Top formats in recent survey

[Walter Graff]

Top 3 Radio Formats

African American White
Hispanics Blacks Asians Caucasians
Rock R&B Rock Rock
Latin/Hispanic Hip-Hop Top 40/Pop Oldies
Hip-Hop Religious News Country

Source: BIGresearch SIMM 11


Another reason why country would do well in NY.

 

[davideduardo]

Top 3 Radio Formats

African American White
Hispanics Blacks Asians Caucasians
Rock R&B Rock Rock
Latin/Hispanic Hip-Hop Top 40/Pop Oldies
Hip-Hop Religious News Country

Source: BIGresearch SIMM 11


Another reason why country would do well in NY.

That is such an oversimplification it is not even amusing.

There are a half-dozen different kinds of rock formats, from AAA to Alternative. In different markets, they stack up differently or not at all. Country does very well where there is a country lifestyle, and poorley where there is not.

In African American audiences, the leading formats are Urban (which is really Black CHR with r&b, hip hop, slow jamz, etc), urban AC, Smooth Jazz and Gospel.

For Hispanics (and "Hispanic / Latin" is a culture, not a format) they are Regional Mexican, Spanish Pop/AC, English CHR, Tropical, urban, English AC. Rock is way down the list.

Whoever did that survey is seriously research challenged. Do you have a link?

 

[Walter Graff]

Actually as simplification goes it's spot on. Big Research is a very well respected and accurate company.

 

[davideduardo]

Actually as simplification goes it's spot on. Big Research is a very well respected and accurate company.

Big may be a factor in online research and certain areas of consumer research, but the blew it big time on this one. There is total disagreement with the data on Arbitron's site based on tabulation of all their rated markets, for example.

In the Hispanic area, they are so wrong, as I said, that it is not even amusing.

In this case, they say the most listend to are rock, "Hispanic / Latin" and hip hop. Nothing could be further from the truth. Nationally, about 55% of Hispanics are Spanish dominant and another 20% are bilingual and use Spanish language radio more than English rado. That means that the leading formats or genres are among the Spanish language formats. Forgiving them the major error of saying that there is an "Hispanic format" (what is the Caucasian format or the African American format? What absolute idiots!) the major formats are those I listed, in that order... Regional Mexican (including gold based versions), Pop/AC in Spanish, etc. Rock is way down on the list, and the leading English formats for Hispanics are CHR, Urban and English AC.

Based on the Hispanic list, I would question the rest of the results based on the Arbitron data and logic. For example, in non-Hispanic whites, AC is much more important a format than Oldies to cite just one example.

 

[Walter Graff]

I don't look it as wrong. Big Research is very successful at direct consumer research and trends. Arbitron does theirs a different way. I worked for Nielson and company so know how 'unofficial' a lot of what they and others do is. I often say to see some truths that you are close to you have to step back and let someone else look for you. The discrepancy explains to me why many companies get flips wrong. And I certainly don't take Arbitron as fact, merely their own take. And history writes that while Arbitron has said one thing the radio industry has found out something different. Example:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE1D6113AF936A15752C0A965958260



It's all opinion anyway you look at it. But I trust Arbitron as much as I trust record companies who tell me how many records of a particular artist were sold. Yea I worked for three of the biggest record companies too so have seen that reality.

 

[davideduardo]

I don't look it as wrong.

If over 60% of US Hispanics are Spanish dominant and another significant percentage bilingual, how would it even be possible for an English langauge format to be the leading option among Hispanics? Again, the morons at Big have called "Hispanic" a format when it is, in fact, a cultural group and there are more potential FORMATS in Spanish than in English, at least a dozen of which are viable in diffrerent parts of the US.

The findings are totally bogus among Hispanics just based on language usage and logic. That the findings are so absolutely and totally wrong p´laces the entire study in doubt.

