Norsan Media has acquired local radio stations WLSG-AM and W231CL-FM, which started airing La Raza, Wilmington’s only Spanish language radio, this month.

The Charlotte-based media company acquired 94.1 FM and 1340 AM to address a growing need by the Hispanic population, states a news release.

“With the acquisition of these new properties, we will be able to have coverage in the Wilmington, Masonboro, Leland and Kings Grant areas where there is a substantial growth of Hispanics,” Norsan Media CEO Norberto Sanchez said in the release. “This will allow us to offer the same exceptional service we are proud to provide our audience in our current footprint; we are definitely very excited to join the Wilmington community.”

New Hanover County’s population is slightly over 227,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Hispanics or Latinos make up about 5.5 percent of the county’s population.

One need Norsan Media identified for the Latino community is access to information.

Denise Coleman, strategic marketing and community affairs manager at Norsan Media, said station officials plan to meet with local leaders to determine what information they can communicate to listeners.

“We want to provide information that is vital for them, depending on the needs of the people that live there,” Coleman said.

Some of this information could include notices from the local police department, fire station or first responders, she said.

While the radio stations started airing La Raza on Jan. 11, Norsan Media is currently working on the station’s marketing strategy, Beto Tenorio, Norsan Media president, said Wednesday.

There are plans to open a Wilmington office where the company would hire local DJs, if the station proves successful. 

“Usually how we launch a radio station depends how the market grows, then we grow the station,” Coleman said.

This latest acquisition makes up Norsan Media’s 24th La Raza radio station. The company also owns three TV stations, three print publications and digital media outlets in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.

Wilmington’s first Spanish-music station, La Gran D, aired in 2008 until Capital Broadcasting Company purchased the station’s media company, NextMedia Group, and Coastal Carolina’s Modern Rock station took its place.

One goal for the company is to connect with the Hispanic population in the area.

 “A lot of Hispanics are moving into the Wilmington area because of developments,” Tenorio said. “We noticed that there is a radio station, but it’s an hour and a half away. The Wilmington Latino community needed a radio station.”