HISPANIC RADIO WAVES.

DENVER'S RADIO INDUSTRY EVOLVES TO MEET A MARKET POTENTIALLY POISED TO TAKE OFF. CENSUS RESULTS WILL TELL FOR SURE.

Talk with almost anyone involved with Hispanic radio in Colorado and invariably you'll hear the same thing.

"Just wait until the 2000 Census results come out."

They believe the U.S. Bureau of Census will confirm what they already know: that the state's Hispanic population is even larger than forecasters are predicting. Bolstered by a healthy buying power -- at least $6.5 billion statewide -- that growth has the state's radio industry taking notice.

"The market is still growing, and there is a lot of opportunity," said Evelyn Casias, former general manager of KCUV and KBNO, Denver's first and longest-running Spanish-language station before it was sold last year.

A 1998 Census Bureau report estimated that 578,000 Hispanics live in Colorado, making up 14.5% of the state's total population. Many find this too conservative: The state's demographer estimated Colorado's Hispanic population at 637,000, and others put the total at almost 750,000. Results aren't in yet from the 2000 census, but the Census Bureau fore casts Colorado's Hispanic population will increase 92% from 1997 to 2025, compared with 23% for the states total population. About 25% of Denver's population is Hispanic, with an estimated 135,000 Hispanic households and an average house hold income of almost $40,000. Depending on whom you ask, the Denver area ranks 12th, 13th or 14th in the national Hispanic market.

Buying power is high: some $6.5 billion in 1997, according to the Hispanic Consumer Market Report from DRI/McGraw-Hill, Hispanic buying power in the Denver Metro area alone is $3.5 billion, said Brigette Scherrer, an account executive at KJMN and KMXA.

Not surprisingly, most of Colorado's Hispanic radio stations are in the Denver metro area, and broadcast up and down the Front Range. The city has four Spanish-language radio stations, with two more potentially in the works: Existing stations include KJMN (92.1-FM) Radio Romantica, which plays Mexican adult contemporary music with local news on weekdays; KMXA (1090-AM) Radio Tri-Color, regional Mexican music with some local news, traffic and sports; KCUV (1150-AM), which is affiliated with Miami's Radio Unica, and features talk, news and sports; and KLME (1390-AM), Denver's only locally owned His panic radio station that features modern and traditional Mexican music, local news, traffic, sports and talk.

Dallas-based Rodriguez Communications in March announced that it was buying KVOD (1280-AM), Denver's only classical music station. The deal is expected to close in late July. Rodriguez won't comment on any format changes, but the general consensus is that Rodriguez will convert KVOD to a Spanish-language format.

In April, Hispanic Broadcasting Corp., also of Dallas, announced that it was buying KXPK (96.5-FM), a popular Denver station, known as "The Peak," and would convert from rock 'n' roll to some type of Spanish-language format. Hispanic Broadcasting Corp., the country's largest Spanish-language radio company, owns 45 stations in 12 of the top 15 Hispanic markets. The U.S. Department of Justice in June denied the sale because KXPK's owner, Clear Channel Communications, also owns 26% of Hispanic Broadcasting.

Some observers of Denver's radio scene believe Rodriguez and Hispanic Broadcasting want to get a foothold in the Denver market before the Census Bureau releases its 2000 figures. The acquisition activity clearly indicates there is some untapped potential for Spanish-language radio broadcasters in Colorado.

Spanish-language radio stations are few and far between outside Denver. Windsor has KUVS (1 170-AM) Greeley has KGRE (1450-AM), Pueblo has KRMX (690-AM), and Colorado Springs has one small station with a very limited broadcast range. The Western Slope has no Spanish-language radio.

"There is definitely room for competition," said Tami Perez, an account executive with Solis Advertising and Public Relations. "I think the growth potential is in what you'd call cross over, presenting a more bicultural message to the acculturated, bilingual Hispanic. What's interesting is that I don't see the new players in the market going cross over.

By definition, acculturated Hispanics have blended into the mainstream and are served by Colorado's general broadcast stations. Several mainstream stations can boast higher numbers of Hispanic listeners than even the highest-rated Hispanic stations. About 30% of KDJM (92.5-AM) Jammin' 92.5's listeners are Hispanic -- one of the largest Hispanic audiences in Colorado.

"We're a general broadcaster, and we're very community minded," said Amber Pope, KDJM's marketing director. "That community happens to be diverse, and there is an obvious opportunity for any station to target Hispanic listeners."

KUVO (89.3-FM), Colorado's Hispanic-controlled public radio station's Sunday program, Cancion Mexicana, is one of the most listened to programs in the market. Ironically the program's listenership didn't take off until five years ago when the station switched to English-speaking DJs.

"The Hispanic community is not homogeneous," said Florence Hernandez-Ramos, KUVO's general manager. Casias said, "There are the Spanish speakers who are mainly recent immigrants, and the English-speaking audience that could be in this country for several generations. The acculturated Hispanic is difficult to target because they have a lot of choice. With the stations we have now, there are not a lot targeting the second- and third-generation Hispanics."

KJME's general manager Andres Neidig has no intention of compromising his station's all-Spanish format. His audience is first-, second- and third-generation Hispanics who, while they may speak English, tune in to stay in touch with their roots and their community. Neidig said his listeners complain whenever he broadcasts commercials in English.

"We give them the things they are more comfortable with," Neidig said. "Seventy percent of Hispanics speak Spanish, and they don't appreciate English on their station."

Neidig has seen tremendous growth in the Hispanic radio audience.

"Twenty years ago, my boss would say, 'What are we going to do when these people die?' Well, the audience has only grown."

Colorado's economic boom has seen a surge of immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries. Recent immigrants listen to the radio far more than the general population, as does the Hispanic community in general, and buy products they hear advertised in Spanish, said Scherrer. While KLMN and KMXA have their share of more acculturated Hispanic listeners, recent immigrants are an attractive target for advertisers, she said.

"They may be working two jobs, so they aren't sitting around watching a lot of television," Sherrer said. "They can listen to the radio at work. They have disposable income, and they're making more money than they have in their entire lives."