Ethnic Listening to LA Radio Stations

[davideduardo]

New York is an unique market. It's the only place where the Hispanic population is mostly Dominican, so any station that does Hispanic formats has to target them.

Actually, in the full Metro Survey Area the Dominican population is large but not as large as the Puerto Rican component, and diluted by the Mexican group which approaches 1 million now and the very large Ecuadorian and Colombian groups. This issue is that Nielsen has nearly half of their Hispanic sample in Dominican households / dwelling units, which is about 50% higher than it should be.

There is no guarantee of proportionality by national origin in Nielsen, so the current situation is not a "fix it" priority.

 

[davideduardo]

One must remember that Berry Gordy's goal was not to make "black music" but "music performed by black artists". He was always going for the general market. Thanks to that big signal from The Big 8, CKLW, which dumped a lot of their 50,000 watts on Ohio farmland, I grew up on it. (Memphis was more "raw" in the soul department).

Remember, both CKLW and Memphis' WHBQ were RKO stations and severely controlled by the Drake team (Tom Rounds eventually left the San Francisco Drake station because Bill Drake would not let him take it a bit more in the rock direction), so the music was all "processed" by the same program management team.

 

[davideduardo]

If we just stopped dividing people, perhaps we wouldn't need any of this discussion. As a wise man once said, "If you want to stop discrimination, stop discriminating against people". It really isn't any more complicated than that.

There are two reasons for division:

First, many of our laws require equal treatment for all groups within society, so the Census Bureau and other entities are responsible for quantifying in order to comply.

Second, marketers design products and services for specific tastes, ages, types of skin and hair, lifestyles and other qualities. So they need to know population figures and media appeal within specific groups.

If we had advertising before Europeans took over North America, we'd have different products and campaigns for hunter-gatherers and for farmers / herders.

 

[davideduardo]

Please, being lectured by the woke crowd with so little understanding of the world is the joke that never gets burnt, and my favorite #1 hit is being called a racist when I'm laughing at the Hispanic is a race thing where I politely attempt to educate.

I have no idea what that sentence means.

At this point I don't care, I have 'Americanized' brothers who have Grandmas I see come visit during the Christmas holiday and while both are classified by the dividers as "Hispanic", they are old school traditionalists and their cultures are all of their own.

Didn't I previously mention that the term "Hispanic" was created by politically motivated people in government who had to come up with a definition and category in order to comply with new laws in the 70's?

Nobody said that all Hispanics had the same lifestyles any more than all residents of, let's say, Chicago, do. In part, that is why "Hispanic" is not an option in the "race" question on the Census forms.

This is so easy to comprehend at the human level. When your family is from an island, that's going to be quite a different experience from someone whose roots are from an area of high elevation.

Having lived big portions of my life at both 20' AMSL and 10,000' AMSL, I fail to see the distinction unless you specifically trade in lobsters or llamas.

I admit it's a tuff call. I like all cultures being appreciated but our country tends to homogenize them.

But, perhaps, a lot less today than in the past. I have a daughter who was punished for speaking Spanish with friends at recess in school; today that would be celebrated. The gap is less than 40 years in my case.

 

[landtuna]

Having lived big portions of my life at both 20' AMSL and 10,000' AMSL, I fail to see the distinction unless you specifically trade in lobsters or llamas.

😂

But, perhaps, a lot less today than in the past. I have a daughter who was punished for speaking Spanish with friends at recess in school; today that would be celebrated.

As I get older and older I notice just how many Spanish (or 'Spanglish') words are creeping into an otherwise casual English language conversation in my part of America.

 

[Yabadabado1]

I've never known an Englishman to bristle at being called English. It's the Scots and the Welsh who (quite rightly) take pride in their own national identity, preferring it to being called "English" (which they aren't at all) or "British" (which is correct but not specific).

I have. I deal with foreign exchange students every once in a while and a few from England got annoyed when called English. But you're right, some from Ireland/Wales get upset if you call them British/English but most are just so happy to be in the states they overlook it unless you keep it up after being corrected. Same with kids from Germany/Spain/France/South American countries. But most are so polite they won't really correct you because they don't want to "offend" an American in their own country. Unlike a lot of Americans who go overseas and complain because people don't speak English, etc., etc. But that's a whole other thread.

 

[Identnut]

Actually, in the full Metro Survey Area the Dominican population is large but not as large as the Puerto Rican component, and diluted by the Mexican group which approaches 1 million now and the very large Ecuadorian and Colombian groups. This issue is that Nielsen has nearly half of their Hispanic sample in Dominican households / dwelling units, which is about 50% higher than it should be.

There is no guarantee of proportionality by national origin in Nielsen, so the current situation is not a "fix it" priority.

As you have mentioned before, though, the Puerto Rican component largely listens to English-language stations, and that's even counting the Spanish-dominant minority. And Mexicans are undersampled due to issues with documentation.

