What happened to Califormula Radio Group?What is the history of XHLTN 104.5?

[radio-darn]

I was a Vice President for Califormula, and a newscaster on their English language Jammin Z-90, over the course of about 10 years.

At it's peak it was Radio Latina and Fiesta Mexicana (which later became Hot Country 99.3) in Spanish, Jammin Z-90 in English, and "XLNC" classical with mostly English announcements. It also included Califormula Publishing (we did two books and worked on a few others that never came to fruition).

The main offices were in Chula Vista, with transmitters in Tijuana. Most of the ad sales were in the US and overall the operation was very profitable for Victor and his wife: somebody left a floppy disk in a computer I was working on and it had some numbers

When Jacor (later Clear Channel) came to town, the always eccentric Victor got very paranoid and even suspected they'd sabotaged his car. He spent a lot of time (and money) on his dislike of that company (Victor shelled out lots and lots of money to consultants for such projects).

Eventually  though something made him decide to sell: Clear Channel got the programming rights to all but XLNC and they found a new Mexican owner for the transmitters. As best I could learn, the Diaz family got somewhere around $40-60 million. Based on numbers I had seen, they were making well over $4 million a year in after-tax profit in the 90's.

Victor died in 2004 at age 62. The family kept XLNC Classical going - Victor started that (first as an online station) because he loved classical music and hated San Diego's then classical station. They also kept the Califormula building just west of I-5 along San Diego Bay at the Main Street exit in Chula Vista. The building also houses Victor extensive color photography collection under the banner of the International Institute of Photographic Authors (many of us Califormula employees spent as much time on that as we did on the radio business).

Califormula also included various websites Victor wanted, including FECHA, the First Electronic Church of America, unchanged since perhaps 1996: http://fecha.org/ (I wrote many of the bios on there).

Victor was a big proponent of technology and we had internal computer networks, and later websites, long before most San Diego broadcasters.

Califormula still exists with XLNC and the Chula Vista building, stuck in a time warp really since 2002.

[Radiomusik]

I was a Vice President for Califormula, and a newscaster on their English language Jammin Z-90, over the course of about 10 years.

At it's peak it was Radio Latina and Fiesta Mexicana (which later became Hot Country 99.3) in Spanish, Jammin Z-90 in English, and "XLNC" classical with mostly English announcements. It also included Califormula Publishing (we did two books and worked on a few others that never came to fruition).

The main offices were in Chula Vista, with transmitters in Tijuana. Most of the ad sales were in the US and overall the operation was very profitable for Victor and his wife: somebody left a floppy disk in a computer I was working on and it had some numbers

When Jacor (later Clear Channel) came to town, the always eccentric Victor got very paranoid and even suspected they'd sabotaged his car. He spent a lot of time (and money) on his dislike of that company (Victor shelled out lots and lots of money to consultants for such projects).

Eventually  though something made him decide to sell: Clear Channel got the programming rights to all but XLNC and they found a new Mexican owner for the transmitters. As best I could learn, the Diaz family got somewhere around $40-60 million. Based on numbers I had seen, they were making well over $4 million a year in after-tax profit in the 90's.

Victor died in 2004 at age 62. The family kept XLNC Classical going - Victor started that (first as an online station) because he loved classical music and hated San Diego's then classical station. They also kept the Califormula building just west of I-5 along San Diego Bay at the Main Street exit in Chula Vista. The building also houses Victor extensive color photography collection under the banner of the International Institute of Photographic Authors (many of us Califormula employees spent as much time on that as we did on the radio business).

Califormula also included various websites Victor wanted, including FECHA, the First Electronic Church of America, unchanged since perhaps 1996: http://fecha.org/ (I wrote many of the bios on there).

Victor was a big proponent of technology and we had internal computer networks, and later websites, long before most San Diego broadcasters.

Califormula still exists with XLNC and the Chula Vista building, stuck in a time warp really since 2002.

WOW this seems a lot useful I guess Victor had some background with his Broadcasting career.  Califormula is a bit confusing I believe were missing some other stations before they also owned EXA FM and La Mejor,  check this part http://web.archive.org/web/20000620144705/http://calradio.com/

X99 which was 99.3 was the Fiesta Mexicana?

[Radiomusik]

I was a Vice President for Califormula, and a newscaster on their English language Jammin Z-90, over the course of about 10 years.

At it's peak it was Radio Latina and Fiesta Mexicana (which later became Hot Country 99.3) in Spanish, Jammin Z-90 in English, and "XLNC" classical with mostly English announcements. It also included Califormula Publishing (we did two books and worked on a few others that never came to fruition).

The main offices were in Chula Vista, with transmitters in Tijuana. Most of the ad sales were in the US and overall the operation was very profitable for Victor and his wife: somebody left a floppy disk in a computer I was working on and it had some numbers

When Jacor (later Clear Channel) came to town, the always eccentric Victor got very paranoid and even suspected they'd sabotaged his car. He spent a lot of time (and money) on his dislike of that company (Victor shelled out lots and lots of money to consultants for such projects).

