Broadcasting right out of Leschi, KXPA 1540 AM provides a venue for a diverse host of shows aimed at a variety of communities in the Seattle area.
KXPA is part of the much larger, nationwide Multicultural Broadcasting Radio network. It is one of 30 stations in owner Arthur Liu's empire of stations, which cater to minority and immigrant communities with programs in their native languages.
Most of the stations have multi-language, "brokered" formats. That means they sell their airtime in "blocks," which are usually by the hour. The clients who buy time on the station are free to use it as they please, as long as it fits with federal regulations and restrictions.
Those who buy time on KXPA have a choice to pre-record their shows or use the live studios that the station provides.
"About half record at home, and half record here. A lot of people that buy a large block of time record their show at home," said Dennis Hartley, the station's operations manager.
The station is a small operation, with only three employees working at the station.
"This format is like public-access TV, but it's a business," Hartley said of the station. "You have to pay for time, but once you pay for the time, it's yours. You can talk about yo-yos for an hour."
KXPA doesn't measure itself by ratings like other private radio stations; its staff worries more about selling airtime. "We don't live thinking we'll 'die by the rating.' As long as every hour is sold, we're in business," Hartley said.
Using traditional airwaves
With the increasing growth of the Internet in popular media, it's easy to wonder what pushes amateurs toward traditional, or "terrestrial," radio.
"I think traditional airwaves still have a fascination for a lot of people," Hartley said. "There are also a lot of people that still aren't into the Internet and are still attached to radio in their cars. Some people are still intimidated by the Internet."
KXPA has an array of hosts that have built audiences by appearing on the station. One of the station's hot topics is soccer, which is much more popular among immigrant communities than with native-born Americans.
"Soccer - both local and international- is a very popular topic with the local Spanish speaking community," Hartley said.
Seattle Sounders games are broadcast on the station, and every weekday night the sport is covered by host Raul Sandoval.
One of the most well-known radio hosts at KXPA is Pedro Bartez, who hosts a Spanish language talk show, with his wife, Luciana. Bartez said that he stays with radio because it's easier to reach his demographic:
"The Latino community is not that acquainted with the Internet yet. Maybe in 10 years' time, a podcast will be able to reach more people, but not now."
While there is a lot of Spanish language media out there, according to Bartez, there aren't very many talk-radio outlets aimed specifically at Latinos.
"Most stations in this market just play music; we engage the community," he said. "We're a different kind of show. We allow people to come on the air and say whatever they want."
Bartez used his show as a platform to mobilize people to get involved in recent pro-immigration marches. Bartez said he wasn't siding with any political party in demonstrating, but instead represented his culture and his country.
"Latinos love Americans - that's why we came to this country," he explained. "We came here to contribute to making this country the best in the world."
Learning by osmosis
Liu's efforts in reaching out to America's many cultures can be felt through KXPA. Hartley believes that working at the station has given him an enriching cultural experience.
"It's kind of like working at the United Nations: It's pretty exotic," he said. "By osmosis, I can understand more Spanish than I ever could before. Sometimes I'll be listening to the Chinese stations, and I'll begin to understand certain words."
For more information, go to the station's website: www.kxpa.com.
Michael Powell may be reached via editor@sdistrictjournal.com.
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