106.1 The Breeze reformats as Rumba 106.1

The Breeze is off the dial at 106.1 FM in Philadelphia. The station has now reformatted as Rumba 106.1, iHeartMedia Philadelphia announced.

Rumba 106.1 debuted Friday as the city’s “very first full-power FM signal dedicated to the Latino community,” said P.J. Gonzalez, senior vice president of programming for iHeartLatino. The station will air contemporary top 40 Latin music hits, including reggaetón, bachata, salsa, and urban pop. Featured artists will include J. Balvin, Marc Anthony, Karol G, Bad Bunny, and others.

» READ MORE: Valerie Knight out at 106.1 The Breeze

The change to Rumba is a “recognition of the importance and vitality of the Greater Philadelphia region’s Latino population, which has grown to just over 15% the past five years,” said Derrick Corbett, senior vice president of programming at iHeartMedia Philadelphia.

According to the most recent census, the Philadelphia region’s Hispanic population grew by 36% between 2010 and 2020 as the city’s overall population increased to more than 1.6 million. Philadelphia’s growth was primarily driven by growth in the city’s Hispanic and Asian populations, The Inquirer reported last year.

The programming change at 106.1 follows speculation of a reformat after it began simulcasting sister station Q102′s broadcast and longtime local radio host Valerie Knight was terminated.

The Breeze debuted in November 2018 with a focus on “relaxing adult contemporary music,” such as Whitney Houston and Air Supply. Prior to that, the station was known as Real 106.1 WISX, which featured throwback hip-hop programming.

To celebrate the launch of Rumba 106.1, the station will play 10,000 songs commercial-free, iHeartMedia said.