Tag Archives: Piolin

Featured, Hispanic Radio

Piolín Part II: 16 Entravision Stations Add Host’s New Radio Show

December 9, 2015 — The one-time rey of la radio is heading back to the AM/FM dial, and AGM isn’t the only broadcaster partnering up with the man known in Spanish as “Tweety Bird.”

Eddie “Piolín” Sotelo, whose new self-syndicated El Show de Piolín will air on two American General Media (AGM) stations starting in January, has also reached a deal with Entravision Communications that will see the program land on 16 stations in 14 markets, starting Monday, January 5.

“Piolín’s return to network radio is nothing short of monumental, and we are eager to bring his incredibly popular program to our twelve Tricolor stations, La Nueva in the Rio Grande Valley and Super Estrella in Los Angeles,” said company COO Jeff Liberman. “Building on the success of our wildly popular afternoon program El Show de Erazno y La Chokolata, Piolín is a perfect complement to our current programming lineup. Further, the addition of Piolín will significantly strengthen Entravision Solutions as the premier advertising sales organization for syndicated Spanish-language content nationally. When combined with our fast-growing digital assets and big data resources, we are ideally positioned to maximize the incredible star power that Piolín brings to our multimedia organization.”

Entravision Solutions, the company’s national sales and marketing arm, will retain the exclusive rights to handle network advertising sales for El Show de Piolín, which is being syndicated across the country with the assistance of Ed Krampf, COO of Adelante Media Group, which is presently divesting its media holdings.

“I am so excited to be launching El Show De Piolin through my syndication company, Alliance Radio Network,” said Sotelo. “I am also thrilled to be working with Entravision again, not only as the major affiliate group but also as the sales organization representing all network sales for the program. The move is the natural next step for me, and I can’t wait to bring the show to their incredible and dynamic audience … I can’t wait to get back in front of my wonderful fans!”

Specifically, El Show de Piolín will be heard on KLNZ La Tricolor 103.5 FM in Phoenix; KMXX La Tricolor 99.3 FM in El Centro-Yuma, KSSC/KSSD/KSSE Super Estrella 107.1 FM in Los Angeles/Oxnard-Ventura/Riverside-San Bernardino, KLOK La Tricolor 99.5 FM in Monterey, KPST La Tricolor 103.5 FM in Palm Springs, KRCX La Tricolor 99.9 FM in Sacramento, and KMIX La Tricolor 100.9 FM in Modesto, Calif.; KPVW La Tricolor 107.1 FM  in Aspen and KXPK La Tricolor 96.5 FM in Denver; KQRT La Tricolor 105.1 FM in Las Vegas and KRNV La Tricolor 102.1 FM in Reno, Nevada; and KYSE La Tricolor 94.7 FM in El Paso, KAIQ La Tricolor 95.5 FM in Lubbock and KKPS La Nueva 99.5 FM in McAllen- Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas.

The placement of Piolín’s new terrestrial radio show on Entravision’s “Super Estrella” trimulcast in Southern California brings immediate speculation that the Spanish Hot Adult Contemporary station will change formats to a form of regional Mexican programming. The company did not offer any hints as to any other programming adjustments at Super Estrella.

— Adam R Jacobson, reporting from Miami

Hispanic Radio

‘Piolin’ Flies Back To Terrestrial Radio With AGM Deal

By Adam R Jacobson

LOS ANGELES — December 4, 2014 — Three months after disappearing from satellite radio broadcaster SiriusXM, the former king of Spanish-language AM and FM radio is heading back to terrestrial radio.

However, it’s not known if he’ll be heard in L.A. or in any major market soon.

 

Eddie ‘Piolin’ Sotelo, who shot to fame at Univision Radio’s KSCA-FM 101.9 in Los Angeles before abruptly exiting the top-rated regional Mexican station amid sexual harassment allegations in July 2013, will now have his El Show de Piolin heard on two American General Media (AGM) stations: “Radio Lobo” KLVO-FM 97.7/KKIM-FM 94.7, serving the Albuquerque-Santa Fe DMA; and KEBT-FM “96.9 La Caliente” in Bakersfield, Calif. The new incarnation of El Show de Piolin will be heard on the stations in January.

