Radio stations from Mazatlán, Sinaloa

Mazatlán is a port city with salt in the air, brass bands in the plazas, and a radio dial that tells the story of Mexican broadcasting itself. Some of the city's frequencies go back to the 1930s and 1940s, when AM stations crackling across the night sky were the thread that tied Sinaloa to the rest of the country. Today, those same stations — many of them now on FM — still broadcast, and if you grew up in Mazatlán or have family there, you can hear them from anywhere in the United States.

This guide walks through the history of the city's radio told station by station, the nine stations you can stream today, the genres that dominate the dial, and practical tips for listening from the US, including the time difference and how to track down a station that seems to have disappeared.

A Dial Built Over Eight Decades

Mazatlán's radio story is unusual because so many of its current FM stations are the direct descendants of AM stations that signed on decades ago. Following their histories in order gives you a picture of how radio evolved not just in Sinaloa, but across Mexico: the AM pioneers of the mid-century, the FM wave of the late 1980s, the mass AM-to-FM migration around 2010, and the constant churn of national formats in the 2010s and 2020s.

The 1930s and 1940s: AM Pioneers

The oldest thread in the dial belongs to 98.7 LOS40, which began life as XEDS-AM 1400 in 1939 under Alejandro A. Schober. In 1960 Schober sold it, and the station became XEOW-AM on 970 kHz under Mendivil y Elizalde. After another sale in 1985, it was rebaptized XEVOX-AM by its new owners, Amplitud Modulada de Sinaloa. Eighty-plus years later, the license is still on the air — now carrying a pop format.

Not far behind came XERJ-AM 1320, which received its concession on January 10, 1940 under Oscar Pérez Escobosa. That station lives on today as LA KEBUENA 105.1, one of the most listened-to signals in the city. In 1958 it passed to Radio Mazatlán, S.A., and by the 1960s it ran 5,000 watts by day and 500 by night — a level of power it would maintain for decades, enough to make it a genuine local institution.

The 1950s and 1960s: New Voices

The next wave arrived around 1960, and one of those licenses has had a remarkably stable life. XHMZT — today's RADIO DISNEY 93.1 — received its concession on October 10, 1991, though its format history goes back further in spirit: it has had the same owner, Grupo Siete, its entire life, spending most of its years on air with grupera formats known first as La Jefa and later La Única.

Also from this era: XENX-AM — today's W RADIO 104.3 — received its concession on November 5, 1959 as a Difusoras de Mazatlán station on 1270 kHz, soon moving to 1290. And on June 30, 1960, XENH-AM 1590 was licensed to Gerardo Millán Ríos in Escuinapa, transmitting with 1,000 watts by day and 200 by night. That station was authorized in January 1986 to become XEFIL-AM on 870 kHz in Mazatlán, was sold to its current concessionaire in 1994, and is now MAGIA DIGITAL 88.9.

The 1980s and 1990s: FM Arrives

The late 1980s brought the FM generation proper. XEMMS-AM 1000 — a 1 kW daytimer run by Grupo ACIR and known as Radio ACIR — was licensed on April 10, 1987. That AM signal is now GLOBO 97.9's home, the city's romantic music station. Days later in the same era, on August 25, 1987, XHZS received its concession; it transmits today from Cerro El Caracol as 100.3 Stereo Uno.

The 2010s and 2020s: Migration and Reinvention

Two big waves reshaped the dial in recent years. First, the national AM-to-FM migration around 2010 and 2011 moved most of the city's legacy stations to the FM band: XERJ became XHERJ-FM 107.5 in 2010, XEFIL went to FM in 2010, and XEMMS and XENX were authorized and migrated in 2011, along with XEVOX.

