Wine Down Media, the flagship company of Napa Valley radio stations KVON and KVYN, announced that as of Monday, KVON has flipped to 100 percent Spanish programming.
Rebranded as "MegaMix," KVON now plays songs and artists across genres that resonate with all Hispanic generations and is hosted by Wine Down Media on-air personalities Gabriela Fernandez and Nicolas De Luna, according to a news release.
Gabriela is live on-air from 7 a.m. until 10 a.m. weekday mornings, while Nicolas is live on-air from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. weekday afternoons.
"The switchover is more than just a 'Station format flip,' which is very common in our industry," said Will Marcencia, chief executor of Wine Down Media, which acquired KVON and KVYN in 2017. "The format change reflects our commitment to the Spanish-speaking community in the Napa Valley to keep them informed, educated, and entertained – disasters or not. MegaMix es Napa Fuerte [Napa Strong]."
MegaMix will feature a wide collection of trending music, classic Spanish hits and throwbacks, including favorites from Vicente Fernandez, Maluma, Juan Gabriel, Shakira, Banda El Recodo, Marc Antonio Solis, Selena and many more.
"People enjoy listening to music cross-genre, and genres have blurred in both English and Spanish music as we can see with artists’ collaborations," said Julissa Marcencia, Wine Down Media's chief visionary. "We’re eager to bring this format that has not been done before in Spanish to KVON 1440 AM/96.9 FM 'MegaMix.'"
For many years, KVON has had a Spanish Sunday morning show, "La Voz del Valle," hosted by Nicolas De Luna, but this marks the first time the radio station has gone all Spanish since its first air date on Dec. 17, 1947, when then-Napa Mayor S.J. Cinnamond ceremoniously pulled the switch.
"KVON brings back wonderful memories for generations in my family," said Napa City Councilmember Liz Alessio. "From news, to talk shows, to a variety of music, and most importantly an information hub during natural disasters. KVON has changed over the years as the needs and desires of our community have changed. I'm thrilled and very proud of KVON's next venture as a home for our Spanish speakers, while KVYN will be there for our English speakers. This fantastic decision reflects the people of Napa Valley with equity and inclusion. Another great step in making Napa strong!"
Throughout the decades, KVON has been through several ownerships, including revered community member, Tom Young. KVON’s English-speaking notable alumni include George Carl, Henry Mulak, Mikel Herrington, Margie Shafer as well as Barry Martin and Ira C. Smith, both who will be moving to sister station, KVYN.
Listeners can listen to the new format on 1440 AM/96.9 FM by streaming on kvon.com or using the Smart Speaker command "Play K V O N."
No comments:
Post a Comment