Just try making a few hundred calls to Hispanics in, let's say, LA, and you will find that past 24 hour radio usage will give you over 60% of time spent with Spanish language stations and under 40% spent with English stations, and the leading formats (except for tropical, which is not a West Coast format) to fall exactly in line with what I stated: Regional Mexican, AC in Spanish, Spanish adult hits(subset of regional), Pop in Spanish, CHR in English, Churban in English, AC in English and then various minor choices like Alternative, Smooth Jazz, etc.

Looking at Hispanic adults 18+ over the last 10 years, rock stations (KROQ, KLOS, Indie and others that have come and gone) is under 4% of the total. Just the smooth jazz station gets around 4% alone, and the English oldies station does the same. Were this a one book thing, that could be challenged but the use of 40 books is pretty conclusive as we are looking at hundreds of thousands of diaries, 40% of which are Hispanic.

 

[neo11]

Actually, I think this survey proves that country would *not* do well in New York. Let's look at this one step at a time:

1. Country is #3 among white people (not even #1, as some people would claim) nationwide, but does not show up among Blacks, Hispanics and Asians.

2. The NYC area has a very large percentage of Blacks, Hispanics and Asians and other ethnic/racial groups.

3. The survey reflects preferences nationwide, including country-friendly regions in the Midwest and South. But this is like comparing apples to oranges. You can't compare New York City with the south or the midwest. A survey of preferences from New York City, the tri-state area, New York State or even the entire northeast would be more revealing.

3a. And if such a survey happened, in the NYC area or in the northeast, I am willing to bet that country would not make it even to #3 among whites, let alone #1 or #2. AC, Hot AC, CHR, classic rock, oldies/classic hits, r&b, rhythmic, news/talk and sports and probably others would more than likely rank ahead of country. And of course, it would likely not even be on the radar among blacks, hispanics or asians. And it would likely perform very poorly if you looked at 25-54 or 18-34 breakdowns which the radio stations care about.

4. Even much of the white population here is foreign born, and this population is far less likely to listen to country music.

5. The survey, at least as posted here, says nothing about the demographic breakdown of who was surveyed and the individual respondents. For instance, who are the people that chose "country" as their favorite format. How old are they? Where do they live? Show us some demographic (and geographic) breakdowns. A radio station is going to look at the demos, and if the right demos aren't there for a particular format, the format is not going to go on the air.

6. Finally, it ignores the reality of past attempts to put country on the airwaves in this area. WYNY had low ratings when it went off the air...while KTU skyrocketed to #1 on the same frequency when it was launched. Country failed on Long Island numerous times in the past decade despite supposedly being an area that is "country friendly." The Y-107 quadcast went under despite its signal being strongest in suburban areas that, again, were supposedly "country friendly" and despite a strong on-air lineup.

 

[Walter Graff]

"If over 60% of US Hispanics are Spanish dominant and another significant percentage bilingual, how would it even be possible for an English langauge format to be the leading option among Hispanics? Again, the morons at Big have called "Hispanic" a format when it is, in fact, a cultural group and there are more potential FORMATS in Spanish than in English, at least a dozen of which are viable in different parts of the US."


It's clear you have no experience buying Spanish language advertising. I say that with no malice. I'll tell you what is always the first to go when the budget goes on radio and TV advertising for the many large companies I work with. Ready? Spanish advertising is the first thing we drop. Why? Because most all Spanish consumers watch and listen to English radio and TV. We get the same saturation to the Hispanic community advertising on Dancing With the Stars as we do with a Novella. In fact far more! And every subsequent generation is more and more English speaking and into English speaking culture. We know that because we have done extensive market testing to show that. And we know that from real world examples of dropping Spanish advertising and watching it have no effect on sales in many categories with Hispanic buyers. Sure the Hispanic marketers don't want to face that reality but I am in the business of selling products and services so look beyond pride. So when budgets go, the first thing we drop is Spanish marketing unless it speaks very directly to the culture through Spanish outlets specifically. It matters little how many formats there are. Yes there are certain Spanish cultural things found on Spanish speaking radio and TV that Hispanics will turn to, but they are less and less important to the Hispanic culture as a whole and the recent research by Big only revalidates that.

