The Executive Roundtable at the Hispanic Radio Conference brought together industry leaders to discuss key topics and trends impacting the Hispanic radio landscape. Moderated by Jay Meyers, President/CEO of Broadcast, Management, and Technology, the panel included Eric Garcia, VP of Multiplatform Sales at TelevisaUnivision, Donny Hudson, EVP Local Media at SBS, Maire Mason, EVP/GM at Spanish Broadcasting System, and Jeffrey Liberman, President/COO of Entravision.
The Future of AM Radio
During the discussion, Garcia shared insights on the future of AM radio, noting that his company had recently divested AM properties. However, he expressed confidence in the potential for AM radio to thrive under new ownership, particularly through strategic improvements and investments.
Hudson highlighted the importance of AM radio in keeping communities informed during emergencies and its role as a valuable resource in small markets. Despite the challenges, the panelists agreed that AM radio could still have relevance and success, especially when utilized for niche formats and smaller audiences. Liberman also acknowledged the internet connectivity issues faced by AM radio and stressed the need to leverage AM frequencies for specialized formats such as individual genres of Hispanic music.
Political Ad Revenue Prospects for 2024
The panelists delved into the prospects for political ad revenue in the upcoming 2024 elections. Mason expressed the desire to see political ad spending mirror the significant investment witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly targeting the Hispanic audience. Liberman shared positive insights from the 2022 elections, highlighting Entravision’s highest political ad spend ever recorded, and projected an even greater expenditure in 2024. Hudson echoed this sentiment, predicting a significant increase in political ad spending in the next election cycle.
The panelists discussed the need for initiatives that focus on Hispanic audiences and political advertising. They noted that two billionaires running in the 2020 elections had sparked interest but stressed the importance of starting early and making a compelling case to political advertisers. Mason emphasized the need to assign ad slots to political parties and begin planning for the 2024 election cycle to secure political ad revenue.
The discussion concluded with a consensus that now is the opportune time to strategize and engage political advertisers, maximizing the potential revenue for Hispanic radio stations in the upcoming elections.
