San Antonio, Texas

Media and entertainment

Newspaper

San Antonio has one major newspaper, the San Antonio Express-News http://www.mysanantonio.com/, which has been in service since 1865. The Express-News currently circulates as the largest newspaper service in South Texas. A second newspaper, the San Antonio Light, purchased the original Express-News, abandoned the Light name, and became the "new" Express-News. The San Antonio Current is the "alternative" paper with weekly listings of events and nightlife around town.

Related Topics:
San Antonio Express-News - Texas - San Antonio Light

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Television

While the city may be one of the largest in the country, San Antonio is only the 37th largest television market in the United States, according to Neilsen. The following list are the major affiliate television stations in the city.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Radio

About 40 radio stations can be heard in the San Antonio area; 30 of them are actually located in San Antonio. The first radio station to broadcast in South Texas was KTSA AM-550 in 1922; that station continues today as the San Antonio's only all-local 24-hour news-talk station. Another significant station is WOAI AM-1200 (affiliated with the WOAI TV station and the flagship of Clear Channel Worldwide), which is the radio home of the San Antonio Spurs.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Two significant changes in the Latin radio market (as of June 27, 2005): Univision Radio's Amor 95.1 (KCOR) FM flipped formats from Spanish Contemporary to Reggaeton, now named "La Kalle 95.1". (http://www.univision.com) "La Kalle 95.1 FM," is a new youth-targeted Spanish-language radio station that will cater to San Antonio Hispanics in the highly sought-after 18-34 demographic, reflecting changes also seen in similar stations in New York and San Francisco.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

La Kalle?s high-energy format will primarily feature Reggaeton and Latin Hip-Hop music. Reggaeton, a relatively new genre of dance music that originated in Puerto Rico and derives from a blend of Latin tropical sounds, Jamaican reggae music and urban hip-hop, has taken the US Hispanic market by storm.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This format change adds some needed diversity to the radio landscape, with a playlist that is more inclusive of the tastes of all Latinos in the San Antonio area, including those of non-Tejano descent. Most Latin stations in the area play Regional Mexican, Tejano or Contemporary Pop. Another station, which just started broadcasting in 2004 is Digital 104.1 (SKRIO) FM, which bills itself as Pop en Español, but mostly mimics the format of the former Amor.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Nightlife

San Antonio has a robust nightlife that centers on several key areas:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• The Riverwalk is home to several night clubs, all with a 2am or later closing time, depending on what night it is. Notable clubs in this area include the Hard Rock Cafe, the DANCEPLEX (formerly Polly Esther's), Club RIVE/TABU and Dick's Last Resort.
• Downtown San Antonio, away from the river, has several clubs, including the popular Coyote Ugly franchise bar, gay nightspot The Bonham Exchange ("the" place on Fridays), and the Rivercenter Comedy Club.
• Away from downtown, a strip of Main Street near San Antonio College includes gay-oriented clubs such as The Electric Company (younger crowds), The Saint (disco, drag shows, strippers), The Silver Dollar Saloon (country-western), and the Heat.
• Also in the area is the North Saint Mary's Strip, located to the east of main street. On this strip, several bars can be found, such as Paparay's, Joey's, the Mix, Tycoon Flats, small coffee shops such as The Candlelight Cafe (mixed gay-straight crowd), and the latino-themed video bar, Arriba.