Asheville Welcomes ‘La Pantera’
• Saga’s Asheville Media Group announced the launch of La Pantera 97.3, the first of its kind, Spanish-language radio station in Asheville, NC to serve the growing Latino community in western North Carolina, replacing Pure Oldies on WOXL-HD3/W247BV.
“La Pantera 97.3 is an exciting addition for us. The station combines Regional Mexican music with a mix of Latin Pop and Latin Urban to serve our Latino community,” said Steve Richards, Operations Director. Indeed, the Latino community is western North Carolina’s fastest growing demographic, making up nearly 20% of the region’s population.
La Pantera 97.3’s programming is designed by veteran consultant Gerardo Lopez, who noted, “I’m very excited for La Pantera radio network to continue to grow now in Asheville. We are grateful for our partnership with Asheville Media Group to give us the opportunity to serve our growing Hispanic community.”
Market Manager Tom Davis commented, “Our team felt it was time to launch Asheville’s first Spanish-language radio station and mentioned the idea to friends at Hola Carolina, which builds bridges between cultures and embraces the diversity of our community. They were excited to hear our vision for this brand and offered valuable insight and advice.” Hola Carolina Executive Director, Adriana Chavela remarked, “This milestone is a testament to the vibrant and growing Latino community in western North Carolina. It provides us with a powerful platform to share our music, culture, voices, and stories, fostering greater understanding and unity within our diverse region.”
Davis added, “It’s been hard to keep this exciting news to ourselves, but we’ve had overwhelming support from clients who will have an opportunity to reach a portion of the population they have been unable to reach until now. We’re thrilled that La Pantera 97.3 is on the air in western North Carolina.”