I'm guessing this is the reason behind Alex Sensation's success, though! Being Colombian raised in a Dominican neighborhood means he's got both the Dominican and South American demographics down! 😂

 

[davideduardo]

As you have mentioned before, though, the Puerto Rican component largely listens to English-language stations, and that's even counting the Spanish-dominant minority. And Mexicans are under-sampled due to issues with documentation.

All true. However, the Hispanic population is 11% Mexican, 25% Boricua, 22% Dominican, 15% Central American and 21% South American with the rest being "other". Few of the 22% Puerto Rican are Spanish dominant, of course, as most of those who migrated from the Island are 75 and older.

I'm guessing this is the reason behind Alex Sensation's success, though! Being Colombian raised in a Dominican neighborhood means he's got both the Dominican and South American demographics down! 😂

However, the radio program tastes of Dominicans are very much unlike those of most South Americans. While reggaetón is commonly liked nearly everywhere, the Dominican Republic and Colombia share very little else in music preferences, and Colombia shares little with Ecuador and Venezuela. And the rest of the continent has nothing at all in common.

The moderating factor is that young people are not united in taste with the homeland of their parents but with the streets of New York.

 

[DOB]

Apologies to David, I'm focused on the topic at hand, not about me, I see here that others take a different approach, maybe by choice or they just don't know any other way. (Not getting into the explanation of the this is just how some people operate when helping my Republican friends truly understand Donald Trump 🤣🤣🤣)

 

[davideduardo]

(Not getting into the explanation of the this is just how some people operate when helping my Republican friends truly understand Donald Trump 🤣🤣🤣)

Some of us have seen it so many times before that we don't need explanation: Trujillo, Chávez, Pinochet, Velasco Ibarra, Rojas Pinilla, Pérez Jiménez, Duvalier, Ortega, Somoza, Stroessner, Noriega, Perón.

Having lost a pocketfull of radio stations due to one of them in particular, I don't need an explanation.

 

[CassChopper96]

What are the top billing stations in LA

 

[davideduardo]

What are the top billing stations in LA

KIIS, KBIG, (KFI, KOST, KNX), (KRTH, KROQ, KLVE, KYSR), (KLAC, KRRL, KCBS, KPWR), KNX, (KSPN, KTWV, KLYY), (KSCA, KLOS, KBUE, KKLA).

The ones in parenthesis are close enough to be considered a tie. #1 bills four times that of #21. All are among the top 150 billers in the country.

 

[CassChopper96]

KIIS, KBIG, (KFI, KOST, KNX), (KRTH, KROQ, KLVE, KYSR), (KLAC, KRRL, KCBS, KPWR), KNX, (KSPN, KTWV, KLYY), (KSCA, KLOS, KBUE, KKLA).

The ones in parenthesis are close enough to be considered a tie. #1 bills four times that of #21. All are among the top 150 billers in the country.

I appreciate this info

 

[radio128]

The 15% of New Yorkers from Central America are primarily from which country or countries?

 

[davideduardo]

The 15% of New Yorkers from Central America are primarily from which country or countries?

There is no Nielsen break on anything further. From experience, I expect that there is a group from Nicaragua who left in the 80's and who will be in their 60's or older now. The rest are from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. The Salvadoreños are also a lot from the 80's, the years of "El Problema". Very few Costa Ricans and Panameños.

 

[Yabadabado1]

Honestly, I listen to the music. I may not understand what they're saying but it's the music that catches my ear. For all I know they could be singing about eating cockroaches smothered in baked beans but if it makes my booty move, I'll keep listening. And sometimes it doesn't even need to make my booty move.

 

[Daryl Lynn L.A.]

Didn't I previously mention that the term "Hispanic" was created by politically motivated people in government who had to come up with a definition and category in order to comply with new laws in the 70's?

Nobody said that all Hispanics had the same lifestyles any more than all residents of, let's say, Chicago, do. In part, that is why "Hispanic" is not an option in the "race" question on the Census forms.

I would like to corroborate what David has said about the term "Hispanic" not being a racial characteristic. I was hired by the U.S. Census Bureau to be a Census enumerator. On the Census form ( at least in the recent 2010 and 2020 Census), there is a question about how the respondent identifies his or her race. The form notes that "Hispanic or Latino" cannot be used to describe a racial category, since people of all colors can identify as Hispanic/Latino. As David noted, Roberto Clemente and Julio Iglesias can both be considered Hispanic, even though they are of different races.

The racial categories from which respondents can choose are:

White – A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. Black or African American – A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. American Indian or Alaska Native – A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment. Asian – A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander – A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. [2] Two or more races - Respondents can also choose this category.