It’s the start of a climb back to the top for Piolin, who joined SiriusXM in October 2013 as part of a major initiative to lure Hispanic subscribers. The addition of the one-time Arbitron ratings champ proved less than successful for SiriusXM, and the satcaster canceled El Show de Piolin just after Labor Day 2014.

Piolin’s much-heralded arrival at SiriusXM came amid claims he had sexually harrassed a male producer. At the same time, Piolin was forced to pay $100,000 in legal fees for former co-workers who a judge ruled had not extorted the host.

Piolin’s new show will be syndicated to AGM’s two stations, and it is not yet publicly known where the show will be based or who will be distributing the program.

 

 

Headline, Hispanic Radio

SBS/Miami Plots New Route For WXDJ As ‘Romanic Rhythmic’ I-95 Hits The Airwaves

Leave a comment

BY ADAM R JACOBSON

MIAMI — In a widely rumored move, Miami-based Hispanic media company SBS on Monday completed its transition of WXDJ-FM’s “El Zol” Tropical format to 100,000-watt powerhouse WRMA-FM by debuting on WXDJ what may be best-described as a hybrid Tropical/Spanish Contemporary format under the moniker “I-95” – pronounced “Eee-Noventa-y-Cinco.”

With a slogan promoting itself as the home for “ritmo romántico de Miami,” I-95 features a wide mix of current and recent Tropical and Spanish Contemporary hits.  The 6pm hour included songs from Prince Royce, Alejandro Sanz, Aventura, Chino & Nacho, Fonseca, Chayanne and Ricardo Arjona, among other artists. Popular English-language ballads can also be found on I-95, including Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball,” Pink’s “Just Give Me a Reason” and Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.” Reflecting Miami’s penchant for dance music, the 7pm hour also featured the popular nightclub track “Levels,” by Avicii. Other artists heard on I-95 include Spanish pop superstars Juanes and Maná.

I-95 is presently absent of air personalities and is commercial-free, with the focus on the station’s new musical direction, which incorporates elements of WRMA’s long-time “Romance” Spanish Adult Contemporary format with some of the English-language Top 40 hits aired on its successor presentation, “DJ106.7.” I-95’s 40,000-watt signal is centered in Miami-Dade County and enjoys city-grade coverage over southern Broward County, which has gained a considerable number of Latino residents in recent years.

Interestingly, it’s not the first time that a radio station in Miami has paid homage to one of the region’s busiest highways by using the “I-95” name. In the early 1980s, WINZ-FM battled WHYI-FM “Y-100” as a high-energy Top 40 that served as South Florida’s first home for the burgeoning rap and freestyle dance product that would later define longtime player WPOW-FM “Power 96.” WINZ-FM is now Clear Channel’s Spanish Contemporary WMGE-FM “Mega 94.9.”

With the debut of I-95, WRMA is now the sole home for “El Zol,” which takes a greater focus on bachata, merengue and much of the reggaetón-infused Latin Pop found on Spanish Contemporary stations across the eastern U.S. and Puerto Rico. The shift of El Zol to the 106.7 FM frequency ended a roughly 16-month run for “DJ106.7,” which featured noted Miami-based talent DJ Laz in morning drive and English-language pop music with Spanish-language commercials. The DJ106.7 presentation replaced Romance in July 2012.

The move to the bigger 106.7 FM frequency for El Zol has already improved SBS’s fortunes in the Nielsen Audio ratings for Miami-Fort Lauderdale. In December 2013, WXDJ cracked the top 10 by capturing a 3.9 share of all radio listeners, regardless of language –placing it behind only Univision Radio’s Spanish Adult Contemporary WAMR “Amor 107.5” in the battle for supremacy among Miami’s Spanish-language stations. WXDJ had a 2.8 share in October 2013, jumping past Univision Radio’s Spanish Contemporary WRTO “Mix 98” in December.

