San Diego Radio: The Mightier 1090 Hopes To Return In July

The return of radio station XEPRS 1090 AM, already rebranded as “The Mightier 1090,” could occur as soon as the Fourth of July to coincide with the resumption of Major League Baseball, according to advertising agency president Bill Hagen, the station’s major investor.

“We would love to return to the airwaves at the same time as baseball,” Hagen told the Times of San Diego.

Previously known as “The Mighty 1090,” 1090-AM has been off the air since April 2019, after a dispute over leasing fees for the Tijuana-based signal transmitter. The Mighty 1090, a fixture in the market since its founding in 2003, was operated by Broadcast Company of the Americas, which is now out of business.

Hagen, owner of Out The Window Advertising, based in Flagstaff, AZ, said he has secured a five-year lease of the 1090-AM frequency from Andreas Bichara Assad of Interamericana de Radio in Rosarito, the Mexico-based signal tower operator.

Hagen said. “Things have taken longer than first anticipated because of the challenging circumstances in the world due to the coronavirus. But, everything is positive. We’re on track.”

Hagen said he’s been reviewing proposals for studio locations and equipment usage. He’s also said he’s been inundated with programming pitches.

“We want to be more about just sports talk 24/7,” he said. “Yes, sports will be part of the mix, but not all of it. Instead, we will also focus on lifestyle programming.”

Since word has spread about “lifestyle programming” options, Hagen said hundreds of personalities have contacted him. “There is a ton of interest in the station,” he said.

However, the station’s anchor personality, said Hagen, will be Scott Kaplan, who spent 16 years at The Mighty 1090. “Scott is the all-star of sports radio in San Diego and Southern California,” Hagen said. “We couldn’t be happier that we came to an agreement with Scott.”

The San Diego radio market currently includes two other sports-talk stations, including KWFN 97.3-FM “The Fan,” operated by Entercom Communications, and KLSD 1360-AM XTRA Fox Sports San Diego, operated by iHeart San Diego.