Thanks for your discussion.

 

[Walter Graff]

2. The NYC area has a very large percentage of Blacks, Hispanics and Asians and other ethnic/racial groups.

Populations numbers and those that listen to radio are two different things. As in NYC has eight million people but a disproportionate number who own cars.

I hope a company does country here as I think you will find it will bills quite well. Of course it's not just about a format but about doing it right. Rock has often done poorly in NY, but I attribute that to many stations simply not getting the formula right.

 

[davideduardo]

It's clear you have no experience buying Spanish language advertising.

Yeah, right That is about the most amusing thing I have heard today, short of the format usage by Hispnics.

I say that with no malice.

No, it's just a wrong assumption based on lack of knowledge.

I'll tell you what is always the first to go when the budget goes on radio and TV advertising for the many large companies I work with.

Those must be some ill-informed companies. Hispanic media has shown, in radio and TV, the only growth int he last 18 months... double digit in radio. This is because of the growing, and well studied, awareness that Hispanics who are Spanish dominant don't use English media, and bilinguals use more Spanish media than English, and are more easily sold in their birth language. Spanish media usage is driven by a lot more than language ability... it is primarily cultural since English media can not replace the musical taste, the lifestyle elements and other aspects preferred by aculturated but not assimilated Hispanics.

Ready? Spanish advertising is the first thing we drop.

Stupid. If 60% of US Hispanics can only be reached by Spanish media, and another 10% to 15% are sold much more efficiently in Spanish, you are skipping approximately 35 million consumers who will never hear your message. Other marketers and agencies see the Hispanic segment as giving the best ROI as many are brand conscious, but not firmly wed to American brands.

Why? Because most all Spanish consumers watch and listen to English radio and TV.

Less than 40% do, and about 25% nationally listen or view exclusively to English.

We get the same saturation to the Hispanic community advertising on Dancing With the Stars as we do with a Novella.

You get almost totally different people. Novela (with one "l") viewers are among the least likely to use any English media.

And every subsequent generation is more and more English speaking and into English speaking culture.

That may be true in 20 or so years, but today, the huge majority either uses no English media at all, or uses it less /at parity with Spanish langauge media.

We know that because we have done extensive market testing to show that.

BS. Your statements defy everything we know about the language and cultural behaviour of Hispanics. Again, 60% don't have enough English proficiency to use English media at all. And, culturally, speaking for radio, the music on English stations for that 60% is ugly and unappealing as it has no cultural relationship with the Spanish dominant Hispanics.

And we know that from real world examples of dropping Spanish advertising and watching it have no effect on sales in many categories with Hispanic buyers.

Since it so obvious that you know little about Hispanic culture, it is likely your organization is not using culturally adjusted and correct commercials... like badly dubbed or translated English spots converted to Spanish. There are 35 million US Hispanics who will never respond to an English ad because they will not either hear them or understand them.

Sure the Hispanic marketers don't want to face that reality but I am in the business of selling products and services so look beyond pride.

Again, you can not reach, ever, 35 million consumers and many more, bilinguals, will not respond as well to English commercials.

So when budgets go, the first thing we drop is Spanish marketing unless it speaks very directly to the culture through Spanish outlets specifically. It matters little how many formats there are. Yes there are certain Spanish cultural things found on Spanish speaking radio and TV that Hispanics will turn to, but they are less and less important to the Hispanic culture as a whole and the recent research by Big only revalidates that.