Second, an extraordinary round of format changes in the late 2010s and 2020s gave nearly every frequency a new identity:

• XHERJ moved from 107.5 to 105.1 MHz on July 8, 2018 as part of its concession renewal, to clear the 106–108 MHz band for community and indigenous stations. In March 2026 it dropped the name "La Nueva RJ" and adopted the national Ke Buena grupera format from Radiópolis.
• XHMMS went from Radio Felicidad to "Tu Recuerdo" to Ke Buena under MegaRadio, then La Bestia Grupera, and finally the romantic Globo format from MVS Radio on March 30, 2020.
• XHMZT dropped grupera for English classics as "Studio 93.1" on July 1, 2017; that ended January 1, 2023, and Radio Disney debuted February 6, 2023 — a return, since Radio Disney had been heard in Mazatlán on XHMAT-FM from 2014 to 2019 under Grupo ACIR's franchise.
• XHFIL passed through news ("Radio Noticias 870"), W Radio, regional Mexican as La Sinaloense, English classics as Éxtasis Digital, and pop as Switch, before reclaiming the Magia Digital name and regional Mexican format in early 2025.
• XHVOX and XHENX passed to Grupo Siete operation in April 2018, then back in February 2022 when Grupo ABC's Radio Cañón flagship arrived. In April 2023, XHVOX adopted the Los 40 pop franchise as part of a national alliance that saw 22 NTR-owned stations take Radiópolis formats; in July 2025, XHENX joined the W Radio news network.
• XHZS cycled through Estéreo Vida, Planeta, Los 40 Principales, @FM, and Switch before settling as Stereo Uno on March 30, 2020 under Luz Network.

If a station you remember from childhood is gone, there's a very good chance it simply moved to another frequency or changed names — and the histories above are your map for finding where it went.

The Nine Stations to Know Today

Mazatlán has nine stations streaming live in our directory. Here's what each one offers and when it shines.

LA KEBUENA 105.1 — The grupera flagship from Radiópolis, owned by Promomedios Sinaloa. Banda, norteño, and the sound of a Sinaloa afternoon. Ke Buena already had a foothold in the market through another frequency before this signal adopted the format, which tells you how well grupera performs in Mazatlán. One of the most-streamed Mazatlán stations in our catalog.

GLOBO 97.9 — MVS Radio's romantic format. Baladas, boleros, and slow-burn classics. Ideal for evenings or Sunday mornings with coffee.

RADIO DISNEY 93.1 — Pop for the whole family, and a good pick if you have kids at home who split their listening between English and Spanish. The current signal debuted in February 2023.

MAGIA DIGITAL 88.9 — Regional Mexican on MegaRadio. A name with deep local roots — it spent years on both AM and another FM frequency before being revived on 88.9 in early 2025.

98.7 LOS40 — The Los 40 pop franchise on Radio Cañón, carrying the national chart countdowns and current hits in Spanish. Los 40 had previously been heard in the market on 100.3, so longtime listeners may find the voices familiar even on a new frequency.

LOS40 98.7 — The same signal listed separately in our catalog. Try whichever page loads best in your area; both stream the identical broadcast.

100.3 Stereo Uno — Stereo Uno's pop format, broadcasting from Cerro El Caracol and authorized for HD Radio transmission in 2022. Luz Network also programs Stereo Uno stations in Los Mochis and Navolato–Culiacán, so if you have family across the state, you may recognize the brand.

STEREO UNO 100.3 — The alternate catalog entry for the same signal.

W RADIO 104.3 — News and conversation. W Radio joined this frequency on July 21, 2025, and it had been in Mazatlán before, on 88.9. Your station for morning news, interviews, and national talk.

A Suggested Day of Listening

• Morning: W Radio 104.3 for news and interviews while you get ready.
• Midday: Ke Buena 105.1 for grupera energy and local flavor.
• Afternoon: LOS40 98.7 or Stereo Uno 100.3 for pop and chart countdowns.
• Evening: Globo 97.9 to wind down with baladas.
• Family time: Radio Disney 93.1 — the one station everyone in a mixed-age household can agree on.

What Mazatlán Listens To, by Genre

The genre breakdown tells you a lot about the city. Pop dominates the dial — six stations carry Pop Latino and hits and six carry Rock en Español, a reflection of how many FM signals in Mazatlán share national pop franchises. Regional sounds remain essential: two stations program Regional Mexicano and one dedicates itself fully to Banda — fitting for a city whose brass-band tradition fills the plazas.

