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Spanish stations and Christmas Music

R

Radiogeek500

I remember the discussion we had on a couple of boards that the spanish launguage stations could never adopt Christmas Formats for a month because unlike the Gringo stations, there just isn't enough product for that. Does that also mean you won't hear a marathon on say December 24th of Spanish Christmas Music, even on stations that are AC or CHR oriented?

David, how do you guys handle Christmas Music for the stations you oversee?<P ID="signature">______________
20 Years of POWERFUL music
Power 106 La's Party Station.

JOSH, Moderating the whole Radio-Info radio state of California and Indiana too!</P>
 
> I remember the discussion we had on a couple of boards that
> the spanish launguage stations could never adopt Christmas
> Formats for a month because unlike the Gringo stations,
> there just isn't enough product for that. Does that also
> mean you won't hear a marathon on say December 24th of
> Spanish Christmas Music, even on stations that are AC or CHR
> oriented?

KLVE in LA has 13 approved Christmas cuts. And that is streaching it for Spanish AC. Pop Christmas songs are almost non-existent.
>
> David, how do you guys handle Christmas Music for the
> stations you oversee?

The only place there is a lot of Christmas music is in Puerto Rico, where the season is a celebration of heritage, with lots of tunes about partying, etc. Many are really filled with double entendres, and played in the old "jibaro" style of PR folk music. There is very little with any religious significance, and none about the nature of the season as it does not snow, does not get cold and is like any other time of the year.

Reggaetón has some Christmas things as of this year, but very limited. The Puerto Rican influnece is behind that, of course.

I have seen one AC style Christmas song come out this year. I have seen nothing so far in Regional Mexican. Salsa used to have many Christmas songs, but salsa production is nearly dead, so that is out.

The majority of Christmas songs are traditional, based on Spanish carrols or "villancicos" and done in fairly traditional styles. Most is very religious in content, making it less than compatible with secular pop and AC stations.

Even oldies stations like Recuerdo in LA, PHX, Dallas, McAllen and Fresno will not add any songs till about the 12th to 15th of December, and then only one an hour.

Christmas in the Hispanic culture is celebrated Christmas eve, which is when gifts are exchanged in modern times. On the 25th, you would not generally play any Christmas music at all. Going back in time, gifts were not exchanged at Christmas but on three Kings Day, the 6th of January, which is when the 3 Wise Men brought gifts to the Christ Child. Christmas as a gift season is northern European or American, but has been adopted all over.

Remember, the Caribbean has no seasons, and dep South America has seasons reversed, so the fact that it is summer or tropical kind of puts a damper on the "let it snow" type of song.
 
I'm just thinking that thwy will start playing Jose Feliciano's "Feliz navidaaaaaaaad" and I'm gonna puke... I can't believe they do the same thing year after year, playing the same crap...





> > I remember the discussion we had on a couple of boards
> that
> > the spanish launguage stations could never adopt Christmas
>
> > Formats for a month because unlike the Gringo stations,
> > there just isn't enough product for that. Does that also
> > mean you won't hear a marathon on say December 24th of
> > Spanish Christmas Music, even on stations that are AC or
> CHR
> > oriented?
>
> KLVE in LA has 13 approved Christmas cuts. And that is
> streaching it for Spanish AC. Pop Christmas songs are almost
> non-existent.
> >
> > David, how do you guys handle Christmas Music for the
> > stations you oversee?
>
> The only place there is a lot of Christmas music is in
> Puerto Rico, where the season is a celebration of heritage,
> with lots of tunes about partying, etc. Many are really
> filled with double entendres, and played in the old "jibaro"
> style of PR folk music. There is very little with any
> religious significance, and none about the nature of the
> season as it does not snow, does not get cold and is like
> any other time of the year.
>
> Reggaetón has some Christmas things as of this year, but
> very limited. The Puerto Rican influnece is behind that, of
> course.
>
> I have seen one AC style Christmas song come out this year.
> I have seen nothing so far in Regional Mexican. Salsa used
> to have many Christmas songs, but salsa production is nearly
> dead, so that is out.
>
> The majority of Christmas songs are traditional, based on
> Spanish carrols or "villancicos" and done in fairly
> traditional styles. Most is very religious in content,
> making it less than compatible with secular pop and AC
> stations.
>
> Even oldies stations like Recuerdo in LA, PHX, Dallas,
> McAllen and Fresno will not add any songs till about the
> 12th to 15th of December, and then only one an hour.
>
> Christmas in the Hispanic culture is celebrated Christmas
> eve, which is when gifts are exchanged in modern times. On
> the 25th, you would not generally play any Christmas music
> at all. Going back in time, gifts were not exchanged at
> Christmas but on three Kings Day, the 6th of January, which
> is when the 3 Wise Men brought gifts to the Christ Child.
> Christmas as a gift season is northern European or American,
> but has been adopted all over.
>
> Remember, the Caribbean has no seasons, and dep South
> America has seasons reversed, so the fact that it is summer
> or tropical kind of puts a damper on the "let it snow" type
> of song.
>
 
> I'm just thinking that thwy will start playing Jose
> Feliciano's "Feliz navidaaaaaaaad" and I'm gonna puke... I
> can't believe they do the same thing year after year,
> playing the same crap...

Most listeners like that song. Of course, after your comment on Mexcan regional music, we could expect nothig from you that was not a slam on US Hispoanic radio, Mexican Music, Puerto Rican music, and, generally, anything that is not Argentine.
 
