(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Nov. 4, 2103) – KCSN-FM/Los Angeles is launching Los Angeles’ first 24-hour radio station dedicated to playing Latin Alternative music on Wednesday, Nov. 13. The station will be broadcast on KCSN HD2 and streamed live at www.LatinAlt.org.
Los Angeles music icons Los Lobos will give a live studio performance at noon on Nov. 13 to celebrate the launch. KCSN FM, KCSN HD2 and LatinAlt.org will also re-broadcast Los Lobos’ 40th anniversary show at The Whisky A Go Go on Friday, Nov. 15, at 10 p.m.
The Latin Alternative HD2 station is the only channel in the Southland that presents all forms of Latin Alternative music – Latin alternative rock, EDM, Indie Pop, Hip-Hop, SalSoul and classic Rock en Español – all day long. It and its accompanying website are designed to fulfill the needs of fans of modern Latin music in the Los Angeles market and beyond.
“We know there is no other station in Los Angeles that serves the Latin Alternative marketplace, so the creation of a 24-hour format for our HD2 channel and website is long overdue,” said Sky Daniels, general manager of KCSN, California State University, Northridge’s fast-growing triple A format public radio station. “We recognize that emerging artists in the Latin Alternative format deserve support, and that they often have large English-speaking fan bases in the United States who do not listen to Spanish-language radio. We also aim to serve the needs of an emerging community of listeners that desire the great modern music not played anywhere else in Los Angeles.”
The new station had its genesis in the nationally syndicated one-hour public radio show, ” The Latin Alternative,” which airs at 9 p.m. on Thursday nights on 88.5 KCSN-FM, the Los Angeles affiliate of the show.
KCSN is partnering with Josh Norek and Ernesto Lechner, hosts of ” The Latin Alternative ” in launching the new station.
“We have seen growing interest in Latin Alternative music among English speakers for years, as evidenced by the fact that our show ‘The Latin Alternative’ now airs on more than 30 radio stations across the country,” Norek said. “But the commitment by KCSN and Cal State Northridge to make this a 24/7 format with HD2 and online broadcasts is truly unprecedented. It makes sense that a station like KCSN in Los Angeles would take the lead on this initiative since L.A. is the number one market in the country for Latin-Alt music and Cal State Northridge has a large acculturated Latino student body. We are thrilled to have committed partners like KCSN and a true believer in Sky Daniels.”
With Latinos now constituting nearly 20% of the United States population and Latino students currently accounting for 38 percent of CSUN’s student body, Daniels said the new station is committed to developing a new generation of bilingual future broadcasters and journalists by offering mentoring opportunities to students interested in all facets of radio broadcasting, including on-air hosting, news, marketing and production.
A service of California State University, Northridge, KCSN offers a 24-hour, commercial-free blend of rock, Alternative, soul, blues and Americana, including a wide range of artists such as Adele, Bruce Springsteen, Mumford & Sons, Arcade Fire, Steve Earle and Kings of Leon. The station’s programming is also available on the station’s HD1 channel and online at KCSN.org.
