Canal 58 carried the same identity on Guadalajara's AM dial for eight decades, long enough that generations of listeners never knew the station by any other name. That finally changed in 2023, making this one of the rare Mexican AM stations whose entire on-air identity shifted within living memory of most of its audience.
A Concession From 1942
XEAV-AM received its original broadcasting concession on 21 October 1942, with a call sign drawn from its founding owner, Alfredo Vázquez Tello, according to the station's technical and licensing history. Broadcasting on 580 AM at 10,000 watts by day and 1,000 watts at night, the station has operated under Radio Cañón ownership for the bulk of its history, transmitting from Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, in the Guadalajara metropolitan area.
Eight Decades as "One of the Most Important Stations in the City"
From its founding through 2023, the station operated as Canal 58, a branding that sources describe as belonging to one of the most important radio stations in Guadalajara for the better part of a century. That kind of longevity is unusual even by AM radio standards, where format flips and rebrands are common every decade or two as ownership and audience tastes shift.
Now Vox Radio Hits, In Simulcast With FM
In 2023, the station moved to the AM-FM migration model common across Mexican radio, adopting the "Vox Radio Hits" brand and simulcasting with its FM sister XHABCJ-FM at 95.9, now running an adult contemporary format under Radiópolis affiliation. It's part of a broader pattern in Mexican broadcasting, where legacy AM concessions increasingly ride alongside a paired FM signal rather than standing alone, trading a decades-old brand name for a clearer signal and a younger-skewing format.
Part of a Wider Cañón and NTR Network
The station operates within the wider NTR Medios de Comunicación and Grupo Radio Cañón family, which also runs stations like XEBA-AM (branded La Q) and XEHL-AM (branded W Deportes) across Guadalajara's AM band, part of a local media group that has built out news, sports and music formats across multiple frequencies in the same city.
A Station Still Finding Its New Voice
Whether long-time listeners have adjusted to hearing "Vox Radio Hits" instead of "Canal 58" is a separate question from the station's technical continuity. The transmitter, the concession, the ownership group, all of it traces back to 1942. Only the name on the sign is new.