After stunting all weekend with Spanish Rhythmic music, iHeartMedia flipped the former Hot AC “My 97.1” KMIY Green Valley/Tucson AZ to Spanish CHR “Mega 97.1” KMMA at 7am today.
The new brand is positioning as “#1 Para Latino Hits” with a bilingual presentation including “104.7 Kiss-FM” KZZP Phoenix afternoon host Suzette Rodriguez in mornings from 6am-12pm and Ivan Gonzalez from 12-6pm. Rodriguez, a Tucson native, who previously was heard on CHR “93.7 KRQ” KRQQ and the syndicated JohnJay & Rich morning show, had most recently tracked afternoons in the market on Hip Hop “Hot 98.3” KOHT.
iHeartMedia Tucson announced today the debut of the new MEGA 97.1, Tucson’s #1 Para Latino Hits, effective immediately.
MEGA 97.1 will broadcast the biggest Latino hits, including songs from artists like Bad Bunny, J. Balvin, Karol G, Romeo Santos and more. The station will also feature on-air talent such as Suzette Rodriguez, who will be familiar to Tucson listeners.
“Our decision to launch MEGA 97.1 is a recognition of the importance and vitality of Tucson’s Hispanic community, which accounts for over 45% of our population,” said Steve Earnhart, Southwest Area President for iHeartMedia. “We’re thrilled to be welcoming back Suzette Rodriguez, as she is well known in the community and previously on-air with our radio stations.”
“We are delighted to announce the launch of MEGA 97.1. Tucson is a cultural melting pot with a rich and storied history rooted in Mexican and Spanish heritage,” said PJ Gonzalez, Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartLatino. “Those distinct influences can now be found almost anywhere in the market. Now, there is a station for Latinos that embodies the distinct Tucson flavor.”
Full Programming Lineup:
Suzette Rodriguez 6 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Ivan Gonzalez 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Original Report 9/23: The low rated Hot AC format of “My 97.1” KMIY Green Valley/Tucson AZ came to an end this afternoon as the station began stunting with Spanish Rhythmic music ahead of a format change.
KMIY, which changed call letters to KMMA last week, is running sweepers in both Spanish and English telling people to get ready for a new radio station, asking them to be part of history. No date or time for the new format launch is mentioned. We reported on domains registered by iHeart for the station back in our July 13 Domain Insight report.
KMIY had a 0.6 share in the August 2022 Nielsen Audio ratings. The brand never recovered following the move in January 2021 from the Class C signal that is now home to Country “92.9 The Bull” KHUD Tucson to the rimshot C3 signal.
