January 2019 PPMs

[davideduardo]

What are some examples of soft AC songs that test well with Hispanic audiences? Are we talking about stuff like Gloria Estefan's "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" and "Conga" that would be considered too uptempo and "ethnic" for a soft format -- even though they were across-the-board hits at CHR as currents? Ballads by Hispanic or African-American acts? Specifics, please.

No, we are not talking about Hispanic artists. We are talking about songs from the US charts that were also big hits in different areas of Latin America.

As an example from an earlier decade, in Latin America CCR sold more records than the Beatles.

Look at the WFEZ playlist and you will see songs that appeal to both Hispanics and non-Hispanic white segments of the Miami population.

Also keep in mind that the US songs that were hits in the Caribbean Basin (PR, Cuba, DR, Colombia, Venezuela, Nicaragua plus Ecuador) where most Hispanics in Miami have their heritage are often not exactly the same as those favored by persons of Mexican heritage in the same demos.

 

[lawman]

In all my travels and I may be wrong, but I have found that in the Hispanic community, Mexicans are the most versatile and open minded when it comes to music. They embrace and love Metal, Hard Rock and Country, besides Latino blends. In fact, many Rock and Country Bands and artists are of Mexican decent. Whereas other Hispanic cultures frown and will not accept these brands of music. So I think Rock and Country formatted stations would do better in a market with a larger Mexican population, then say, Puerto Rican, Cuban or various South American cultures..

 

[davideduardo]

In all my travels and I may be wrong, but I have found that in the Hispanic community, Mexicans are the most versatile and open minded when it comes to music. They embrace and love Metal, Hard Rock and Country, besides Latino blends. In fact, many Rock and Country Bands and artists are of Mexican decent. Whereas other Hispanic cultures frown and will not accept these brands of music. So I think Rock and Country formatted stations would do better in a market with a larger Mexican population, then say, Puerto Rican, Cuban or various South American cultures..

Let me give a couple of examples of how wrong this stereotype is:

Accross Latin America, every larger market has vastly more format variety than the average US market does.

Since you mention Puerto Ricans, know that there is only one Salsa station in Puerto Rico, but there are several that play English CHR, AC and oldies. There are Spanish language CHRs that play all Spanish and also a blend of English and Spanish hits. There are Spanish language variety, pop oldies and AC. There are 3 main news/talkers. There is a contemporary Christian station. There are religious stations in English and Spanish and there are several reggaetón / hip hop stations,

If you go outside PR (which is really a US market) you find even more variants... such as multiple variants on rock formats, including alternative and classic rock, with and without Spanish language rock songs. Buenos Aires even has a rock station that only plays rock by Argentine artists (and for many years it was #1 in that 17,000,000 person market). And at one point, half the FMs in Lima, Perú played rock, from softer stuff to harder material... that's about a dozen stations rocking away in South America!

What you are talking about, though, is not "Hispanics" but "Hispanics in the US". That is different.

In some of the southwestern markets, "Hispanics" have been there longer than non-Hispanics. So in places like San Antonio or Albuquerque or Fresno you see Hispanics who are 3rd, 4th generation and beyond listening to just about every format there is, from Christian to Country. Country does well among later-generation Hispanics in San Antonio because many families date back to the 19th Century. Country does horribly among Hispanics in LA because of the preponderance of first and second generation Hispanics and the fact that half of Hispanics there are Spanish dominant.

In markets where the majority of Hispanics are first or second generation, the use of other English formats beyond rhythmic and CHR is limited. It's all because of the degree of cross-cultural exposure or what some call "assimilation". Finally, another factor is what "kind" of market it is. Miami has always been a rhythmic leaning market, while other markets may have more of a country or rock lifestyle that influences immigrants that build families and a heritage in different US cities.

 

[lawman]

I was wondering if there are any Italian language formats in South America, due to the large Italian population in Argentina and Brazil, just curious...

 

[davideduardo]

I was wondering if there are any Italian language formats in South America, due to the large Italian population in Argentina and Brazil, just curious...

There used to be some Italian programs on radio in Bs. As, but that was many decades ago. The inbound migration from Italy was mostly a thing of the early 20th Century. In fact, I know a number of Argentines of Italian parents who have chosen to take advantage of their dual nationality and emigrate to Italy.

The migration was more or less parallel with that of Italians to the US, mostly in the 1880 to 1910 period. In the US, Italian radio like WOV and WHOM ended in the 50's, and Italian programs on little stations or early FM broadcasters ended for the most part by the 70's.

 

[broadcastguy]

I was wondering if there are any Italian language formats in South America, due to the large Italian population in Argentina and Brazil, just curious...

AFAIK there used to be until the mid 1940's, nowadays you can find shows aimed to the Italian community in South America where they mix Spanish and Italian language but that's it. My father in law happens to host one of those weekly shows.

 

[davideduardo]

AFAIK there used to be until the mid 1940's, nowadays you can find shows aimed to the Italian community in South America where they mix Spanish and Italian language but that's it. My father in law happens to host one of those weekly shows.

About the only Spanish speaking Latin American country where there was significant Italian migration is Argentina. There were very small "colonies" outside Caracas and Santiago, but Buenos Aires and a few of the larger Argentine cities got the bulk of them.

Prior to the 40's, there were so few radio stations in even the largest cities of Latin America that dedicating one of them to any language other than Spanish (or Portuguese) was unlikely. In fact, it was decades after the first stations came on in Perú, Ecuador and Bolivia that there was any significant broadcasting in Quechua (Kechwa) or Aymara; when such programs began they tended to be at 4 AM for the farm and mine laborers as they got ready for work.

I did not know any of the Italian shows remain, as I don't recall any still existing when I was programming a group in Argentina. Where is your father in law's show broadcast?