XHCA-FM is a noncommercial radio station in Lagunas, Oaxaca. It is owned by Cemento Cruz Azul, the largest employer in Lagunas, and broadcasts a general news and music format known as Azul FM.

History

XHCA originated as a concept in 1986 to provide information and entertainment to the workers in the three shifts at the Cruz Azul cement plant in Lagunas. It was permitted in 1988 with an effective radiated power of 20 watts. The station is one of several set up by employers in small Mexican towns in the 1970s and 1980s: XHSCO-FM in Salina Cruz was originally owned by

PEMEX Pemex (a portmanteau of Petróleos Mexicanos, which translates to ''Mexican Petroleum'' in English; ) is the Mexican state-owned petroleum company managed and operated by the Mexican government. It was formed in 1938 by nationalization and expr ...

, while XELAC-AM in Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán was created with the construction of the SICARTSA iron and steel mill. Originally known as Estéreo Amistad, XHCA was run by four members of the cooperative, while the station's air staff also were company employees. In 1999, the station increased its effective radiated power to 3,000 watts from a tower atop Cerro Palma Sola, the region's primary broadcast site. This gives the station a much larger coverage area than Lagunas, reaching as far south as Salina Cruz and including small portions of Veracruz and

Chiapas Chiapas (; Tzotzil language, Tzotzil and Tzeltal language, Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, ...

. Programming includes a variety of music, news, and specialty social and educational programs.

References

Spanish-language radio stations Radio stations in Oaxaca {{Oaxaca-radio-station-stub