ESNE Radio is a Spanish-language Catholic radio network based in the United States, owned by El Sembrador Ministries. Headquartered in Chatsworth, California, a Los Angeles neighborhood, ESNE broadcasts on 14 stations in the United States, Mexico and Spain. ESNE also broadcasts a Spanish-language television channel, ESNE TV, launched in 2002.[1]
On March 1, 2003, El Sembrador, led by founder Noel Díaz, began programming KHPY (1670 AM) in Moreno Valley, California, under a time brokerage agreement; it purchased that station in 2008.[2] Díaz had previously started a weekly Catholic radio program, Dimensión de Fe (Dimension of Faith), in 1990.[1]
In 2013, the network acquired KRXA, serving Monterey, California;[3] the next year, it began brokering time on KURS in San Diego, later buying that station in 2016.[4] A second southern California signal was acquired in 2015 when it picked up KTYM after Immaculate Heart Radio instead bought another Los Angeles outlet.[5] In 2017, El Sembrador bought the construction permit for a new station in Enterprise, Nevada (near Las Vegas), KENT, for $125,000.[6]
El Sembrador expanded into Utah by buying Ogden's 1430 AM—then KLO—for $260,000 in 2020.[7] A third station in the Central Coast region of California was added later that year when the ministry purchased KKMC (880 AM) in Gonzales, California, from Monterey County Broadcasters.[8] Additionally, in September 2020, El Sembrador filed to buy KDCO (1340 AM) in Denver—though not its associated FM translator—for $420,000.[9]
In January 2021, El Sembrador reached a $725,000 deal to buy KYND in Cypress, Texas (near Houston), from Pro Broadcasting.[10] On February 1, it began programming KWST in El Centro, California, under a time brokerage agreement; this was followed with a $325,000 purchase from Entravision Communications Corporation the following year.[11] El Sembrador acquired 1110 AM in Chicago from the Moody Bible Institute, which had owned that station as WMBI since 1926, for $1.2 million in March 2021; this purchase added the oldest non-commercial Christian radio station in the United States to the network, and replaced a previous part-time time-buy on WNDZ.[12][13]
KAFY in Bakersfield was acquired for $450,000 from AOTS Holdings in March 2023; its associated translator was not included in the deal,[14] but was separately donated to El Sembrador that June.[15] In late 2024, the network acquired KRQZ in Lompoc from Spirit Communications, operator of the Radio U network, for $195,000.[16]
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