Headline

Univision Radio Offers ‘Good, Bad & Ugly’ As Post-Piolin Solution

Leave a comment

DECEMBER 2, 2013 – Los Angeles – More than four months after Univision Radio confirmed the surprisingly abrupt departure from Univision Radio of Eddie “Piolin” Sotelo, the company today unveiled the program that will replace Piolin at its regional Mexican flagship KSCA-FM “La 101.9” in Los Angeles–but not on Piolin’s former Texas affiliates.

Univision Radio has paired KLNO-FM “La Que Buena” on-air personality Raul Molinar (known on the station as “El Primo”) with La 101.9 afternoon host Andres Maldonado (known on-air as “El Feo”) and Silvia del Valle, who joins Univision after a year with Glendale, CA-based Media Latino Communications’ La Numero Uno Network.

However, del Valle is perhaps best-known for her stint in middays at SBS’s regional Mexican KLAX-FM “97.9 La Raza” in Los Angeles as “La Bronca.” In that role, her program was simulcast on KRZZ-FM “La Raza 93.3” in San Francisco and on now-defunct WRAZ-FM “La Raza” in the Miami suburb of Homestead, Fla. Del Valle also found a national television audience through her role as a judge on Azteca America’s Quiero Ser Grupero competition show.

In Los Angeles the trio hit the air this morning in the 6-10am slot as “El Bueno, La Mala, y El Feo.” It is believed that the hosts will not use their previous on-air nicknames.

But the show, which already has a Facebook and Twitter social media presence and is using the “BMF Show” name as its unofficial shorthand name, will not replace Piolin in Houston, San Antonio, El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley. Rather, the trio’s new program will air in the 11am-3pm slot on KLTN-FM 102.9, KROM-FM 92.9, KBNA-FM 97.5, and KGBT-FM 98.5, respectively.

Univision Radio regional Mexican stations in Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, Fresno, Las Vegas, Austin and Albuquerque will also add “El Bueno, La Mala, y El Feo.” But Univision was coy on when the program would debut and did not note what time slot it would take in these markets.

In prepared comments, Univision Radio EVP/Content & Entertainment Evan Harrison–a Clear Channel exec who exited in spring 2011 as Clear Channel Radio EVP and digital president for the Chief Creative Officer role at VanWagner– noted, “As our audiences’ preferences continue to evolve, we need to find new and creative ways to entertain and engage them. El Bueno, La Mala, y el Feo is the answer. This incredibly dynamic team will really resonate with regional Mexican music lovers who also enjoy real people they can relate to.”

While Harrison is upbeat about the new program, Univision Radio has a tremendous challenge ahead as it attempts to recoup from steep ratings declines at many of the stations that once aired Piolin. According to Inside Radio analysis of Nielsen Audio data from July to September, a morning drive decrease in 25-54 share of a stunning 58% was seen at Univision’s KHOT-FM “La Nueva 105.9” in Phoenix, which now ranks eight-tenths of a share behind Entravision’s KLNZ-FM “Tricolor 103.5” in the overall ratings.

Similarly, Univision Radio’s KLNV-FM 106.5 in San Diego experienced a morning drive drop in 25-54 share of 54% between July and September 2013, Inside Radio reports. In Dallas, where Molinar has been based, KLNO lost 43% of its 25-54 morning drive share and 37% in total week. However, KLNO received a new competitor four days after Piolin left in KMVK-FM, which CBS Radio flipped from Spanish CHR to regional Mexican as “La Grande 107.5.”

It is also unclear why del Valle will apparently not be taking to Univision Radio airwaves as “La Bronca,” as she is known to legions of regional Mexican radio listeners in the Golden State. While using the name at KLAX, del Valle was sandwiched between then-morning host Renan Almendarez Coello’s El Cucuy de la Manana and an afternoon program hosted by El Mandril.