> > I'm just thinking that thwy will start playing Jose
> > Feliciano's "Feliz navidaaaaaaaad" and I'm gonna puke... I
>
> > can't believe they do the same thing year after year,
> > playing the same crap...
>
> Most listeners like that song. Of course, after your comment
> on Mexcan regional music, we could expect nothig from you
> that was not a slam on US Hispoanic radio, Mexican Music,
> Puerto Rican music, and, generally, anything that is not
> Argentine.
>

Wow... Who told you that people like it? I asked in these last 2 weeks to every single person I could when sations were playing that songs and I got a 100% "They suck!" answer, pal... Maybe my poll is not the best one, but at least here in Miami, after years and years of the same thins (Every December 1 they do exactly the same thing!!!) these songs SUCK!. This is the problem: They don't think about new stuff, they are in authomatic mode: they just do the same thing every year, the same songs, the same words... This is what pisses me off.
Regarding my comment about mexican music, I still thinking the same, even if your polls, or your 2 pages Hispanic radio manual doesn't say so.
And, finally: YES argentinean radio is 1000 times better than US Hispanic radio, but I think the same about the Spanish, Colombian, Peruvian, Mexican (made in mexico, not your disgusting stations) and Chilean.. Yes chilean radio... They think about new ideas, they change christmas songs (or they make their new ones every year) they re-think radio every day, man... Here I don't see that happening, I just read this easy answer: "People like it..." C'mon! That's not true.
Please, do something for this upcoming 2006: Start re-thinking hispanic radio in the US. Independient of the regional mexican music that -of cuorse- must stay (even if my fine middle-high class argentinean taste doesn't like it), hire new people, think out of the box, listen to other countries stations. Please RE INVENT hispanic radio in the US because it SUCKS!
Happy 2006, dude.
From Argentina, with love (and listening to Chile's Radioactiva FM)
 
> > > I'm just thinking that thwy will start playing Jose
> > > Feliciano's "Feliz navidaaaaaaaad" and I'm gonna puke...
> I
> >
> > > can't believe they do the same thing year after year,
> > > playing the same crap...
> >
> > Most listeners like that song. Of course, after your
> comment
> > on Mexcan regional music, we could expect nothig from you
> > that was not a slam on US Hispoanic radio, Mexican Music,
> > Puerto Rican music, and, generally, anything that is not
> > Argentine.
> >
>
> Wow... Who told you that people like it? I asked in these
> last 2 weeks to every single person I could when sations
> were playing that songs and I got a 100% "They suck!"

Unlike your "ask the friends who think like me" I actually ask listeners about songs. About 200 thousand of them a year.

> answer, pal... Maybe my poll is not the best one, but at
> least here in Miami, after years and years of the same thins
> (Every December 1 they do exactly the same thing!!!)

So do the english stations. The one that plays nothing but hoary old Christmas tunes generally increases its number sby about 50% on those "same old songs" that people who are not cynics and misanthropes actually like.

> these
> songs SUCK!.

Sez you. Most listeners like them as they represent the spirit of the Christmas season. Not my fault that you have the heart of ebaneezer Scrooge.

> This is the problem: They don't think about new
> stuff, they are in authomatic mode: they just do the same
> thing every year, the same songs, the same words... This is
> what pisses me off.

There was about 1 new Christmas song this year for the AC format... a stiff by John Secada. There is no new stuff. Christmas is a tradfitional season, and most listeners want to hear the traditional songs and villancicos, not new things. Same in English radio, too.

> Regarding my comment about mexican music, I still thinking
> the same, even if your polls, or your 2 pages Hispanic radio
> manual doesn't say so.

You are simply being a bigot. the music of one culture may not translate to your pseudo-European point of view, but regional Mexican music sells more in the US than any other kind of Spanish music, followed by Reggaetón. Banda music like Recodo and El Limon have platinum albums in the US, certified by the RIAA.

> And, finally: YES argentinean radio is 1000 times better
> than US Hispanic radio, but I think the same about the
> Spanish, Colombian, Peruvian, Mexican (made in mexico, not
> your disgusting stations) and Chilean.. Yes chilean radio...
> They think about new ideas, they change christmas songs (or
> they make their new ones every year) they re-think radio
> every day, man... Here I don't see that happening, I just
> read this easy answer: "People like it..." C'mon! That's not
> true.

There is a considerable difference in the tastes of immigrants and the people who stay in their coountries. The majority like what they hear, because they are consulted on what listeners want and given what most desire. Every song, in fact, whether on Clear Channel, SBS or Univsion Miami staitons, is researched one by one.

> Please, do something for this upcoming 2006: Start
> re-thinking hispanic radio in the US. Independient of the
> regional mexican music that -of cuorse- must stay (even if
> my fine middle-high class argentinean taste doesn't like
> it), hire new people, think out of the box, listen to other
> countries stations. Please RE INVENT hispanic radio in the
> US because it SUCKS!

Stations in other countries tend to focus on upper and middle income residents... the ones who don't immigrate. The working class everywhere is underserved, as they have less money. For example, Buenos aires has no full signal bailanta station despite this being the most popular music in terms of how many people it appels to... it is too "low class" for anyone to program. But the immigrants in the US come from the working class, by and large. But they now earn in dollars, and have incomes... and we program for them. Take your elitist South American views and shove them.

> Happy 2006, dude.
> From Argentina, with love (and listening to Chile's
> Radioactiva FM)

Radioactiva is owned by PRISA from Spain, and plys mostly English music. Why would a Spanish station int he US play English music, when there are dozens and dozens of stations playing that music already and very few Hispanics who speak Spanish who like that music in the US.

As my sociology professor at the PUC in Quito said 4 decades ago... "Latin America is not as much racist as clasist." You sure prove his point.
 
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