San Diego Radio: 1090 AM Simulcasting Music Station

Scott Kaplan has been a high-profile sports talk show host on The Mighty 1090, San Diego’s leading sports station since it debuted on XEPRS in 2003. But Andreas Bicharra, the Mexican owner of 1090’s transmitter and tower some five miles south of Tijuana, notified San Diego-based Broadcast Company of the Americas that the Mighty 1090’s sports programming would no longer have access to his 50,000-watt “border blaster” transmitter starting at noon on April 10.

Scott Kaplan

According to the San Diego Reader, Kaplan found out he would not be on the air when he showed up to the Sorrento Valley studios.

Turns out the Broadcast Company of the Americas has not been able to keep up with monthly lease commitments to two separate owners of the Mexican towers and transmitters that carried their stations Max 105.7 FM and Mighty 1090. Company chief Mike Glickenhaus said in December that his company would work out issues between his classic hits station Max 105.7 FM and Jaime Bonilla who owned its Tecate-area broadcast towers. After two months of streaming online, Max FM completely disappeared in February.

A story in the San Diego Reader in December 2018 said the monthly leasing cost for Max FM 105.7 was $125,000 based on one source. The monthly expense to lease the Mighty 1090 is considered to be between $75,000 and $100,000. Neither 105.7's Bonilla or 1090's Bicharra would comment.

Now most of the sports talk shows on the Mighty 1090 are continuing to air online and Glickenhaus says he is optimistic that his sports station will return to the airwaves. The morning show with Ben Higgins and Steve Woods, the mid-day show hosted by Darrin Smith and the afternoon Scott and BR show anchored by Kaplan were all available via internet and are originating from the company’s Sorrento Valley studios the day after the Mighty 1090 went off the air.

Meanwhile the 1090 airwaves are simulcasting “Ultra 104.9,” a Spanglish dance/Top 40 music station from the Rio Grande Valley near McAllen, Texas. It is owned by the family of Andreas Bicharra.