Spanish-language Programming for PEG channels
Spanish-language Programming for PEG channels
Ramón Torres
Station Manager
KCLV City of Las Vegas
Before you ask the question, “Why carry programming in Spanish?” ask, “why not?” Very few communities around the country can say they do not have a true need for providing information to their Spanish-speaking residents. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanics now outnumber African-Americans as the largest minority group in the country (U.S. Census Bureau Jan., 2003). The incredible Hispanic population boom seen in recent years has visibly changed the face and economy of cities like Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Miami, and even in Rogers, Arkansas where the Hispanic population has increased recently by 600%, (NBC News Aug. 02). As another example, Las Vegas, Nevada is not only the number one city to live in the country, (Money Magazine Jan. 03), but now also home to the largest growing Hispanic community.
America’s leading companies like McDonalds, Levi’s, Ford and Citibank, to list just a few, are constantly trying to find new ways to pitch their products and services to the Hispanic market. HBO, Showtime, ESPN and CNN all offer dedicated channels in Spanish that are carried on special or expanded programming choices through the Dish Network, Direct TV and major cable providers. Lawmakers all across the country are enrolling in Spanish 101. So if the “ethnic group” with the largest surge in buying and voting influence in America is making those heads turn, it is probably a good idea for all of us to take notice.
Newscasters Jorge Ramos of Univision and Maria Celeste Arrarás of Telemundo typically draw a bigger audience than Tom Brokaw. Local Spanish-language newscasts often beat out their English-language counterparts in major markets across the country. As with any specialized programming, Spanish-language programs will draw an audience, which previously may have not tuned in to your station. Adding or expanding Spanish-language programming to your PEG channel line-up may expand your viewer-ship but more importantly, allow you to provide much needed information to your entire community.
Content
Carrying Spanish-language programming does not have to be an expensive proposition. But if providing a Spanish-language simulcast of a city council or county commission meeting is your first impulse, the cost may be surprising. Outsourcing the service can run anywhere from $95 to $400 per hour for real-time translation and interpretation. Adding Spanish closed captioning would generate an additional cost. It is a multi-step process, each generating a charge. It is a newly expanding niche in the industry so pricing is still high. There may also be some technical limitations related to how the local cable provider inserts the captioning signal. Although “regionalisms” exist in the Spanish language, most programming prepared for broadcast by a professional firm tends and should conform to a more standard language.
Organizations in your community may provide financial or technical assistance in developing content for your channel. Spanish clubs, Latin/Hispanic chambers of commerce, history and ethnic clubs may also be a great source for information. In addition, special grants and funding are available to offset the cost of captioning, translation and certain programming. Several organizations like NASA and the Department of Education currently offer Spanish-language overdubs of some of their programs free of charge. Before the Census 2000 results were published, WGBH-TV, Boston had shown an interest in offering its entire NOVA library in Spanish to government access channels at a minimal cost. Now PBS is considering a new channel programmed entirely in Spanish, a sign of the times.
How to do it.
In Las Vegas, we have created a partnership with the local Univision affiliate, KINC-TV Channel 15, (Entravision Communications Corp.). En Contacto con la Comunidad (In Touch with the Community) is a half hour, in-studio program produced monthly by the city. The content of the program is a combination of original stories produced by city staff and community related stories repurposed from the local Univision newscast. The program is also hosted by the private sector’s talent. This combination allows the city of Las Vegas to provide a program with a very high level of production and content value. The partnership also provides an immeasurable cross promotion benefit for the city station every time the program is mentioned in the Univision newscast, now one of the top three stations in Las Vegas.
Bulletin board programming in Spanish is a must. Basic, concise information presented in an appealing format will always attract an audience. Using, traditional or bolero background music works best. This music is regularly found on digital cable music sources.
By combining some original programs with outsourced shows, a “block” (two to three hours) of programming can be developed. This will keep interested viewers watching longer and develop more of an interest in your station and hopefully carry over to English-language programming. In Las Vegas, our two-hour Spanish block runs four times during the week. The response from the community has been very positive.
Providing a link to an automated English-Spanish translator for your website is also a plus although the translation will be word by word rather than literal which makes for interesting reading. Expect some feedback.
For a live video stream and video on demand of all our original programs, please visit
Sources
NASA…Destination Tomorrow or El Destino es Mañana other programming in English also
Free available on Beta SP 5 x 26min
5 part series originally in English, overdubbed to Spanish
Contact: Kevin Krigsvold Education Coordinator
NASA-Langly Research Center
(757) 864-8711
kkrigsvold@larc.
Annenberg/CPB Various series and programs free upon satellite down link agreement in English & Spanish. Catalog available.
60 Garden Street, MS 82
Cambridge, MA 02138
channel@
800-228-8030
channel
U.S. Department of Education Education News 1hr monthly live satellite feed in English with Sec. Rod Paige. Ships out later in Spanish
Also “Vamos Juntos a la Escuela”…or “Together we go to school”. Great program on promoting parents involvement in their child’s education. All free--multi format.
Contact: Ida Roxana Eblinger, Associate Producer
400 Maryland Ave. S.W.
Room 5E221
Washington, DC 20202
202-401-1374
ida_eblinger@
sateliteevent
SB2000 Small business series formerly on PBS “Pequeña Empresa en el Año 2000”
5 series 13x26min episodes avail overdubbed in Spanish
7 series 13x26min episodes avail in English
Contact: Lydia Curtis
504-737-0089
curtis@
PAHO Pan-American Health Organization…psa’s & documentaries free of charge Multi format
Contact: Maria Esmeralda Paguaga, Marketing/Video Production
525 Twenty-third Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20037
(202) 974-3849
paguagam@
InTeleCom Several series free to certain states including CA, NY, Ill, TX, FL
Cross Walks Café, Preserving the Legacy, On Common Ground
626-796-7300
ILCE Instituto Latinoamericano de Communicación Educativa
Over 90 hours of educational, documentary and cultural programming
Contact: Leslie Zambrano
International Marketing
From the U.S. dial direct 011-52-55-5555-5105 Mexico City
ilce.edu.mx
(Sat feeds may be available soon)
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