Music preferences are formed in early adolescence... so anyone who grew up in Latin America or Puerto Rico will not like English music. Spanish langauge TV is culturally closer to Hispanics as it reflects the family and societal values of Hispanics, many of which are taken into the 3rd generation. For example, I have two daughters who live on the mainland, and both listen to Spanish music and view Spanish TV despite being 100% bilingual.... they detest rock and other English language music forms... they certainly are not of limited horizons as one has a law degree and the other an MBA. I've been on the Mainland, have reasonably good English, and never use English radio except for when there is an Earthquake in LA. You can't reach me via Anglo tripe like Dancing.

 

[davideduardo]

Populations numbers and those that listen to radio are two different things.

You will find that radio usage is fairly consistent across the US both in terms of the percantage that use radio and the amount of weekly time the average person listens.

As in NYC has eight million people but a disproportionate number who own cars.

It's funny that you are talking about media, and yet don't know the population of the New York MSA for radio (15.3 million 12+) or for the New York DMA (7.3 million households).

I hope a company does country here as I think you will find it will bills quite well.

It's been tried and slowly ceased to bill well, to the point that today there is barely a lifestyle group to even listen.

 

[Walter Graff]

Seems your problem is you can't simply accept another opinion and have to 'prove' yourself right. Okay you are right. I give in. Conversation over. Now you can feel better.

 

[davideduardo]

Seems your problem is you can't simply accept another opinion and have to 'prove' yourself right. Okay you are right. I give in. Conversation over. Now you can feel better.

That's a nice way of wiggling out of adressing the facts... there are absolutely none to back your contentions. Just thinking that you believe that the 60-some percent of Hispanics who have no functional English can be sold with English media is quite amusing.

 

[Walter Graff]

Don't forget my very effective Spanish radio and TV too besides my anglocentric stuff!

 

[davideduardo]

Don't forget my very effective Spanish radio and TV too besides my anglocentric stuff!

I see no evidence of anything Hispanic on your website. I would presume you use an Hispanic producer, writer and talent for such material.

In any case, I still take exception with your statement about reaching Hispanics in English, since 60% of US Hispanics can't even understand that language at the degree of complexity of an ad campaign. Further, any English campaigns are generally not culturally attuned to Hispanics, and are vastly less effective even with Hispanics who are bilingual. There is a lot more than language involved there... there is a totally different cultural value set.

Here is a non-copyright statement by an expert in Hispanic marketing that also shows that your assumptions are inaccurate or incorrect:

Today, everyone talks about acculturation, but do we really understand how Hispanics acculturate?

What you see is not always what you get

One day [months] ago, on the same day the Puerto Rican Day parade took place, I found myself in Spanish Harlem, a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in New York City. I was eating tacos at one of the most authentic “taquerias” outside of Mexico and I just couldn’t stop thinking about the acculturation process among Hispanics and how much it has changed over the past decade. This was the kind of place you would always believe was patronized almost exclusively by unacculturated, or at least low acculturated, Hispanic consumers.

Suddenly all of the preconceived notions that the industry holds about acculturation were shattered as I watched a Hispanic male of Mexican descent dressed in jeans and python cowboy boots pull out a brand new video iPod and then place a call on a very fancy, high-tech cell phone. I was moved to strike up a conversation with my fellow patron and discovered that he was 35 years old, hails from Puebla, Mexico, and has been living in New York for less than a year. Like many Mexicans in New York he works in the kitchen of a restaurant in midtown Manhattan from Monday thru Saturday. He doesn’t speak English, but he owns an iPod. Afterwards, on the way home, I was driving down on Park Avenue and a black Rolls Phantom with a huge Puerto Rican flag on the trunk passed me. Yes, a Rolls Royce. Yet many upscale/affluent brands question if there’s really an opportunity in reaching Hispanics.

Today, everyone talks about acculturation, but do we really understand how Hispanics acculturate? Or do we only think we do?

Acculturation among Hispanics in America is a complex and multi-layered process that should not be influenced by obsolete models that no longer apply to today’s Hispanic market.