Interestingly, El Mandril–like Piolin–is also off of L.A. airwaves. However, the reason for the disappearance of El Mandril is hazy amid allegations first reported by La Opinion newspaper of Los Angeles that he or one of his associates is tied to a ratings manipulation claim under investigation by Nielsen Audio with the cooperation of KLAX owner SBS.

In Los Angeles, El Bueno, La Mala, y El Feo will seek to attract regional Mexican radio listeners in a market where Liberman Broadcasting’s “Que Buena” has capitalized on the presence of Don Cheto in morning drive throughout the disruptions at KSCA and KLAX.

Adam R Jacobson, reporting from Miami

 

Hispanic Radio

Back To The Future: ‘El Cucuy’ Returns Following Piolin’s Sudden Departure

MIAMI — (July 23, 2013) — Renan Almendarez Coello, best known to radio listeners across the U.S. and Northern Mexico as El Cucuy de la Mañana, has signed a syndication deal with Miami-based GLR Networks, owned by Spanish media giant Grupo Prisa.

The talk-intensive program, hosted by “The Bogeyman,” is being offered to Regional Mexican stations or stations in markets with a large population of immigrants of Mexican heritage.

El Cucuy de la Mañana will initially air as of July 23 on Tijuana-based “W Radio 690AM” — one of the biggest AM radio stations in North America, giving it coverage in the Los Angeles, San Diego and Riverside-San Bernardino markets, in addition to parts of Oxnard-Ventura and Santa Barbara. Renan will helm the 5am-10am PT time slot. GLR plans on national syndication of the show within the following weeks, HispanicAd.com reports in today’s news update.

The timing of Renan’s deal with GLR couldn’t be better: El Cucuy was the top-rated morning host at SBS’s KLAX-FM 97.9 “La Raza” in Los Angeles and, before that, at KSCA-FM 101.9 in Los Angeles before the rise of former understudy Eddie “Piolin” Sotelo. As first reported late yesterday by HispanicAd.com, Sotelo’s morning radio program–based at KSCA– has been “canceled,” effective immediately.

Renan has seen little national attention on the radio dial since September 2008, when he departed KLAX to reportedly launch a new radio network. He has appeared on the Azteca America television network.

As “El Cucuy,” Renan first rose to fame in 1992 at Liberman Broadcasting’s KKHJ-AM 930 “Radio Alegria,” under then-VP of operations David Gleason. He joined KSCA in 1997 upon its switch from Adult Album Alternative music to regional Mexican following the station’s sale from the Autry family to Heftel. With Renan in morning drive, KSCA shot to No. 1 in several Arbitron ratings surveys. However, with Piolin’s budding talents gaining notice among station executives, Renan’s show in February 2003 shifted to afternoons. As a PM host, Renan continued to attract monster listenership.

One year into his shift to afternoons, however, Renan’s relationship soured with KSCA, now owned by Univision Radio. After walking off of his show in February 2004 in a failed effort to win over sizable salaries for his supporting cast, whose wages came directly out of Renan’s paycheck, Renan’s show was suspended without pay indefinitely. One month later, SBS announced that it had hired Renan for the morning shift at KLAX–a shift he’d keep until 2008. Most recently, Renan was a part-owner and morning host at Victor Camino’s KKNS-FM in Albuquerque.

 

— Adam R Jacobson

 

Headline

Commentary: Hispanic Agencies, Media Hold The Cards (Or Domino Chips)

Leave a comment

The following commentary appears in the July 23 news update of HispanicAd.com.

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of chatting with a 22-year-old Miami-born second-generation Cuban who is off to medical school in Pittsburgh next week.

We chatted about her desire to run a marathon, and about life in Miami.

She had on Variety 103.5, an English-language pop and classic hits station, but noted that her first choice when listening to the radio is Mega 94-9, “a Latin station.”

I suggested that before the big drive north that she pack supplies from Navarro Discount Pharmacy such as Café Bustelo, Maria cookies and other Cuban treats and products such as Adobo or Mojo Criollo that are difficult to find west of the Appalachians.

