88.1 Universal (CDMX)

Universal 88.1 (XHRED-FM) is a radio station on 88.1 FM in Mexico City, owned by Grupo Radio Centro, broadcasting a combined format of news/talk and English classic hits. Its transmitter is located in Naucalpan, west of the city. The station launched in 1976 with the "Radio VIP" format, featuring mostly English-language programming. In the 1980s, Spanish-language newscasts titled Monitor were added. The callsign changed to XHVIP-FM in 1991 and back to XHRED-FM by 1994. After Grupo Radio Centro acquired the stations in 1995, it adopted the "Radio Red FM" name. In 2004, after a dispute with Infored, the Monitor newscasts ended and Radio Centro expanded its own news offerings. It became "Red FM" in 2013. On May 16, 2016, it swapped frequencies with Universal 92.1 and took the Universal English classic hits format, which began in 1974 on XEQR-FM. In 2018 it carried the controversial morning newscast "Sin anestesia" hosted by Carlos Loret de Mola. In October 2019 it became "La Octava," with the Universal format returning in June 2020 alongside newscasts, plus the launch of the "Universal Stereo Online" streaming portal. From 2022 to 2023 it was simulcast on XERED-AM.