Along with Entravision’s shift of “Q94.5” KFRQ Harlingen from Active Rock to Classic Rock today, a second station debuted the format in the market today.
Eduardo Gallegos officially launched “105.5 Rocket” KRIX Port Isabel today. The station had been airing a playlist of 80s hair bands with no imaging or commercials in recent months.
The new format will focus on Rock from the 70s through early 90, with Gallegos pushing the station’s streaming to make up for its lack of signal in the western parts of the market.
In a time of economic uncertainty, one local business has actually decided to launch. KRIX-FM, better known as 105.5 Rocket, is now up and firing the airwaves. Dubbed “The Valley’s Classic Rock Station,” 105.5 Rocket broadcasts classic rock music from the ‘70s, ‘80s and early ‘90s.
According to owner Eduardo Gallegos, 105.5 Rocket is the only classic rock station in the region.
“Classic rock is very popular in metro markets,” Gallegos said, “and it’s actually a perfect format for the Rio Grande Valley since it hasn’t had classic rock radio in decades.”
The studio is based in Brownsville, but the tower is located in Port Isabel. Though the FM signal only spans the lower Rio Grande Valley, Gallegos does not believe it will deter listeners from the mid and upper Valley from tuning in.
“The great thing about radio now is that you don’t actually need a radio to listen to it. People have been listening to radio from their phones, tablets and computers for years now,” he said.
Though the economic upheaval triggered by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is causing many businesses to scale back or drop advertising, Gallegos is confident the station will not only survive but thrive.
“The economy will eventually recover, and our target audience is an underserved demographic that has spending power,” he said. “We have an incredible product — people who listen get hooked. As the listenership grows, so will the advertising.”
Gallegos continued: “Plus, the station is locally owned. No other radio station in the Valley can say that. I believe Valley businesses will support local radio first, especially if it has a loyal listenership.”
To listen to 105.5. Rocket, set the radio dial to 105.5 FM, visit the website at 1055Rocket.com, download the TuneIn app and search for 105.5 Rocket, use the Siri feature on Apple devices and say, “Siri, play 105.5 FM Rocket” or use the Amazon Alexa feature for smart devices and say, “Alexa, play 105.5 FM Rocket.”