The not-so-simple fact is that acculturation is no longer an uncomplicated process where an individual adopts the English language and the American culture until he or she becomes highly acculturated or, in many instances, even assimilated. (Keep in mind that acculturation and assimilation are very different. Assimilation means that one completely adopts a new culture and leaves his home culture behind. Acculturation means that he allows for the host and home cultures to blend and interact in the way one adopts language, trends, behaviors, customs, etc.)

The acculturation process has drastically changed in the past decades. Hispanics as well as any other immigrants moving to the U.S. acculturate in various ways based on different factors such as their age at time of arrival, education, socio-economic level, type of job, motivation for migration, country of origin and final destination in the U.S.

For instance, if we think about the Cubans that immigrated in the 1960’s, they had to acculturate much faster because they could not go back home for political reasons, the availability of Spanish language media was very limited, and products from back home were not available. If you analyze the current environment, you will see a completely different picture that is influencing the way in which Hispanics acculturate. It is now a process by choice rather than need.

Today, foreign-born Hispanics are coming to a country with less cultural tension where it’s cool to be Hispanic, where “salsa” has surpassed ketchup as the number one selling condiment in the U.S., where mainstream artists like Beyoncé and J. Lo are doing a reverse crossover by recording songs in Spanish language and where “Cinco de Mayo” has become a major party occasion among non-Hispanics. Here’s a list of other factors to consider:

• The number of Spanish language TV and radio stations continues to grow and companies like Clear Channel are converting English language stations across the country into Spanish language stations.

• Univision has beaten all English language networks in many occasions such as with the finale of “La Fea Mas Bella”.

• The number one radio station among all persons in the Los Angeles DMA is a Spanish language station.

• Stores like Fiesta, Carnival and Supermercados continue to open new stores catering to Hispanics with all sorts of products from Latin America. Shopping at one of these stores feels like going into a supermarket in Mexico, Colombia or Guatemala.

• Hispanics are no longer concentrated on the West Coast, in the South, Florida, or New York. They are everywhere. States such as North and South Carolina, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, Georgia and even Tennessee have three-digit Hispanic population growth rates.

The fact is that the U.S. is no longer a melting pot but a “salad bowl” where Hispanics are able to maintain their cultural identity, language, traditions and cherry-pick what they want and like from the U.S. culture.

Hispanics can now move to the U.S. and live exactly the way they lived in their country of origin without having to speak a word in English if they live in certain Hispanic neighborhoods and cities. These include neighborhoods such as Pico Rivera in L.A., Hialeah in Miami, Washington Heights in New York City, or Maple Avenue in Dallas.
Hispanics are an integral part of the U.S. culture, and marketers and media companies need to understand that. The acculturation process is starting to slow down significantly, and true bilingualism is becoming more predominant among U.S. born Hispanics and foreign-born kids. These kids go into the U.S. public school system and become proficient in English but still can’t lose their Spanish in order to communicate with their parents or perhaps to serve as facilitators to help their parents navigate the complex maze that the U.S. represents.

Next time you go to an electronics store think twice if you see Hispanics that might appear to be unacculturated and you ask yourself what they are doing there. Don’t be fooled into thinking that you can determine a Hispanic’s level of acculturation just by the way he or she dresses or by the accoutrements they own or the language they prefer to speak. Acculturation is too complex and marketers should be warned never to judge a book by its cover. They need to read a few chapters before they can really understand how they should speak to this market and what language they should use.

Halim Trujillo is Director of Multicultural Planning for MindShare North America. He can be reached at [email protected] or 212-297-7102.

 

[Walter Graff]

Sorry forgot the link when asked. This is only a synopsis of the paid report, but telling enough as a one-page.

http://www.bigresearch.com/samples/big-simm11-race.pdf

 

[davideduardo]

Sorry forgot the link when asked. This is only a synopsis of the paid report, but telling enough as a one-page.

http://www.bigresearch.com/samples/big-simm11-race.pdf

That report is so whacked it is not funny.

