• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Spanish Radio's On

Posted on: Monday, 15 August 2005, 15:00 CDT

Aug. 15--When the sun comes up, the radio goes on for many Spanish-speaking Tulsa residents.

The rhythmic south-of-the-border music plays in cars, houses, offices and job sites across the city, where people yearn for a sound from their roots in Mexico and points beyond.

"It makes them feel at home," said Maria Gaytan, general manager of Tulsa's only completely Spanish-language radio station, "Que Buena," KXTD (1530 AM).

Station employees estimate that 10,000 to 20,000 listeners tune in every day for music, news, job postings and advice for immigrants. They say KXTD's popularity corresponds with Tulsa's burgeoning Hispanic population.

"When I was growing up in Los Angeles, there was one Hispanic radio station," said Alberto Rivera, director of marketing and sales at KXTD.

Now, just about every other position on the dial in that city is in Spanish, he said. The analogy reflects a national and local trend.

The U.S. Census Bureau recently identified Hispanics as the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population, with 41.3 million people estimated in that category as of July 2004.

The most recent census data available show that Tulsa County was home to an estimated 39,401 Hispanic people in 2003. However, if you add in illegal immigrants, local Hispanic leaders say as many as 60,000 Hispanics could be living here.

KXTD is not alone in catering to the Spanish-speaking audience in Tulsa. Various broadcasters occasionally purchase air time for Hispanic segments, and there are a half-dozen Hispanic newspapers in town, but officials with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Tulsa say KXTD is the only all-Spanish, all-the-time station in Tulsa.

Locally owned and operated out of a modest east Tulsa strip center, the station is transmitted in a 75-mile radius from a 5,000-watt tower near Wagoner.

Gaytan and her husband, Blas Gaytan -- both originally from Mexico -- launched the station in 1997 after recruiting an experienced disc jockey from a radio station in California.

KXTD plays "classy" traditional regional music of Mexico and other Latin American countries, Rivera said. Listeners include Cubans, Dominicans, Venezuelans and others.

"It's a melting pot, with Mexicans being the dominant culture," Rivera said. "It's the most popular music they want to listen to. But it's not only music. We give them news that comes from their home country."

The station also presents a show called "Mano y Mano" -- or "Hand and Hand" -- that provides advice for immigrants in Tulsa who might need help with legal, insurance and automobile issues.

"It's things that Hispanics would not normally know," Rivera said.

The station owners are pleased with advertising revenue, which comes from both Hispanic and Anglo-owned businesses. They hope someday to expand to an FM frequency.

By performing live remote shows around Tulsa and giving away tickets for concerts and soccer games, the station is working to raise its profile in the community.

But it doesn't need much help, station employees say. The music is doing the job for them.

"We feel this is a way to bridge the gap between the Anglo community and Hispanics," Rivera said. "Music is the catalyst to bring people together. Music does it every time."

-----

To see more of the Tulsa World, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.tulsaworld.com.

Copyright (c) 2005, Tulsa World, Okla.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

Source: Tulsa World

More News in this Category