As we chatted it dawned on me that this young woman will soon represent one of the most desired consumers in the US – the young professional Hispanic millennial. We have seen study after study focus on this complicated group of Hispanics, who have embraced US and Latin culture and traditions in ways that are largely unique and incomparable between other groups of similar Hispanics by geographic area.

I am sure this young Cuban-American woman has little in common with a 22-year-old Latina who was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, or Dallas, or Chicago, or … well, just about everywhere else.

This got me thinking about Hispanic advertising, and why Hispanic advertising agencies and consultancies are more vital than ever when connecting marketers and brands to Latino consumers. We live the market. We understand the market. We experience the market.

A small boutique-like shop within a shop designed to allow general-market giants to capture Hispanic business may not have the individuals in-house that have the deep personal understanding of the Hispanic market as, well, the individuals at a Hispanic shop.

At the same time, Hispanic advertising agencies employ largely bilingual, bicultural individuals who are both US-born and first-generation immigrants from across Iberoamérica. Many are millennials. Many are the very target that so many marketers crave.

Hispanic agencies, thus, hold all the right cards. Or, in Miami, all the right domino chips. They have the insight to not only direct Hispanic marketing efforts but also hold the keys to the truck that’s driving all of a brand’s efforts moving forward, given the multicultural population surge that will one day soon make Whites a minority across the US, and not just in the top 15 DMAs.

My running buddy is one of thousands of unique Hispanic millennials. We as an industry focused on the Hispanic consumer have the best knowledge of how to connect to these consumers.

Marketers must understand this. If not, we all lose — even the brand and the total-market shop trying to accomplish something it may be ill-equipped to oversee.

 

ARJ

Hispanic Radio

Piolin Pulled From Univision Radio Stations, All Affiliates In Unexpected Move

1 Comment

MIAMI — (July 22, 2013) — In a stunning move that shocked the Hispanic media and marketing industries, Piolin por la Mañana, the popular Univision Radio-syndicated morning show hosted by Eddie “Piolin” Sotelo, has been “cancelled.”

The news, first reported this afternoon by HispanicAd.com, came as a surprise to affiliates as well as Univision-owned stations where the program aired. Adelante Media Group representatives note that they were “head-scratching” upon learning of Piolin’s departure. Adelante was told by Piolin’s syndicator that music programming will be offered to affiliates as of July 23 as a temporary replacement for the talk-and-entertainment-focused show.

Piolin had been based at Univision Radio’s regional Mexican KSCA-FM 101.9 in Los Angeles.

According to HispanicAd.com, radio stations were asked by Univision to pull all references and promos that include references to Piolin in any way from the airwaves.

Univision did not comment on the reason for the sudden cancellation of Sotelo’s program.

Sotelo, who is slated for induction this November into the National Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago, is a native of the Mexican state of Jalisco. He had been the morning host for KSCA since February 2003, and in the Summer 2003 Arbitron ratings for Los Angeles made headlines for topping the market in the competitive morning drive time slot–including then-KLSX-FM/Los Angeles syndicated morning host Howard Stern. By October 2003, Univision Radio stations in  Sacramento, San Francisco, San José, Salinas, Monterrey, Santa Cruz, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Houston and Dallas added Piolin’s show via satellite.

In 2008 the NAB selected Piolin as Spanish Format Personality of the Year, a feat repeated in 2010. He is mainly known in non-Hispanic media for his interview with President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, tackling such topics as immigration reform.

 

— Adam R Jacobson

 

Hispanic Radio

Hispanic Radio Conference Shines Spotlight On Advertiser Opportunity

Leave a comment

By Adam R Jacobson

CORAL GABLES, FL — Why Hispanic radio, and why now?

That was the continual theme of the 2013 Radio Ink Hispanic Radio Conference, which concluded two days of sessions on May 17 that included the participation of group heads, Hispanic advertising industry movers and shakers, and programmers of AM and FM stations serving Latinos across the U.S.