Let's look at the Hispanic part
Supposed Hispanic formats by popularity
Rock
Latin
Hip Hop
R&B
Oldies
Top 40 / Pop
Alternative
Country
talk
Jazz
News
Classical
Religious
Blues
New Age

Lets´s look at that one.
I added shares in 16 of the top 20 Hispanic markets which range from 21% Hispanic (New York) to 92% Hispanic (McAllen Brownsville).

In general, the multiple and diverse Spanish language formats lumped together take on average 60% to 70% of all the listening by Hispanics. The next most popular is CHR / Churban (which is a mix of hip hop and Top 40... there are no real pure hip hop formats anyway).

Except for a couple of very long-term assimilated markets like San Antonio or Albuquerque, there is zero listening by Hispanics to Country.

Alternative and rock account for less than 6% of total listening in all markets except San Antonio and Albuquerque. English talk stations are the last thing Hispanics will listen to as they are nearly all conservative while hispanics, except for Miami, are nearly 95% Democrats and either can't understand conservative talk or hate it.

There are nearly no jazz stations in the US. The few that exist are non-commercial, and get no Hispanic listening.

There are zero new age stations in the US. There are no classical stations in 15 of the top 20 Hispanic markets: you can not lsiten to what you can not hear. I don't think there is a blues station in any of the top 100 Hispanic markets. The listing of these three is total BS... and it stinks.

Sports is nearly Hispanic-free. Hispanics like three sports, soccer, soccer and soccer. English sports stations don't do Mexican and Latin American soccer. Sorry, no cultural interest at all.

Religious is near the bottom. Most markets don't have a Spanish religious station, as about 90% or more of Hispanics are Catholic.

In the Southwest, where 70% of US Hispanics live, r&b has absolutely no appeal at all. There is hardly even a residual level of Hispanic listening to R&B or true urban formats, in fact. The music is quite repulsive to Mexican origin Hispanics and those from Central America.

The formats in many cases are non-existent. In others, have totally no appeal to Hispanics in the US. And the fact remains that the average is around 60% to 70% or more for Hispanic listening to Spanish langauge stations. The survey says 37%.... off by nearly half.

The survey says 40% of Hispanics listen to rock and 25% to Alternative. The reality is that it is around 5% to 6% for both combined...

Even funnier is the idea that African Americans listen to Spanish language stations!!!!!

That study, insofar as Hispanics are concerned, is turning out to be the biggest piece of crap I have seen in nearly five decades in radio.

 

[mimo]

First off, the lead off post in this topic (although incredibly flawed) shows that country was 3rd most popular among ONE out of FOUR ethnic groups. That alone would show why country would fail in New York.

Second of all David is 100% right. Hispanics are a Race, (and a diverse one at that) not a language or format. Music that is popular in Mexico is not popular in Puerto Rico. Each nationality has very distinct genres of music, and I can name 4 genres that are huge in Mexico that may get played on the same stations, both in Mexico and here in the U.S. (Norteña, Banda, Ranchera, Grupos/Cumbias). Each is very different from the other. Many countries also listen to more than just one style of music.

Secondly with regards to Latinos, many marketing studies have shown that hispanics are the fastest growing demographic/ethnic group as far as disposable income. The rate of wealth in the latino community in the United States is growing FASTER than any other community. More and more latinos are buying big ticket items at a rate thats larger than any other group.

Third David is a bit wrong about one thing. Sports..while most of Latin America does love soccer, in Cuba, Domincan Republic and the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico, it's all about Baseball. Boxing is popular among many hispanic males as well. Even Venezuela is a go0d split with soccer and baseball.

 

[davideduardo]

Second of all David is 100% right. Hispanics are a Race, (and a diverse one at that) not a language or format. Music that is popular in Mexico is not popular in Puerto Rico. Each nationality has very distinct genres of music, and I can name 4 genres that are huge in Mexico that may get played on the same stations, both in Mexico and here in the U.S. (Norteña, Banda, Ranchera, Grupos/Cumbias). Each is very different from the other. Many countries also listen to more than just one style of music.

