LENOIR CITY, Tenn. — These days Latin music tops the charts worldwide, just like Mercedes Cuevas always knew it would.
She was driving from Harriman to Pigeon Forge nearly 20 years ago when she heard Lenoir City radio station La Lider 93.5 FM was hiring. She showed up at the front door, and the rest is history.
Listeners may know Cuevas as the cowgirl of La Lider 93.5 FM who spent years broadcasting every day from the station's downtown Lenoir City studio.
She said at first, the station only played Mexican music. But things have changed.
"We started playing some Latin rhythms between the Mexican music and now we have this fusion of great music, 24/7," she said.
La Lider's name means "The Leader" in English, and the listeners picked it out for the station via a call-in contest, where people could vote for what they wanted the radio station's nickname to be.
However, it's more than just a radio station. It's a cultural megaphone for Latin people in East Tennessee. Cuevas plans to bring back her show that focuses on the local area soon, because radio broadcasts are important to people in the Hispanic community, she said.
"In Latino countries, they’re still using radio as one of the primary ways to know what’s going on in the city, in the town," she said. "And to listen to the old records, the new records, the news, the immigration, everything that’s going on is on the radio. So we feel proud to be here."
La Lider's has raised more than $100,000 for East Tennessee Children's Hospital over the years through radio telethons. During the COVID pandemic, Cuevas was on the air daily providing vital health information to listeners and encouraging them to get the COVID vaccine.
"I’m proud to be able to be the voice," she said. To have the power to. In 30 seconds, people can hear the message. They don’t need to hear my name, they just need to know the important message. It is a very warm and happy feeling."
To connect with La Lider, you can visit the radio station's website and social media pages.