”

Respondents can also choose the option of "some other race". In California, where I have worked as a Census enumerator, many respondents with Mexican heritage will choose this category, then write in "Mexican-American" or "Latin American" or "Chicano", meaning someone whose ethnic origin is in the southwestern United States.

On the latest Census forms, there is a question about ethnicity, which the Census Bureau considers to be separate from race. The respondent can choose one two: Hispanic/ Latino or not Hispanic/Latino.

This is not because the Census Bureau is trying to be "woke" ( there's nothing "woke" about the monolith that is the federal government) , but is trying to gather accurate data about demographics.

In summary, I agree with David. David is not talking about race, but listeners having a Spanish language background, regardless of race. I think David is also correct in saying that once younger people hit the streets of a big city like New York, or are enrolled in school with peers of their age group, then they tend to acculturate quickly. In my experience with Top 40 radio stations in past generations, ( or stations appealing to teenagers), learning to sing rock music in English is one of the fastest ways to acculturate into North American society.

Speaking of Christmas music -- when I taught English as a Second Language classes to newly arrived teenagers from all over the world, I used to put those song lyrics on the chalkboard / projector, then play the music and have the kids sing along. If you have ever heard a class of kids with at least 15 different home languages getting through "Jingle Bells", it can be very heartwarming.

 

[davideduardo]

This is not because the Census Bureau is trying to be "woke" ( there's nothing "woke" about the monolith that is the federal government) , but is trying to gather accurate data about demographics.

Yep. The Census Bureau was confronted in the later 70's with the need to classify what was, then, the second largest minority group in the US after "Negroes" (the term used then that is, of course, rather rejected today... showing how things change).

They could not use "Latin" as that included people with heritage going back to any nation speaking a romance language... Italians, Portuguese, French, Spanish, Romanian and others. "Latino/a" did not work as it included Portuguese and Brazilian folks. So they made up a term by redefining an unused but existing word: Hispanic.

They knew from the beginning that it included many indigenous groups from Mexico, Central America, the Andean zone and even Paraguay. They knew it included the descendants of slaves, mostly in the Caribbean and Brazil. They also knew that significant Asian communities in Cuba, Perú and elsewhere would count as "Hispanics" as would the descendants of Lebanese and Arab migrants from the earlier 20th Century, refugees from the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. It was an imperfect name, but any alternative would have been no better.

In summary, I agree with David. David is not talking about race, but listeners having a Spanish language background, regardless of race. I think David is also correct in saying that once younger people hit the streets of a big city like New York, or are enrolled in school with peers of their age group, then they tend to acculturate quickly. In my experience with Top 40 radio stations in past generations, ( or stations appealing to teenagers), learning to sing rock music in English is one of the fastest ways to acculturate into North American society.

And, speaking from experience, lots of people in Latin America listen to English language music in every nation, from Mexico to Argentina. The first station I owned in Quito, Ecuador, was a pure Top 40 station but about 30% of the songs we played were in English and they were the Stones and Motown and Elvis and CCR. The station was #1. We built additional station with the same format in a number of other markets in Ecuador, all with the same format.

Speaking of Christmas music -- when I taught English as a Second Language classes to newly arrived teenagers from all over the world, I used to put those song lyrics on the chalkboard / projector, then play the music and have the kids sing along. If you have ever heard a class of kids with at least 15 different home languages getting through "Jingle Bells", it can be very heartwarming.

That sounds like a marvelous teaching moment. I envy your beautiful memories of moments like that.

 

[TomásEstefan]

Yep. The Census Bureau was confronted in the later 70's with the need to classify what was, then, the second largest minority group in the US after "Negroes" (the term used then that is, of course, rather rejected today... showing how things change).

I'll say...in one of the first copies of Billboard that I remember reading, instead of R&B or Soul for one of the Top 40 lists...incredibly they called that column: "Negro Music". Since virtually all of the acts/artists on that list were Black, it made me wonder if they (the Publisher) presumed that that music was only of interest to a Black or African American audience. If so, I thought that was rather odd as much of it spoke to me just the same as mainstream Top 40 did, along with my other various musical interests. To quote the late, great Wes Montgomery "There are only two kinds of music: Good, and Bad!"

 

[davideduardo]

I'll say...in one of the first copies of Billboard that I remember reading, instead of R&B or Soul for one of the Top 40 lists...incredibly they called that column: "Negro Music". Since virtually all of the acts/artists on that list were Black, it made me wonder if they (the Publisher) presumed that that music was only of interest to a Black or African American audience. If so, I thought that was rather odd as much of it spoke to me just the same as mainstream Top 40 did, along with my other various musical interests. To quote the late, great Wes Montgomery "There are only two kinds of music: Good, and Bad!"

When I first became a go-fer at WJMO and its sister FM in Cleveland in 1959, people were still calling the programming "race music" but the format was starting to be called "Negro" rather than "race".