One little correction to a well reasoned statement: Hispanic is not a race... it is a culture. There are Black Hispanics, White Hispanics, Indigenous Hispanics and even Asian Hispanics and all manner of combinations. The US Census has a race question with multiple choices and then an Hispanic question which is a y/n question. The only unifying quality is usage of or a family history of the usage of Spanish. It's vague and confusing, but required by the civil rights legislation of the 60's and 70's... before the '80 Census, 90% of Hispanics were included in the "white" category in fact.

You are one of the first to recognize that Hispanics listen to much more diverse selections of formats... the same Arbitron diary may contain a regional Mexican format, a Spanish oldies format and a pop or ballad format... because much music among Hispanics is multigenerational where parents and grandparents and kids will listen to the same stations and music styles.

Secondly with regards to Latinos, many marketing studies have shown that hispanics are the fastest growing demographic/ethnic group as far as disposable income. The rate of wealth in the latino community in the United States is growing FASTER than any other community. More and more latinos are buying big ticket items at a rate thats larger than any other group.

While Mr. Graff reflects old-line thinking, the fact is that in LA, the leading Lexus dealer sells 60% of its new cars to Hispanics and most ask for a Spanish speaking salesperson. Opposite is the marketing manager for a famous European entry level luxury car in the Tri State area who said to an Hispanic sales rep, "your listeners don't buy our cars, they steal them." Interestingly, that brand was the biggest selling over-$30 k car in Puerto Rico at the time... where everyone is both an American and Hispanic.

Third David is a bit wrong about one thing. Sports..while most of Latin America does love soccer, in Cuba, Domincan Republic and the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico, it's all about Baseball. Boxing is popular among many hispanic males as well. Even Venezuela is a go0d split with soccer and baseball.

Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth since 1952, not a territory. And it is rare there to have 600 people at a baseball game. The sport is entirely 60+ and has been for several decades. Most of the Island teams are not broadcast on radio at all, and none on TV any more. In any case, Only the Greater Antilles and small parts of Northern Mexico, Nicaragua and areas of Venezuela have any baseball interst... the rest of Latin America is 100% soccer oriented and has little interest in American (as in US of America) sports.

Soccer fills 80,000 person stadium facilities in Venezuela, while baseball there often plays to near empty stadiums. The interest in the sport is mostly the chance in a million to get to the majors in the US and become rich.

 

[mimo]

The diversity with various races was what I meant. I've known many people from the Domincan Republic who are black and just as many who are as white as I am. I've seen Mexicans with blonde hair and blue eyes. You basically cleared up what I meant. My posting about baseball was with my experience with the Puerto Ricans and Dominican's I've known, they are obsessed with the Yankees, and god forbid if you touch the tv when the Yankees play the Red Sox. All the talented players end up in Major League Ball which may explain the low turnout at local Stadiums. I'm sure WADO does quite well when they carry Yankee games.

For music, I've always told people that in Latin America, they have more choice in music formats on radio than we do. They get all the genres we have, plus all the national/regional music. While not every format is tremendously popular, I've noticed that Latinos are more diverse musically than Caucasians. As far as English music among hispanics, I've known more who are into dance and rap music than rock, although Spanish language rock is very go0d, and mexico has a really go0d death metal scene. Whenever I lo0k up 80's goth or alternative videos on youtube, I'm surprised at how a go0d portion of the comments are in Spanish.

Since Latinos are the largest ethnic minority (to me an oxymorron) it only makes sense that the income levels would be rising as fast as their percentage of the population. Sabado Gigante is still the highest rated tv show on Saturday nights on ANY tv network, and to not advertise on that show is pure foolishness. I even know Anglos who watch the show, mostly for the eye candy, but if you are bilingual like I am, it's an addicting show.