iHeartMedia has expanded its Spanish-language business.
The mainstream radio company, with a quarter of a billion monthly U.S. listeners, has teamed with Hispanic
radio personality Enrique Santos to jump-start a new Latin unit.
Santos has been named Chairman/Chief Creative Officer of iHeartLatino. Previously, he was at Univision Radio, where he hosted
the popular "Enrique Santos Show."
In addition to overseeing programming and content strategies, he will also create and host an English-language programming on iHeart’s broadcast,
digital and social platforms. The move, by the largest radio company in the U.S., underscores the power of the Hispanic marketplace.
Born in Illinois to Cuban parents, Santos is bilingual and
an established media personality who has been on air for two decades.
Santos’ first assignment is to anchor iHeart's Miami station, Mega 94.9, the new home of “The Enrique Santos
Show.” It is being renamed TÚ 94.9 today.
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Bob Pittman, Chairman/CEO of iHeartMedia, called Santos “a one-of a-kind talent, able to communicate equally as well to the
Spanish- and English-speaking audiences.” He touted Santos’ ability to “maximize the crossover potential for Latin artists, and to develop new opportunities for
advertisers.”
The company is building on its strong Hispanic presence, with 20 Spanish-language broadcast stations and the iHeartLatino Radio Festival.
iHeart Media serves
over 150 local markets on various multiplatforms via 858 owned radio stations and commands more than 85 million social followers in the U.S.