BY OSCAR CORRAL

                      In December, Jorge Rodriguez, the owner of La Poderosa radio station, had dinner in Little Havana with
                      commentator Carlos D'Mant to brainstorm the future of the station.

                      Last month, D'Mant died suddenly of a heart attack, leaving a two-hour daily vacuum in the station's rush-hour
                      programming. Now without D'Mant, Rodriguez is trying to mastermind a scheduling overhaul that he hopes will
                      help La Poderosa, WWFE-AM (670). But analysts and critics say it won't be easy as the Spanish-language station
                      struggles with its identity.

                      Since last summer, the station has lost four of its most popular commentators: D'Mant, Alberto Milián, Lourdes
                      D'Kendall and Oscar Haza. In ratings, the station lags behind its two main competitors, WQBA-AM (1140) and
                      Radio Mambi WAQI-AM (710).

                      While polls conducted recently by Florida International University political science Professor Dario Moreno indicate
                      that the station is second behind Radio Mambi in terms of political news listeners, the recent losses threaten to
                      hurt the station.

                      ''They always viewed themselves as being the bad boys of Cuban radio, not being afraid to take on [Miami-Dade
                      County Mayor Alex] Penelas, for example,'' Moreno said. ``I think that's why this is such a big deal. They've lost
                      that edge.''

                      In the past two weeks, La Poderosa -- Spanish for the powerful one -- has also shifted popular shows to other
                      hours, confusing some listeners. For example, El Mundo Al Día (The World Up to Date) with Col. Mattias Farias was
                      moved from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. And Lo Que Otros No Dicen (What Others Don't Say) with Raquel Regalado
                      replaced him at 10 a.m. She also has a show called Panorama at night.

                      Rodriguez said La Poderosa -- the last AM radio station in Miami owned and operated by a Cuban -- is resilient and
                      will improve.

                      ''La Poderosa is not one person,'' Rodriguez said. ``La Poderosa is a conjunction of ideas at the service of the
                      public and will continue to be that. There is no identity crisis.''

                      Rodriguez is proud of his station's political track record and says La Poderosa has recently improved in the
                      ratings. In one breath he rattles off the positions La Poderosa and its commentators have staked out:

                      • The station is critical of the inclusion of sexual orientation in the county's human rights ordinance.

                      • They endorsed a move that would have allowed the city of Miami to lease the Tower Theater to Miami-Dade
                      Community College on the condition that they could censor controversial movies. The move was defeated.

                      • They advocated the departure of the Latin Grammys from Miami last year because of the possibility that Cuban
                      artists might perform.

                      ''The positions the station takes reflect the community we live in,'' Rodriguez said. ``I think it's a grass-roots radio
                      station that understands the needs of the public.''

                      CUBAN EXILES

                      Some critics, however, say the station is a platform for extreme right-wing conservatism in the Cuban exile
                      community. While that segment of the exile community ages, younger listeners are tuning in to other stations.

                      ''They're hurting,'' said Joe Cardona, a local filmmaker and self-confessed Spanish radio junkie. ``I don't think
                      their programming is in line with anybody under 100 years old.''

                      Milián, who now has a show on Radio Uno, WKAT-AM (1360), said Rodriguez often imposes his views on his
                      employees and the shows.

                      ''Jorge Rodriguez makes a change every other day in the programming,'' said Milián, a controversial commentator
                      who was fired from the station in November because of a difference of opinion with Rodriguez. ``He changes
                      newscasts. People come and go because they get into a conflict with him.''

                      Alberto A. Vilar, a Spanish radio analyst for The Herald, said La Poderosa's biggest challenge is to maintain steady
                      programming to build an audience instead of switching shows often.

                      Vilar said Rodriguez's on-air presence hurts the station because other commentators may be hesitant to argue
                      with his points of view, and it hurts the station's credibility.

                      The recent turbulence at the station began last summer, when Haza, who did the morning news show, left the
                      station after two years to work for WQBA.

                      Then in November, Milián was fired for reminding the public that a candidate for Miami City Commission, Angel
                      Gonzalez, had pleaded guilty to falsely claiming to witness an absentee ballot, a felony. Rodriguez pulled Milián off
                      the air and sold his airtime to Gonzalez.

                      Callers flooded the station wondering what happened. First Amendment supporters protested outside the station in
                      December. D'Kendall, another well-known Poderosa commentator, resigned in protest.

                      Then last month, D'Mant, arguably the station's most popular commentator, died. His death ended La hora del
                      tranque (The Traffic Jam Hour), a free-format show where he would trade jokes and barbs with listeners.
                      Rodriguez said Monday that he plans to split D'Mant's two-hour segment into two separate shows, but did not say
                      who would fill the spots.

                      LOW RANKING

                      The station's internal challenges are not helped by its rank in the ratings. In the fall 2001 Arbitron report, Radio
                      Mambi was sixth out of 35 stations surveyed in the South Florida area, WQBA was 22nd and La Poderosa was
                      28th.

                      Moreno said, however, that La Poderosa was recently ahead of WQBA in terms of providing political news to
                      listeners, according to a poll he conducted last year. The station has never been ahead of Mambi in either political
                      news or overall ratings.

                      Last week, the station hired a new news director, Roberto Rodriguez Tejeda, a former director of Radio Martí,
                      hoping that he will be improve the station's listenership.

                      As for the station's sponsors, Rodriguez said he is on solid ground.

                      ''There's no identity crisis,'' said Rev. Manuel Salabarria, who also has a show on the station. ``That's the
                      difference between a station that revolves around a person, and one that revolves around a philosophy.''