Numero uno radio host in L.A. stays humble

KLAX-FM's El Mandril has the top morning radio show in L.A. — in English or Spanish — but Ricardo Sanchez is determined to stay true to his roots.

Mayor Eric Garcetti has proclaimed himself a fan. "I like him a lot. I've been around a lot of famous radio or TV folks, and some are more genuine than others," Mayor Garcetti said. "He's as real as they get." Radio is full of braggarts and blowhards and screamers. Sanchez's listeners at the Spanish-language station KLAX-FM (97.9) La Raza expect the usual high-jinks and interviews with celebrities, sprinkled with regional Mexican music. But they want one thing in particular: for him to be, at least a little, like them. Many are recent immigrants, often living here illegally. More than the Internet and television, radio is a medium his audience can take with them everywhere — to sweatshops, in their cars and the fields. "Radio is always going to be there," said Sanchez's manager, Fernando Schiantarelli. "As long as there is poverty, hard work and loneliness, radio will be there."