The two-day confab opened May 16 with a lackluster keynote address from Geraldo Rivera, who noted that Hispanics had become the face of the threat of illegal immigration following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 but failed to address ways radio could tackle the immigration debate or discuss other segments of the Hispanic population.

In a panel discussion immediately following Rivera’s appearance, Arbitron Hispanic broadcaster account specialist Monica Narvaez noted that radio should ensure that clients understands the difference among Hispanics, depending on their acculturation level, country of origin, and language preference. Meanwhile, SBS VP of national sales Berry Jasin remarked that he’s still talking to CMOs and brand managers who have yet to enter the Hispanic market.

In a sponsored session, ex-Despierta America host Ana Maria Canseco was introduced to conference attendees as the host of GLR Networks’ new show Echate Pa’ Ca — a one-hour syndicated offering that takes its name from the segment on Despierta America that made Canseco a household name with Univision television viewers. GLR also revealed that the 40 Principales brand will be expanded in the U.S., with a 24/7 Spanish Top 40 network set for national distribution by year’s end.

Tackling ratings methodology concerns was the highlight of a lively discussion on metrics held May 17, moderated by Research Director Inc. partner Charlie Sislen. “The biggest challenge [for Hispanic radio] is sample sizes,” says Univision Radio SVP of research Kathleen Bohan. “They’re small, and used to illuminate a very fragmented landscape. Arbitron is just not getting people like they used to to participate.”

In response, Arbitron director of sales Rich Tunkel said improvements are being made. On the PPM side, 16 of its 18 accredited markets receive Hispanic differential survey treatment. He added that a redesigned PPM that is cellular-based and does not require an overnight plug-in has helped in improving in-tab and response rates.

Yet, Arbitron has not added country of origin to its sample balance, he says, and is only used to report the results. Meanwhile, Bohan chided Arbitron for panel shifts that prove disruptive for Univision Radio’s stations. She says, “The thing that keeps us up at night is the heavy listening households that come in and out of the sample and how that could have a major impact on our stations.”

Editor’s Note: Adam R Jacobson participated as a moderator of a panel discussion on the economic benefits of comprehensive immigration reform in the U.S. Additionally, Jacobson serves as a corporate-level consultant to Adelante Media Group and Davidson Media Group, which also participated in the Radio Ink Hispanic Radio Conference.

 

 

Hispanic Radio

Hispanic Radio: Group Heads Still Tackle Stereotypes When Seeking Buys

Leave a comment

CORAL GABLES, FL– Univision Radio president Jose Valle sought the business of a bedding retailer for his stations after noting that the category had a zero share of Spanish-language AMs and FMs in one of its markets.

The response from the retailer? Nope. The reason? “They told me how Hispanics drink beer and sleep on a couch.”

Smashing such stereotypes continues to vex Hispanic radio operators, and educating clients on who Hispanic radio listeners truly are was voiced in unison by group heads participating in a “Super Session” at the Radio Ink Hispanic Radio Conference, held May 16-17 by the industry trade publication in suburban Miami.

Adelante Media Group CEO Jay Meyers noted that language shouldn’t be an obstacle but instead an opportunity. “The No. 1 objection to Hispanic radio is from automotive dealers. Why? They say they don’t have a Spanish-speaking customer service person. My response? I ask them if they have an online sales manager, and they say yes, because they’d be out of business if they didn’t have one. I then ask if they had one in 2007. Most say no, and I tell them that if they want to continue to see business growth then they’ll need to have one.”

Accurate and consistent measurement of Hispanic radio’s exposure to Latinos remains a thorny issue for industry executives, but each of the panelists had high hopes for Nielsen’s pending takeover of Arbitron, the dominant radio ratings firm in the U.S. Chris McMurray, president of Davidson Media Group, believes Nielsen will bring its existing resources to Arbitron, and that the result will be very beneficial for Spanish-language radio.

