyclopedia
WNOW "La Mil30 - Lider en Radio" is a radio station
broadcasting a Spanish
news/talk
, sports and entertainment format licensed to Mint Hill, North Carolina
, USA. The AM frequency is currently owned by Davidson Media Group.
as a Contemporary Christian station by the founding general manager, Ken Mayfield. An April sign-on date was delayed by paperwork problems. Artists included Amy Grant
, Dion
, Dan Peek
and Deniece Williams
. Russ Jones took over as manager soon after Mayfield's departure in 1989 for WTYC
.
By 1992, WNOW was already offering programming from other countries. A two-hour Saturday show called "Gemutlichkeit" originating from Virginia
and hosted by Inge Fischer-White included German
, Swiss
and Austrian
music. Also in 1992, Charlotte's Latin American Coalition asked Jones to add Spanish programming.
By 1996, with WRCM playing music, WNOW had switched to Christian talk.
By May 1997, half of WNOW's programming was in Spanish, as various groups added shows. Luis Beltran hosted "RadioSol" starting on April 1, which was two-thirds music, mostly Regional Mexican
, along with information such as news from Caracol and Hispanic Radio Network. WNOW aired music, soccer, and Christian programming such as "La Voz De Redencion" ("The Voice of Redemption"). The area's Spanish-speaking population had increased from 12,000 to 75,000 since 1990, though illegal aliens
would probably put that number closer to 100,000.
Although WNOW carried the programming of "Radio Lider," this name was owned, and programming produced, by a separate company called Orbimedia Lider Communications Inc.
Orbimedia first began to rent time on WNOW in 1994 and only for a few hours on Saturday afternoons. Later, Orbimedia began to rent larger portions of time and added music programming, a departure from its main talk format. WNOW was the first commercial station in the Carolinas to broadcast entirely in Spanish. The station was doing this by July 1999.
Aura Maria Gavilan-Posse, who was WNOW news director in 1998, was the morning host. Her husband Julian Posse served as president of Orbimedia.
Other shows included "Digalo Sin Miedo" ("Say It Without Fear").
On June 12, 2008, the Carolina Panthers
announced a deal with Radio Lider to broadcast all of its games for the coming season in Spanish, making the club the 12th team to do so. Since WNOW is a daytime-only station, all of the preseason games along with the Monday night contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
on December 8 was to be carried on a taped-delayed basis, with the remaining games being broadcast live.
On July 5, 2008, Radio Lider ended its broadcasts after Orbimedia and Davidson could not agree on an price acceptable to both parties for the programming to continue.
On September 1, 2009, Radio Lider La Super Estacion - WNOW 1030AM was acquired by 4M Group and returned to the air with Aura M. Gavilan-Posse, Roble Zarate, Rafael "alias Punch", Claudio Bonus and Richard Bonanno in a new format—News/Talk, sports and music.
In 2011, WNOW-AM became an ESPN Deportes
affiliate, with Major League Baseball
on Sundays as well as Mexican League Soccer
. The station also added the sports talk programs "Cronómetro Deportivo" and "A nivel de Cancha," with Bonus, Bonanno, Monica del Pozo and Saul Rodriguez, which will cover NASCAR
, local soccer and other topics.
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...
broadcasting 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...
news/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...
, sports and entertainment format licensed to Mint Hill, North Carolina
Mint Hill, North Carolina
Mint Hill is a suburban town in southeastern Mecklenburg and northwestern Union counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina, it is a major suburb on the outskirts of Charlotte and near the Cabarrus County line...
, USA. The AM frequency is currently owned by Davidson Media Group.
History
The station was signed on August 1, 1987 in Union CountyUnion County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 123,677 people, 43,390 households, and 34,278 families residing in the county. The population density was 194 people per square mile . There were 45,695 housing units at an average density of 72 per square mile...
as a Contemporary Christian station by the founding general manager, Ken Mayfield. An April sign-on date was delayed by paperwork problems. Artists included Amy Grant
Amy Grant
Amy Lee Grant is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, media personality and actress, best known for her Christian music. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop"...
