Cox Media Group has flipped Spanish Hot AC “Exitos 96.5” WOEX-FM Orlando to Bilingual AC “Hits 96.5” at 4pm today.
Much like iHeartMedia’s similar “Magic” brand in markets such as Miami, Tucson and Fort Myers, the new brand features mostly English music from the 1980s through now with Spanish language personalities. Core artists are listed as including Ed Sheeran, Whitney Houston, Adele, Michael Jackson, Shakira, and Maroon 5.
Cox Orlando VP/Market Manager JC Campese said, ““Our responsibility as broadcasters is to serve our community – our entire community. As Central Florida continues to grow, our community has asked for a station like HITS 96.5, and we’re proud to deliver this exciting new brand on the largest broadcast signal in the Orlando market.”
The station will continue to feature Epi Colon in mornings, Liliani Hernandez in middays, Luis Angel in afternoons, and Martica Lopez in evenings.
WOEX Director of Branding and Programming Raymond Hernandez said, “We’re thrilled to bring Hispanics in Orlando the music they grew up with from the 80s, 90s and today, but with on-air personalities speaking to them in Spanish. We want to break out of the usual Latin formats and deliver music and content in the way Hispanics are accustomed to in their countries of origin.”
The new format positions WOEX-FM directly between Audacy’s market leading Classic Hits “105.9 Sunny-FM” WOCL and iHeartMedia’s third ranked AC “Magic 107.7” WMGF. “Exitos” ranked thirteenth in the market with a 2.6 share in the September 2024 Nielsen Audio ratings.
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com