One of the first things trump should do

[TheBigA]

Do you think they will pass a petition such as this knowing that American companies will lose billions in which the government is collecting millions in taxes from the Hispanic market?

That's the irony here. Using the government to force out cheap labor is one of the foundations of liberalism.

 

[Oscar Madison]

Petition the FCC to cease all foreign language formats popping up and clogging the dial. Also, give broadcasters a few months to change their foreign language formats to only English. If not revoke their license bring radio back to the way it sounded in the 60's when America was great and English was the only language you heard on the radio.

I don't buy the apparent premise but I do agree with the conclusion. At one time - much earlier than the 60s - English language media (newspapers and radio) helped immigrants learn English and helped them and their children assimilate and enter the economic and social mainstream. But assimilation somehow became unfashionable and immigrants encouraged to remain hyphenated. School systems encourage children of immigrants to learn English (and not learn it too well) as a "second language." As a result, native born Americans who don't speak Native English are marginalized and condemned to low-level, unskilled jobs. Foreign language radio is like training wheels: As long as you ride with training wheels you never really learn to ride a bike.

Further, foreign language stations are almost all marginal, weak-stick AM stations. There is too much dead wood on the AM band. Better to get rid of foreign language, brokered and paid preacher (religiomercial) stations and give real AM broadcasters more of chance.

By the way, Hey, you either weren't around in the 60s or you flunked high school US history. The 60s weren't all that great. Radio was better off but a lot of elements of society were not. Before demanding anyone listen to you, know what you're talking about. But you would have felt right at home with George Wallace and the John Birch Society.

 

[davideduardo]

Further, foreign language stations are almost all marginal, weak-stick AM stations. There is too much dead wood on the AM band. Better to get rid of foreign language, brokered and paid preacher (religiomercial) stations and give real AM broadcasters more of chance.

Huh?

While there are many AM stations appealing to small communities of speakers of some foreign language, broadcasting other than in English is not limited to AM stations.

LA has 5 full signal Class B FMs in Spanish, including 3 on Mt. Wilson. It also has a grandfathered rimshot Class B FM as well as 10 Class A FM's in Spanish and one 50 kw AM station and 3 5,000 watt fulltime AMs on 980, 1390 and 1330.

New York City has 3 full class B's from the ESB in Spanish, one class A and a 50 kw news / talk AM. And that is not counting the religious Spanish language stations.

Miami has 6 Class C FMs in Spanish, and several 50 kw AMs as well as a group of lower powered AMs that have quite adequate signals.

And so it goes across the nation... major, full signal facilities in Spanish... including all but 2 of the 131 licensed stations in Puerto Rico, including all of its "Super Class B" FMs.

 

[MarcB]

Businesses want to target the Hispanic Consumer. This is a list of commercials they played during the stop-set at approximately 8:56AM this morning on BOMBA-FM the Spanish Tropical Station in Connecticut. It's based out of WMRQ HD2 and is fed to 5 translators throughout the state.

FOXWOODS Resort & Casino (Marc Anthony Concert)
Silas Dean Pawn Shop
Planned Parenthood
Eversource Energy
Kennedy Plumbing and Heating
Dunkin Donuts (3 commercials)
Honda of Watertown

Some of their other advertisers whose commercials were not heard this stop-set, but regularly advertise on the station include: Zayas Law Firm, Attorney Jefferey Dressler, Apple Auto Wholesale, Bob's Buick/GMC, Home Depot, Farmer's Insurance, City Limits Cafe, Amtrak, Connecticut Lottery (though their spots are in English), Central Auto Group, and McDonalds.

The only advertiser I question whether they get money for is for Apple Auto Wholesale. I wonder if it's a "bonus buy" since they also advertise on Bomba's 2 English Language sister stations - Modern Rocker Radio 104.1 WMRQ and Oldies/Classic Hits formatted KOOL 96.1/990 WNTY.

And yeah BOMBA (which also has a station in Springfield, Mass) and a sister station in Providence called Latina 100.3 WKKB is owned by a small company Full Power Radio d/b/a Red Wolf Broadcasting that is owned by a Caucasian.

 

[TheBigA]

Foreign language radio is like training wheels: As long as you ride with training wheels you never really learn to ride a bike.

