Channel 104.9 Drops Rock, Gets Romántica

Clear Channel's Channel 104.9 (KCNL) has abruptly changed from Alternative Rock to Spanish-language Contemporary music, making the switch on Sunday (Jan. 1).

The new format comes along with a new identity, as the station becomes "La Romántica 104.9."

A feisty but slight downstream competitor to CBS Radio's Live 105 (KITS) in attracting Alt Rock listeners, the KCNL change to Spanish-language programming harkens back to the station's past as KBRG — no relation to the current station that bears those call letters, which had been using the "Romántica" ID until it dropped the format recently.

KCNL, once licensed to Fremont (it was originally KHYD and later KFMR), was relicensed to Sunnyvale under Clear Channel's ownership and currently uses a temporary transmitter in the hills east of San Jose, pending a move to a new permanent site nearby.