LV Hispanic broadcasters part of merger

Thursday, Dec. 23, 1999 | 11:30 a.m.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Entravision Communications Co. LLC of Los Angeles said it will buy Latin Communications Group Inc. for more than $250 million to create one of the largest Spanish-language media companies in the United States.

After the merger, the combined companies will own 17 television stations in 16 markets nationwide, 26 radio stations in 14 markets and the largest Spanish-language newspaper, El Diario in New York.

Entravision, which owns and operates 16 Univision affiliates and nine radio stations nationwide, owns KINC-TV Channel 15 in Las Vegas, which currently has 30 workers.

"Las Vegas has the fastest growth rate of any market in the country. Hispanic households in Las Vegas are expected to grow 12.2 percent from 64,550 TV households in 1999 to 72,460 households in 2000," said Philip Wilkinson, Entravision's president.

Las Vegas ranks as the 25th largest hispanic market nationwide and hispanics represent 17.6 percent of the city's total population.

Latin Communications' radio subsidiary EXCL Communications of San Jose is headed by its CEO Athena Marks. It owns and operates 17 radio stations in 10 markets including Las Vegas. EXCL Communications bought KVBC-FM 105.1 last month and switched to a Spanish-language format on Dec. 2.