For 8 years, she was associated with Univision Communications, and most recently served as the Local Sales Manager of its Philadelphia market assets. Before that, she served as the Local Sales Market Leader at Univision, for 2 1/2 years.
Now, Lizette Alicea is returning to iHeartMedia.
Alicea has been appointed VP of Sales for the recently launched WUMR-FM “Rumba 106.1” in Philadelphia.
She reports to Chris Squire, Senior Vice President of Sales for iHeartMedia Philadelphia. “Adding an experienced leader to the Rumba 106.1 team was our No. 1 priority and I am thrilled to add Lizette Alicea to our growing team,” Squire said. “Lizette knows Philadelphia and she’s a strong and dynamic leader. Her management style will be a great fit here at iHeartMedia Philly.”
Indeed, Alicea served as an Account Executive for iHeart predecessor Clear Channel from 2007-2011, in New York. From there, she moved to Philadelphia, serving as a WMGK account manager and as a senior business representative at WXPN before finding a home at Univision.
“I am thrilled to be back at iHeartMedia,” Alicea said. “Rumba will entertain while creating opportunities that empower, unite and invigorate the Hispanic community as well as offer marketing strategies that hit the mark. I am honored and humbled to work alongside a talented group of great people.”
Jeff Moore, Market President for iHeartMedia Philadelphia, commented, “The success of Rumba 106.1 will depend on our commitment and connection to the vibrant and growing Latino community in Philadelphia. In Lizette, we found a proven, dynamic professional with media expertise and, most importantly, experience working with Philadelphia’s diverse Latino population in an authentic and caring way. As we continue to grow this team, Lizette will seek to find the kind of account executives that know how to connect our amazing business community with the rapidly growing Latino audience.”
At Noon on March 11, 2022, iHeartMedia and its iHeartLatino division led by Miami veteran air personality Enrique Santos, decided to give reggaetón another try in the City of Brotherly Love by bringing the “Rumba” brand back after a nearly 15-year absence. “Rumba 106.1” replaces an Adult Contemporary format on WISX-FM. It is a signal that was once Smooth Jazz, as WJJZ, and before that Top 40 — as “Eagle 106,” “Electric 106,” and “Z106.” In recent years, it has also been “Mix 106.1” and Hip-Hop focused “Real 106.1.”
Now, local management hopes the second incarnation of “Rumba” is the winning recipe for the 106.1 MHz signal, which covers Wilmington, Del., Trenton, N.J., and much of the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. Reggaetón, Urban Pop, Bachata, Salsa and music of interest to young Hispanics of Caribbean heritage is the music focus.
“Our decision to create Rumba 106.1 is a recognition of the importance and vitality of the Greater Philadelphia region’s Latino population, which has grown to just over 15 percent over the past five years,” said Derrick Corbett, Senior VP of Programming for iHeartMedia in Philadelphia. “The latest Census Bureau statistics show that the Philadelphia region contains the third-highest Latino population in the Northeast.”
P.J. Gonzalez, Senior VP of Programming for iHeartLatino, noted that “history is unfolding in the city of brotherly love with the very first full-power FM signal dedicated to the Latino community, which has been longing for many years to have its voice represented in Philadelphia.”
Gonzalez evidently forgot about WUBA-FM’s short-lived life in Philadelphia. On August 13, 2006, iHeartMedia made a bold move by placing a Tropical format on the 104.5 MHz frequency serving Philadelphia. Census figures and socioeconomic data suggested such a move would prove successful for the company as it sought to build its Hispanic radio properties in underserved markets.
That didn’t pan out, and on May 16, 2007, “Rumba 104.5” and WUBA were replaced with Alternative music, as WRFF, which remains on the air today.