Eventually  though something made him decide to sell: Clear Channel got the programming rights to all but XLNC and they found a new Mexican owner for the transmitters. As best I could learn, the Diaz family got somewhere around $40-60 million. Based on numbers I had seen, they were making well over $4 million a year in after-tax profit in the 90's.

Victor died in 2004 at age 62. The family kept XLNC Classical going - Victor started that (first as an online station) because he loved classical music and hated San Diego's then classical station. They also kept the Califormula building just west of I-5 along San Diego Bay at the Main Street exit in Chula Vista. The building also houses Victor extensive color photography collection under the banner of the International Institute of Photographic Authors (many of us Califormula employees spent as much time on that as we did on the radio business).

Califormula also included various websites Victor wanted, including FECHA, the First Electronic Church of America, unchanged since perhaps 1996: http://fecha.org/ (I wrote many of the bios on there).

Victor was a big proponent of technology and we had internal computer networks, and later websites, long before most San Diego broadcasters.

Califormula still exists with XLNC and the Chula Vista building, stuck in a time warp really since 2002.

WOW this seems a lot useful I guess Victor had some background with his Broadcasting career.  Califormula is a bit confusing I believe were missing some other stations before they also owned EXA FM and La Mejor,  check this part http://web.archive.org/web/20000620144705/http://calradio.com/

X99 which was 99.3 was the Fiesta Mexicana?

Forgot to mention how did Grupo Imagen took over XHLTN 104.5?

[radio-darn]

before they also owned EXA FM and La Mejor,  check this part http://web.archive.org/web/20000620144705/http://calradio.com/

X99 which was 99.3 was the Fiesta Mexicana?

Gee, I did that web page, but i can't remember what the deal was with EXA and La Mejor: I think they might have just been doing sales for them.

X99 was Fiesta Mexicana. It was originally at 95.7  until Victor engineered a deal no one thought could be done and moved it 99.3, which allowed what is now KOGO-FM (then KUSS) to increase power (something that increased its value considerably for then owner Jeff Chandler).

[Radiomusik]

before they also owned EXA FM and La Mejor,  check this part http://web.archive.org/web/20000620144705/http://calradio.com/

X99 which was 99.3 was the Fiesta Mexicana?

Gee, I did that web page, but i can't remember what the deal was with EXA and La Mejor: I think they might have just been doing sales for them.

X99 was Fiesta Mexicana. It was originally at 95.7  until Victor engineered a deal no one thought could be done and moved it 99.3, which allowed what is now KOGO-FM (then KUSS) to increase power (something that increased its value considerably for then owner Jeff Chandler).

Actually 99.3 was Stereo Hits is was broadcasted by Grupo Multimedios and then Stereo moved to XHRST 107.7 FM which is now Los 40 Principales.

Heres some of the previous stations that XHRST served: Stereo Hits, La Comadre, Spazio, Digital Solo Exitos and now 40 Principales

[DavidEduardo]

Forgot to mention how did Grupo Imagen took over XHLTN 104.5?

They bought it from the family trust of Víctor Díaz when the for-profit stations were sold off, as Radio-darn has already explained.

[DavidEduardo]

Califormula is a bit confusing I believe were missing some other stations before they also owned EXA FM and La Mejor,  check this part http://web.archive.org/web/20000620144705/http://calradio.com/

Exa and La Mejor are brands of MVS, the second or third largest communications company in Mexico.

[Radiomusik]

Forgot to mention how did Grupo Imagen took over XHLTN 104.5?

They bought it from the family trust of Víctor Díaz when the for-profit stations were sold off.

Thank you for the information DavidEduardo, radio-darn, Gregg and johndavis fully appreciate it! 

[radio-darn]

Actually 99.3 was Stereo Hits is was broadcasted by Grupo Multimedios and then Stereo moved to XHRST 107.7 FM which is now Los 40 Principales.

Tijuana's 99.3 was Califormula's Fiesta Mexicana until Victor turned it into Hot Country in 1999. I don't know what happened after Califormula got rid of its stations.

[Radiomusik]

Actually 99.3 was Stereo Hits is was broadcasted by Grupo Multimedios and then Stereo moved to XHRST 107.7 FM which is now Los 40 Principales.

Tijuana's 99.3 was Califormula's Fiesta Mexicana until Victor turned it into Hot Country in 1999. I don't know what happened after Califormula got rid of its stations.

Well when Hot Country went off air Clear Channel took over as La Preciosa 99.3 was launched and later La Mejor took over the 99.3 and moved to 90.7 frequency and today Diego 99.3, all owned by MVS Radio which DavidEduardo explained.