XHCA-FM is a noncommercial radio station in

Lagunas, Oaxaca Lagunas, Oaxaca is a town in the municipality of El Barrio de La Soledad, in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico It is located in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Lagunas is the biggest and richest town in the municipality, with a population of 3,871 people. Mat ...

. 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 Salina Cruz is a major seaport on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast of the List of states of Mexico, Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is the state's fourth-largest city and is the municipal seat of the Municipalities of Oaxaca, municipality of the sa ...

was originally owned by

PEMEX Pemex (a portmanteau of Petróleos Mexicanos, which translates to ''Mexican Petroleum'' in English; ) is the Mexico, Mexican State ownership, state-owned Petroleum industry, petroleum corporation managed and operated by the government of Mexico, ...

, while XELAC-AM in

Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán Lázaro Cárdenas () is a port city in Michoacán bordered to the east by Guerrero. Lázaro Cárdenas is located in the southern part of the Mexican state of Michoacán, being the southernmost municipality in Michoacán. It was formerly known as ...

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

and including small portions of

Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

and

Chiapas Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...

. 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