12:30 AM - Viva La 97.1 ZHT? . . . . Pagamos Tus Cuentas: "We Pay Your Bills!" It appears that Salt Lake's oldest CHR (pop music) station is doing whatever it takes to target the next generation of listeners. This billboard caught my eye as I drove south out of Provo. It is located at approximately 600 South State Street. The station seems to be reaching out to the strong Hispanic community south of Provo's city center. The station has added air talent "Boy Loco" to the line-up. Sweepers between songs often read in Spanish-language only form. The station has even gone so far as to have their top of hour jingle resung as "Noventa siete uno ... ninety-seven one, Z-H-T." Last year the 97.1 ZHT web site also began offering both Spanish and English versions of it's site. It has since pulled that option.
Although there has been no comment from the station itself, ZHT's bilingual approach could be as a result of two factors: There is now stiff competition from new FM Spanish-language competitors. Last year, "La Magia" came on the air with a Spanish-language CHR (pop music) station, and it's sister station "La Gran D" in 2004. Another possible reason could be the loss of younger audiences to iPod and other MP3 player devices. As the traditional youth audience dwindles away, the station may be looking to expand into a larger demographic.
In the meanwhile, it's been neat to hear a sweeper in two languages!
1:30 PM - Simmons Media is in the works of selling longtime oldies KXOL (AM 1660). The buyer is Inca Communications, All Access reports, who will pay one-million dollars for the station. Currently the station is airing a Spanish-language contemporary music format. Inca will operate the station through a leased management agreement (LMA) before the sale closes.
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