For talk and information, two stations offer news and spoken word, headlined by W Radio 104.3. And for quieter moments, there's one station each for romantic music and baladas — Globo 97.9 — and for classics and retro.

A practical way to use these numbers: if you know the sound you want but not the station, start on the genre page rather than guessing at frequencies. The Banda page, for example, collects every station playing that format, which is useful when you want variety beyond one city.

How to Listen from the US

All nine Mazatlán stations stream live through our directory — no app downloads, no VPN, no radio receiver needed. Just open the station page and press play. A few practical tips:

• Time difference. Mazatlán sits in the Mountain time zone and observes daylight saving time. That makes it one hour behind US Central Time and two hours behind US Eastern Time. A morning show airing at 8:00 AM in Mazatlán starts at 9:00 AM in Chicago and 10:00 AM in New York. If you want live news on W Radio or a morning show on Ke Buena, count backwards from your own clock.
• Match music to mood, talk to schedule. Music stations play music around the clock, so Ke Buena, Globo, Stereo Uno, and Magia Digital work at any hour. News and talk are best heard live during Mexican morning and drive-time hours — that's when interviews, call-ins, and local reporting actually happen.
• Know your formats before you search. National brand names help you guess what a station plays even before you press play: Ke Buena means grupera, Los 40 and Stereo Uno mean pop, Globo means baladas, W Radio means news. If you remember a brand from your childhood but don't find it in Mazatlán, check our México directory — national franchises like these air in dozens of cities.
• Handle the duplicate listings. Two stations in our catalog (LOS40 and Stereo Uno) each appear under two page names for the same signal. If one stream stutters, open the alternate page — same broadcast, different entry point.
• Bookmark your favorites. Once you find your station, save its page. Many listeners keep one tab open for news from home and another for music while working.

If Your Old Station Vanished

Given how often Mazatlán's formats have changed hands — sometimes three or four times on a single frequency within a decade — here's a quick detective method:

1. Remember the frequency, not just the name. Names move; frequencies tend to keep their license and transmitter.
2. Open that frequency's current page and check what plays now. Your old format may have simply relocated — Ke Buena, Los 40, W Radio, and Magia Digital have all jumped between Mazatlán frequencies at some point.
3. If the format left the city entirely, browse the genre page for it. Franchise formats rarely disappear nationwide.

Explore the Rest of Sinaloa and Beyond

Mazatlán is one piece of a much larger picture. The state of Sinaloa has 67 stations in our directory, including strong dials in Culiacán and Los Mochis. If your family is spread across the state, it's worth browsing the full list — especially since Luz Network's Stereo Uno brand, for example, appears in multiple Sinaloa cities.

And if your nostalgia stretches beyond Sinaloa, these markets are easy to explore:

• Ciudad de México — 350 stations, the largest market in the country and the source of many of the national shows you'll hear on Mazatlán's W Radio and Ke Buena.
• Guadalajara, Jalisco — 59 stations, with a big banda and regional scene.
• Jalisco — 54 stations statewide.
• Chihuahua — 54 stations in the neighboring north.
• Monterrey, Nuevo León — 52 stations, and Nuevo León statewide with 41.
• Veracruz — 44 stations and another great port-city radio culture, if Mazatlán's seaside sound is what you love.

Why Mazatlán's Radio Still Matters

What makes this dial special is continuity. The station you stream today at 105.1 traces its license back to 1940. The signal on 98.7 goes back to 1939. Formats change — grupera becomes pop becomes news becomes grupera again — but the frequencies carry nearly a century of local life: the fishermen's forecasts, the carnival announcements, the Sunday banda hours, the late-night baladas.

For listeners in the US, that continuity is the point. Turning on Ke Buena or Globo from a kitchen in Los Angeles or Houston isn't just hearing music; it's hearing the same transmitters, on the same hills above the port, that your family has heard for generations. The signal moved from AM to FM, and from analog tower to internet stream, but it never left Mazatlán.

Open a station page, press play, and let the port come to you.