‘El Cucuy’ hits the snooze button, eyes film and TV

Getting up at 3 every morning left him little time for his family and his charity work, so top-rated morning man Renan Almendarez Coello announced Tuesday he’s moving his wildly popular radio show to the afternoon starting next week, a change he said will also allow him to pursue his dream of appearing in film and television.

“I think it’s time to start enjoying the things I’ve been missing,” said Coello, speaking Spanish, whose “El Cucuy en la Manana” (the Boogeyman in the Morning) program has aired for six years on KSCA-FM (101.9) from 5 to 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and been the most popular morning show in the Southland for almost that long.

He easily beats his Spanish- and English-language competitors, sometimes attracting almost double the audience share of his closest rival. His program is also syndicated in 12 other markets, and tops the ratings in San Francisco and Chicago, as well. But after six years at KSCA and 16 years of working a.m. drive-time, the “morning show takes too much time. There’s no time at night or in the day.”

During a news conference at the Museum of Television & Radio, he said he’s received offers from Spanish-language TV networks that he wants to pursue.

“I’m not leaving, I’m going to the afternoon,” with a weekday program that will air from 3 to 7 p.m., he said. And he’ll be bringing his frenetic style, ribald humor and wacky sound effects with him to the new show, “El Cucuy de los Tardes” (the Boogeyman in the Afternoon). “I’m not changing the show. It will be the same. In the afternoon the people need it ... more.”

Saying “family follows family,” he said he’s confident the audience he’s built in the mornings will join him in the afternoon. And now executives at KSCA’s parent, Hispanic Broadcasting Corp., will have to see if his morning replacement, Eddie “Piolin” Sotelo, currently a morning host on KLOK-AM in San Jose, will be able to hold onto the top spot.

“There’s a risk involved in anything we do,” said Fernando Schiantarelli, syndication manager for Hispanic Broadcasting. “This is a decision Renan had to make.”

Schiantarelli added that Coello’s move was unrelated to recent controversy over faith healers touted on his show, one of whom was convicted of sexually assaulting patients, and two others charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of a patient. The 49-year-old host has gotten widespread praise, however, for his relief work raising millions for Latin American earthquake victims, and advocating low-cost health insurance for children.

Since Coello has controlled morning radio for so long, his departure now throws open the competition for who’ll be No. 1, whether it will be Sotelo or a personality at another English- or Spanish-language station. Usually jockeying for the No. 2 position among morning listeners, and No. 1 among English-language programs, are comedian Steve Harvey on KKBT-FM (100.3), Kevin & Bean on KROQ-FM (106.7), and Big Boy on KPWR-FM (105.9), “Power 106.”

He routinely tops those three, and in years past, when Howard Stern and Rick Dees were at their prime, he routinely beat them too. At times, he tripled the audience tuned in to Stern’s show on KLSX-FM (97.1).

From Stern, the self-proclaimed king of all media, the mantle passed to Coello, who now wants to branch out to television and film. Although he didn’t specify any of the opportunities presented to him, a logical place might be Univision, the No. 1 Spanish-language TV broadcaster, which is merging with Hispanic Broadcasting.

“It is a different audience, but anytime anybody moves, there’s the chance to move up,” said Nancy Leichter, general manager of KKBT.

“Change in life always spells opportunity,” said Jimmy Steal, KPWR program director. “If there’s any benefit to Power, I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

“I think anytime there’s a change in competition with format or talent, it’s advantageous to stations that compete,” he said. “With that being said, he’s an incredible talent. Listeners will find him. I think he’ll be fine, no matter what.”