That's not radio's problem. People are people. They'll do what's easy and cheap. If there are a lot of people who speak a certain language, or came from a certain country, then there's money to be made providing them with memories from their homeland. Radio is not in the education business. I'd hate to think of people learning English by listening to Imus or Rush.

 

[CTListener]

That's not radio's problem. People are people. They'll do what's easy and cheap. If there are a lot of people who speak a certain language, or came from a certain country, then there's money to be made providing them with memories from their homeland. Radio is not in the education business. I'd hate to think of people learning English by listening to Imus or Rush.

And being so confused when they can't find "feminazi" or "libtard" or "ho" in their dictionaries!

 

[Oscar Madison]

And being so confused when they can't find "feminazi" or "libtard" or "ho" in their dictionaries!

Back when radio has class, they did consider themselves in the "education business," and saw uplifting the masses as part of their mandate to serve the public interest, convenience and necessity. Now radio is ruled by cynicism and avarice and has dumbed down itself to pander to the great unwashed.

 

[TheBigA]

Back when radio has class, they did consider themselves in the "education business," and saw uplifting the masses as part of their mandate to serve the public interest, convenience and necessity.

You obviously never heard Newton Minnow's "vast wasteland" speech that led to the establishment of public broadcasting in 1967. Commercial broadcasters never saw themselves in the "education business" and grudgingly engaged in public service because the FCC required them to. Those obligations ended in 1983.

 

[davideduardo]

Back when radio has class, they did consider themselves in the "education business," and saw uplifting the masses as part of their mandate to serve the public interest, convenience and necessity. Now radio is ruled by cynicism and avarice and has dumbed down itself to pander to the great unwashed.

The big debate over the educational vs. the entertainment role of broadcasters was fairly well settled by the time the FCC was created. There was considerable discussion of whether radio should carry advertising, in fact. But that was settled in the 1920's.

By the 40's, the "new" FCC understood its goals so well that they dedicated a batch of channels at the bottom of the FM dial to educational and cultural broadcasts, knowing that the rest of the band would be developed, eventually, by commercial broadcasters.

Except for those involved with non-profit stations, I have never known a broadcaster who thought at any time that they were in the "education" business. And I've been wallowing in this particular trough for just shy of 60 years.

To put this in context, anyone who thought that broadcasters were collectively in the education business is now at least 100 years old.

P.S. There is a big difference between "education" and "information".

 

[davideduardo]

That's not radio's problem. People are people. They'll do what's easy and cheap. If there are a lot of people who speak a certain language, or came from a certain country, then there's money to be made providing them with memories from their homeland. Radio is not in the education business. I'd hate to think of people learning English by listening to Imus or Rush.

Much of what ethnic radio does is to satisfy the desire for music that each particular group grew up on. Music taste is fundamentally formed in the pre-adolescent and early adolescent years, and much of that formation does not change in later life.

While those who grew up here have ample opportunity to hear their favorite classic rock and classic hits and country tunes and whatever, what about those of us who grew up (as an anecdotal example) loving cumbias and gaitas or guarachas and pachangas? We are not going to find that music... or its later incarnations... on English language stations. But it is part of our soul, our being and our character.

Those who would deny us our favorite musical genres are simply ignoring the fact that, like food, certain ethnic or cultural relationships with music do not die the moment we cross the border. When I migrated to the mainland US 24 years ago, I did not suddenly start liking Bon Jovi and Van Halen and stop liking Tito Puente and El Gran Combo... and a quarter century later I still love the latter and hate the former.

Like morals, you can't legislate taste.

 

[TheBigA]

Like morals, you can't legislate taste.

Exactly. If the new president wants to carry out one of his campaign promises, he won't be adding any new regulations for broadcasters.

 

[FreddyE1977]

Why on Earth would he want to do THAT?

Foreign language radio broadcasts have been a part of the landscape in this country for a very long time. Here in Pittsburgh we have programs in Italian and various East European languages that go back 60+ years. As long as they have an audience willing to listen to programs in another language, what's the problem?

Not to mention, although I do not speak Spanish I do enjoy listening to the music on various
Spanish language stations when I travel.

Trump has plenty of actual problems on his plate to deal with.