, Dion
Dion DiMucci
Dion Francis DiMucci , better known as Dion, is an American singer-songwriter whose work has incorporated elements of doo-wop, pop oldies music, rock and R&B styles....
, Dan Peek
Dan Peek
Daniel Milton 'Dan' Peek was a musician best known as a member of the rock band America from 1970 to 1977, together with Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell...
and Deniece Williams
Deniece Williams
June Deniece Chandler known by her stage name Deniece Williams is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and record producer who achieved success in the 1970s and 1980s...
. Russ Jones took over as manager soon after Mayfield's departure in 1989 for WTYC
WAVO
WAVO is a radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards format. Licensed to Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA, the station serves the Charlotte area. The station is currently owned by Whvn.-History:...
.
By 1992, WNOW was already offering programming from other countries. A two-hour Saturday show called "Gemutlichkeit" originating from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and hosted by Inge Fischer-White included German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Austrian
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
music. Also in 1992, Charlotte's Latin American Coalition asked Jones to add Spanish programming.
By 1996, with WRCM playing music, WNOW had switched to Christian talk.
By May 1997, half of WNOW's programming was in Spanish, as various groups added shows. Luis Beltran hosted "RadioSol" starting on April 1, which was two-thirds music, mostly 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....
, along with information such as news from Caracol and Hispanic Radio Network. WNOW aired music, soccer, and Christian programming such as "La Voz De Redencion" ("The Voice of Redemption"). The area's Spanish-speaking population had increased from 12,000 to 75,000 since 1990, though illegal aliens
Illegal immigration
Illegal immigration is the migration into a nation in violation of the immigration laws of that jurisdiction. Illegal immigration raises many political, economical and social issues and has become a source of major controversy in developed countries and the more successful developing countries.In...
would probably put that number closer to 100,000.
Although WNOW carried the programming of "Radio Lider," this name was owned, and programming produced, by a separate company called Orbimedia Lider Communications Inc.
Orbimedia first began to rent time on WNOW in 1994 and only for a few hours on Saturday afternoons. Later, Orbimedia began to rent larger portions of time and added music programming, a departure from its main talk format. WNOW was the first commercial station in the Carolinas to broadcast entirely in Spanish. The station was doing this by July 1999.
Aura Maria Gavilan-Posse, who was WNOW news director in 1998, was the morning host. Her husband Julian Posse served as president of Orbimedia.
Other shows included "Digalo Sin Miedo" ("Say It Without Fear").
On June 12, 2008, the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
announced a deal with Radio Lider to broadcast all of its games for the coming season in Spanish, making the club the 12th team to do so. Since WNOW is a daytime-only station, all of the preseason games along with the Monday night contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
on December 8 was to be carried on a taped-delayed basis, with the remaining games being broadcast live.
On July 5, 2008, Radio Lider ended its broadcasts after Orbimedia and Davidson could not agree on an price acceptable to both parties for the programming to continue.
On September 1, 2009, Radio Lider La Super Estacion - WNOW 1030AM was acquired by 4M Group and returned to the air with Aura M. Gavilan-Posse, Roble Zarate, Rafael "alias Punch", Claudio Bonus and Richard Bonanno in a new format—News/Talk, sports and music.
In 2011, WNOW-AM became an ESPN Deportes
ESPN Deportes
ESPN Deportes is a cable television and radio network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day to the Spanish-speaking community in the United States...
affiliate, with Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
on Sundays as well as Mexican League Soccer
Primera División de México
The Primera División Profesional , known simply as the Primera División, is the top level of the Mexican football league system and is administered by the Mexican Football Federation. It was established in 1943 and as of 2011 has 18 clubs. Up to June 2011, it was divided into three groups competing...
. The station also added the sports talk programs "Cronómetro Deportivo" and "A nivel de Cancha," with Bonus, Bonanno, Monica del Pozo and Saul Rodriguez, which will cover 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...
, local soccer and other topics.