AUSTIN, Texas — A new radio station has arrived on the airwaves in Austin. Latino 93.3 made its debut on July 12 as the city's first contemporary Spanish-language station, uniting a "melting pot of culture."
Jose Zapatero, better known as "El Pato," is the programming director. He said, compared to other stations in the market, 93.3 stands out through its combination of artists – from Bad Bunny to Marc Anthony, to Maluma and Shakira.
Speaking in Spanish, Zapatero said the station is, "For all the people who have arrived here in the state from Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico – from several parts – and we're ready to mix those cultures with this new station."
The goal was to combine content that mirrors the current trend of music.
"He [Bad Bunny] was dominating the charts globally, not just here in the States or in Mexico or in Latin America. It was globally. So, with that being said, this is an opportunity. Again, no one was speaking to this niche of people here locally, and we decided to take the opportunity and just make it happen," said Sandra Araujo, who works with Waterloo Studios and lent a helping hand with 93.3.
Zapatero explained the idea to create a contemporary station in Austin was always there. The company was just waiting for the right moment, which eventually came.
"It's the time to celebrate and to give the best communication to the Hispanic community," he said.
Waterloo Studios has other Spanish stations, such as KLZT, which Zapatero is also in charge of. He said the difference with that station and others is the music format.
"We have the station KLZT, which plays regional Mexican music, so it's completely different – both Spanish, but each has its own identity," Zapatero said in Spanish.
The first full-time Spanish radio station – then known as KMXX – didn't come to the state capital until 1976, during a time when the Hispanic population was at a small percentage in Texas. Now, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of July 1, 2022, Hispanics make up 40.2% of the population in the Lone Star State, outnumbering the amount of non-Hispanic whites, which make up 39.8%.
The boom in population is what Zapatero views as a feat as he and others at Waterloo Studios try to carve out an atmosphere filled with culture that everyone can enjoy.
"We as a whole believe that this is going to bring us together and we're ready to take this journey, and we want the community to help us take this journey," Araujo said.