It’s 6 a.m. Do You Know Where Your Morning Show Is?
Do Your Listeners? Does It Matter?
Down the hall or across the country, when does local or syndicated make a difference?
Local or syndicated is one of the most difficult decisions a manager or programmer can make. Syndicated talent brings the buzz of a well-known name, the access to major artists and entertainers, and high production quality. Yet that national star cannot drive your auto association’s new car or open a new club or venue.
Local personalities can generate hometown loyalty, sponsorships, and endorsements and represent the station in the community, but their resources are limited — and local stars need time to develop fans and numbers. What are the factors to consider? Immediate costs? Market size? Is there a “honeymoon period,” and can you go back without alienating listeners and sponsors? Does a station sacrifice continuity and “synergy” when combining in-house and syndicated talent? How does it affect the industry as a whole?
At the Hispanic Radio Conference, our Behind the Radio Mic: Live and Local or Syndicated? panel experts will help you and your programmers make sense of the benefits both local and syndicated offer and what to expect after the dust has settled.
Moderator:
Mike McVay is SVP/programming for Cumulus Media and Cumulus Media Networks. His career spans over 35 years as a programmer, with consulting, management, ownership, and on-air experience, and he has developed and launched several nationally syndicated programs. He has programmed over 300 stations around the world. Among his numerous awards, McVay is a recipient of the Rockwell Award and was named one of the Top 40 Most Influential People in Radio by Radio Ink on its 2016 annual list. He is a member of the Country Radio Broadcasters board of directors and serves as an adviser to several media organizations.
Panelists:
Jose (Gonzo) Otero is national Hispanic brand manager and program director of WZTU/Miami. He was born in San Diego, CA, and started his radio career in 1998 in Tijuana, on air and in the creative department. He joined Univision Radio in 2004 and later worked at MVS Radio and Grupo Uniradio. He came to iHeartMedia in 2009 and has served as an air personality, PD, digital brand coordinator, operations manager, and national Hispanic brand manager, as well as supervised and developed multiple brands in Chicago, Fresno, and most recently Miami. Otero was instrumental in branding the iHeartRadio app to the Hispanic community nationally, working closely with local and national sales teams, and has produced iHeartMedia’s international tentpole event Fiesta Latina since 2014. Otero recently moved to Miami to program WZTU 94.9 and work with the recently created iHeartLatino platform.
Jesus Salas is EVP/programming and multi-platform coordinator for Spanish Broadcasting System. He began his career as an air personality and got his first programming job at age 19. In 1997, he was named PD for WSKQ-FM & WPAT-FM/New York. Salas has also held a post as senior PD with XM Satellite Radio. While at XM he spearheaded a successful national marketing campaign to grow the Hispanic subscriber base. In his current post with SBS, Salas oversees stations in the top U.S. Hispanic markets of New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco, and Puerto Rico.
Eduardo “Piolin” Sotelo is host of the nationally syndicated morning show El Show de Piolin, which debuted in 2015 and currently airs on 60 stations across the country. His career in U.S. radio personifies a modern day cross-cultural success story. After catching the attention of HBC in 2002, his show Piolín Por La Manaña soon dominated the ratings and was syndicated coast-to-coast. In 2006, he was credited with mobilizing the largest civil demonstrations in American history through massive rallies in Los Angeles and other major American cities on behalf of immigration reform. He has been inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame and was named Top Spanish Format Personality by the NAB for 2006, 2008, and 2010.
Book Now: The Hispanic Radio Conference has secured a limited number of rooms at the Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty Six at a special conference rate. Book your room now before they are gone!
Click here to register for the Hispanic Radio Conference.
Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six
Fort Lauderdale, FL
March 28-29, 2017
