SBS’s Latino 96.3 Goes Live In LA, But A legal Battle Is Brewing.

Spanish Broadcasting System’s KXOL-FM in Los Angeles changed format to beginning targeting the young 18-24 year old Latinos. It was blogged last week on the net that SBS cannot change to a new format, since it violates the provision of usage of the Emmis Los Angeles radio station towers.

According to Radio Business Reports:

“What’s the legal beef? Earlier this month the local web blog LARadio reported that SBS had shelved plans to go bilingual and youth oriented because Emmis had invoked a clause of its lease that let it veto any format on KXOL that would compete with KPWR-FM, which goes after the young demos and has a 40% Hispanic audience. Now, though, SBS has apparently decided to go ahead anyway and let the lawyers fight over whether the new format competes with KPWR. Emmis says it does: “In Los Angeles, Emmis has leased tower space to SBS under the stipulation that any format change cannot conflict directly with an Emmis station. It is our position that SBS’s actions have violated this condition of the agreement. Emmis intends to take appropriate action to enforce this provision of the lease,” the company said last night in a statement.