At 7am this morning, All-Pro Broadcasting flipped Alternative “X103.9” KCXX Lake Arrowhead/San Bernardino CA to Rhythmic Hot AC “Hot 103.9“.
New KHTI call letters are pending for the station, which is being positioned as “Move To The Music”. KCXX PD John DeSantis will stay on as Program Director for the new format, while Bill Hurwitz who retired from All-Pro and Shamrock Broadcasting’s Milwaukee Radio Alliance after forty years in the market earlier this fall has been named General Manager.
Listen to the launch of Hot 103.9 at FormatChange.com.
All Pro Broadcasting’s X1039 (KCXX) switches to (KHTI)
“The I.E.’s New HOT 103.9…Move to the Music” on Tuesday, December 22nd at 7 AM.Hot 1039 will play everyone’s favorites from today’s hits and recent chart toppers from the new millennium. Artists include Taylor Swift, Maroon 5, Adele, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Bruno Mars, The Weeknd, Katy Perry and many more.
“Hot 103.9 is the I.E.’s Independent and local community focused radio station. Our core audience are active, digital savvy listeners who drive consumer spending throughout Southern California, the ideal fit for our client’s advertising needs”- Bill Hurwitz, Hot 103.9 General Manager
“Hot 103.9 will be the Entertainment Hub for the Inland Empire. We will play nothing but current hits, award amazing giveaways, and fully embrace our listeners digital Lifestyles – Brian Boget, Hot 103.9 Marketing / Digital Director.
All Pro Broadcasting VP Duane Davis and new KCXX General Manager Bill Hurwitz will spearhead our change to a Rhythmic based Hot Adult Contemporary station. Former KCXX Program Director / Afternoon Personality John DeSantis will program HOT 103.9. KCXX Sales Director Mike Hood will head the Sales Department. Brian Boget will continue as the Director of Marketing and Digital.
All Pro Broadcasting Inc. is owned by NFL Hall of Famer and Green Bay Packer Legend Willie Davis.
Original Report 12/21: All-Pro Broadcasting has announced that Alternative “X103.9” KCXX Lake Arrowhead/San Bernardino CA will drop its format on Tuesday, December 22 at 7:00am.
KCXX has been Alternative since 1995. However its 180 watts at 548 meter signal was unable to make a major ratings dent against Anaheim Broadcasting’s Active Rock 96.7 KCAL-FM and the two Alternative stations in the adjacent Los Angeles market. KCXX’s ratings have held around a 1.0 share.
While no new format has been announced, rumors in the market expect something Rhythmic to debut.
Program Director John DeSantis wrote the following letter to listeners on the station’s Facebook page:
It is with extreme sadness that I make the following announcement. As of 7am tomorrow, December 22nd, after 20 years as The Inland Empire’s Alternative Rock, X1039 will no longer exist. The station is changing formats.
I know this sucks. Probably hard to believe. I fully understand. You should’ve seen my face when I was told. X1039 has been a huge part of my life for nearly 20 years, so this is like losing a best friend. I’m certain that many of you feel the same, as you’ve grown up with us.
Our owners and management have always been super supportive of our efforts at X1039, so please know that this was not an easy decision for them. They love the Alternative Rock format, and did everything in their power to make it work.I’m very proud of all that we accomplished here, in spite of many obstacles and challenges. We competed with huge Los Angeles stations, as well as giant heritage stations in our own backyard. And we actually won many times in spite of the odds. Those victories will always be special to me. Many incredible DJ’s have cracked this microphone over the years; from our first jock Lisa Axe, to Doug, Nick, Daryl and me. We broke many new artists and songs, put on some pretty awesome shows, threw some major parties and we have always heavily supported the local music scene.
So many great memories. Please never forget them.
Thanks to anyone and everyone that has had anything at all to do with this station’s success; from our clients and business partners, to program directors, record labels, venues, promoters, DJ’s, interns, bands, managers, and agents. We could not have come this far without you. Most of all I want to thank the X1039 listener. You’ve been through the ups and downs with us, and were always there for us. It is, unfortunately, the end of an era. Great things are coming to 103.9, and I hope you’ll check it out. But nothing will erase the last two decades, and all we’ve experienced.
ThanX for listening!
John DeSantis
X1039 Program Director
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Hopefully it will be regional Mexican. I heard the format will become regional Mexican.
I would call this more Hot AC more than anything. Other than just the generic pop stuff, there really isn’t much “rhythm” there. Basically, they’re doing what KKGQ is doing in Wichita (only they started out as an actual Rhythmic AC, before moving all of the Rhythmic stuff to the evening hours and shifted to just mainstream Hot AC back in October).
Maybe Adult CHR. Nothing that rhythmic about it. They’re pumping out Mumford & Sons, Ed Sheeran, Gotye, American Authors, stuff you’d hear on CHR or Hot AC stations. No idea why they didn’t try the Trending Radio branding like they did in Milwaukee.
Because it’s weak, meaningless branding that has failed in both markets it’s been tried in?
One thing is for certain: KGGI can breathe a sigh of relief.
Why would KGGI breathe a sigh of relief? A station went from targeting 25-44 Men to 25-44 Women which is their wheelhouse…
Hot 103.9 has a limited signal in the market plagued by serious reception issues and a station on the same frequency in Los Angeles frequently interfering with the signal in portions of the market. Regardless of how well the format is executed – it won’t put much if any dent in KGGI’s ratings.
103.9 should have stuck with alternative, but ditched the active rock lean and tightened their playlist. The adjacent Los Angeles market alternative stations do not come in clearly where 103.9 is the strongest. They should have done something similar to Alt 98.7 in Los Angeles in format. Alternative is a niche format in the Inland Empire, but perfect for a station like 103.9 with such a limited signal.
The listening in San Bernardino and Riverside are dramatically different. Always have been due to terrain and demography. Alternative doesn’t deliver enough ATE … it’s not an ATE niche … if that was the case, your statement would be correct. It generally delivers as a format only a little more than Top 40 and about what Hot AC does. Better to play a cume game.