Jeff Liberman, COO of Entravision, would love to see a combined sample for radio and television consumption in a rated market. However, he notes that Nielsen has sample-size flaws and needs to shift from house-based to person-based measurement. “This could be great, or could be disaster,” he said of Nielsen’s pending takeover of Arbitron.

Univision’s Valle was more pragmatic when discussing Nielsen’s purchase of the radio ratings company, which enjoys a near monopoly on measurement. “[Arbitron] is the bible for measurement in our industry. But, it is difficult to give high-fives for our ratings accomplishments in one market and have difficulties with their measurement in another market. I just want a fair fight. Let the content, programming and marketing win the fight.”

Valle adds that Nielsen will widen its cost-per-point (CPPs) and yield single-sourced measurement in a market, which he believes will be a good thing for Hispanic radio. Liberman agrees: “Wouldn’t it be great to have a reach-and-frequency curve that includes both media?”

— Adam R Jacobson

 

Featured, Uncategorized

Hispanic Radio: Advertiser Education Of Medium’s Strengths Still A Top Need

Leave a comment

CORAL GABLES, FL — “Radio, depending on where it fits, depends on the mindset of the client.”

Those words, spoken by Zubi Advertising vice president of media integration Isabella Sanchez at the just-concluded Radio Ink Hispanic Radio Conference, summed up the thoughts of buyers and planners who may not consider Spanish-language radio a high priority when formulating their Hispanic media strategies.

In fact, notes Tapestry media supervisor Sylvia Serna-Refojo, the success of Hispanic radio sales managers to capture a client relies in great part on their education of the medium’s strengths with Latino consumers to those that may not otherwise consider a buy.

Sanchez, fresh off her attendance at this week’s Hispanic television industry Upfronts in New York, and Serna-Refojo agree that Hispanic radio–compared to television, print media, and digital media–has the more difficult task of proving to a client how successful a campaign can be. Once Hispanic radio sales teams can effectively demonstrate the success of an effort, the client’s interest in radio may therefore increase.

Asked by moderator Jason Gueits, Hispanic sales specialist at McGavren Guild Media, how more clients can add Spanish-language radio into their media mix, Sanchez gave an answer sure to further agitate ratings firm Arbitron: “Radio stations do a great deal to attract the client, but the biggest gap between Hispanic radio and other media is measurement.”

Sanchez challenged Hispanic radio to show greater accountability for its listening estimates and overall exposure to Hispanic consumers. “It’s more than showing a client pictures of 10,000 people going to an event,” she says.

On a positive note, Serna-Refojo and Sanchez each note that all categories “have exploded with radio,” and that educating media planners on the medium’s strengths made the difference. Sanchez says automotive is up; her agency handles Hispanic market efforts for Ford Motor Company. Movie studios have also stepped up their efforts with Hispanic radio. “They finally seem to have realized that Hispanics can afford to go to the movies,” she says.

Financial services and pharmaceutical are also enjoying a healthy bump at Hispanic radio, she says.

However, Sanchez harps that continued education to clients of Hispanic radio’s positive attributes will be key to closing the gap with other media on attracting more advertisers, and thus more dollars. “Sometimes I feel like I’m in [the Bill Murray film] Groundhog Day, and I’m explaining once again the power of Hispanic consumers. We need research that proves the effectiveness of radio.”

Serna-Refojo went so far as to argue that Hispanic radio is self-destructive, thanks to its embrace of English-language pop hits and, in some cases, English-language program content. “If general-market stations are included in the buy, it sends the message that we don’t need Hispanic radio. If English-language music is on a Spanish-language radio station, then why is it needed in the buy?”

Sanchez concludes that radio has much to gain from increased promotion of its ability to reach a wide array of Hispanic consumers. “A lot of radio stations are surpassing TV,” she says. “Some clients want Spanish-language cable television, but nationally only 20,000 people are watching. The radio industry needs to be bolder and more aggressive. There needs to be more press releases about how successful radio is, and more interest from clients will come.”

 

— Adam R Jacobson