Estrella’s León and Solis Talk Hispanic Radio’s Power

With one day until Hispanic Radio Conference 2023 begins at the InterContinental Miami at Doral, Radio Ink is setting the scene by talking with two industry leaders with Estrella Media, responsible for one of the most successful Hispanic stations in the country: Los Angeles’ Que Buena 105.5/94.3 (KBUE).

Saïd Garcia Solis is the Content Director for Que Buena Los Angeles Radio. He is an on-air member and producer for Estrella Media’s nationally syndicated Don Cheto Al Aire morning radio show, which is the #1 morning show in Los Angeles regardless of language.

Eddie León is the Executive Vice President of radio programming for Estrella Media’s national radio network. In his role, León is responsible for overseeing all radio programmers in the seventeen owned and operated radio stations across the US, including the widely popular Don Cheto Radio Network.

Radio Ink: Nielsen reported in 2022 that 97% of the Hispanic community listens to radio every month. That’s probably the largest portion out of any demographic. What’s something that Hispanic radio could teach non-Hispanic stations when it comes to engaging with an audience and making it that can’t-miss part of the community?

Eddie León: Well, that’s a tough one. You know, I think Hispanic listeners are definitely more attached to radio. I mean, here’s the answer: I wish other audiences would trust radio as much as Hispanic audience does.

Saïd Garcia Solis: Definitely. When I came to live in the US ten years ago, I was so surprised that the Latin community was so attached to radio. People wanted to hear radio everywhere. They like their music, their content, but also the DJs, and they make a real connection with the stations. I think so those feelings never stopped and they’re still growing.

Radio Ink: You’re FM broadcasters on Que Buena, but AM radio is the story of the month and has such important ties to the Hispanic community. What response do you hear from your listeners to automakers wanting to remove AM and the AM For Every Vehicle Act?

Eddie León: What I have heard is that it would definitely hurt Spanish listening. As we know, it doesn’t matter whether you’re AM or FM, it’s all about the content. There’s some AMs that are number one or top three in their market. It doesn’t matter. We need AM or FM. So it would be bad for radio in general for it to go away.

Saïd Garcia Solis: Definitely. I think it’s bad for the people who love and trust radio. But at the same time I think if you do good content you can host it anywhere and on any platform. So it’s not about where you listen, it’s about what you listen to.

Radio Ink: How do you see the role of technology and digital platforms in the future of Hispanic radio?

Eddie León: I personally see it as an amazing thing. We’re no longer attached to the coverage of one station. We see it with Don Cheto. The listenership with Don Cheto via streaming grows every day. I was in Mexico not too long ago. This is far, far from LA and people were listening to Don Cheto on portable speakers at a park. We have comments from Hispanics that are working abroad in China. Mexican-Americans that are in the US Army somewhere are listening to Don Cheto. I mean, that’s just incredible. It still amazes me. I mean, it’s been going on for a while, but it’s still amazing.

Saïd Garcia Solis: I think that technology and applications are our friend, not our enemies. It depends how we use it. For radio listeners, and also for radio content makers, this is a good opportunity to touch more people.

Radio Ink: Some people feel differently about technology – or, some technology, at lease. A lot of radio workers are concerned about artificial intelligence. What are your feelings on artificial intelligence as it pertains to Hispanic radio right now?

Eddie León: We’re analyzing, learning, taking seminars, and just getting all the info that is out there, while listening to the experts. I think there’s gonna be a lot of opportunities in that field and hopefully we’ll be ready soon.

Saïd Garcia Solis: I think artificial intelligence never will fully replace human talent, even with advanced technology. I was listening to [a deepfake of] Valentín Elizalde singing a Peso Pluma song last week. That is the kind of thing that artificial intelligence can do, but I don’t think they could host a radio show with good content if you don’t have someone human working on that.

Radio Ink: Let’s talk about Hispanic Radio Conference. I know that you both will both be there for the Medallas de Cortez. Why are events like Hispanic Radio Conference important to not just Hispanic radio, but the whole industry?

Saïd Garcia Solis: It’s a really good opportunity for Que Buena, for all Estrella media to go and talk about the importance of regional music radio. Working with the audience, we can build and repeat a Que Buena success. So we’re really excited to be there; we’re really excited to share a conference with Jesus Salas and Edgar Sotelo. We can’t wait.

Eddie León: As far as the importance, I think it’s very important for the leaders in this industry to share their success stories with the rest of the industry. When I started in this business, it would be my priority to go to all these conferences and NAB and all that and learn from people that were being successful. That’s how we started, so now it’s time for us to be sharing that with the rest of the industry.

Radio Ink: As we look forward at Hispanic Radio Conference, what has you both most excited about radio’s future?

Saïd Garcia Solis: I think the good thing is we have no boundaries. We don’t have limitations in how can radio could grow. Some people think radio is dying and I feel it completely the opposite way. We have the opportunity to make a base, grow, and deal in any kind of app or technology that appears. If you present good content, radio can be there all the time.

Eddie León: I’m along the same line of thought. Like Saïd said, I’m very excited about no more boundaries. I’m also excited for having access to all the data that we have now. We can see what works, what doesn’t, and how we can adjust to today’s world and to the future. All the tools we have available – those have me excited. It’s almost like starting all over. Hey, the whole landscape has changed. Now you’re not limited anymore to your signal coverage and you have a lot of data. Competition is tougher than ever because it’s no longer your radio station competition next door, but it’s another thousand or a million entertainment sources. So you just got to be better. You just got to work harder. Survival of the fittest.