The numbers don’t lie: radio’s future speaks Spanish. Broadcast radio reaches over 93% of Hispanic adults monthly, and with the 2026 World Cup kicking off June 11 across 16 North American host cities, the commercial opportunity converging on Hispanic radio right now is unlike anything the format has seen.
Lining up with the 2026 Hispanic Radio Conference, the May issue of Radio Ink is all about it.
From the trailblazer who built a bilingual, coast-to-coast syndicated movement out of COVID-era uncertainty to the finalists competing for Hispanic radio’s highest honor, this issue is a blueprint for what the medium can do when it serves community on the community’s terms.
Cover Story: Edgar “Shoboy” Sotelo
Spend five minutes with Edgar “Shoboy” Sotelo, and Radio Ink Editor-in-Chief Cameron Coats makes clear you’ll understand exactly why this man has turned a show launched during the pandemic’s darkest days into 40 markets and counting. Shoboy didn’t just cross over from Spanish radio to English Top 40; he helped redefine what bicultural radio sounds like.
From his family’s immigration story and his brother Eddie “Piolin” Sotelo’s early influence, to what it sounds like when bilingual radio actually works, Shoboy talks candidly about the power of the Latino dollar, his love for radio’s community, and his career so far.
Trouble at the Top: Navigating the Mental Toll of Radio’s Latest Disappearing Role
The instability that once defined life for on-air talent has climbed the org chart. Market manager roles are being eliminated, regionalized, or quietly restructured out of existence. The people tasked with steadying their teams are now living with much of the same uncertainty as the people they lead.
For Mental Health Awareness Month, Radio Ink convenes a roundtable with crisis response specialist Bob VandePol, broadcaster and mental health advocate Kelly Orchard, and broadcast consultant Dave Bethell to talk honestly about what that shift is doing inside radio organizations and what leaders can actually do about it.
The 2026 Medallas de Cortez Finalists
Named for Raoul Cortez, the country’s first full-time Spanish-language radio station, the Medallas de Cortez honors excellence across every dimension of Hispanic radio.
This year’s finalists in Marketer of the Year, Salesperson of the Year, Personality of the Year, Program Director of the Year, DOS/Sales Manager of the Year, General Manager of the Year, and Station of the Year represent the full range of what Hispanic radio is and what it is becoming: a format that serves communities that have long deserved more than a translated version of someone else’s message.
Protecting Every American: Why AM Access Matters
When Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico in 2017, cell towers went dark. The grid failed. For 3.4 million US citizens, the radio in their car became their only lifeline, not for days, but for weeks and months.
With Dodge and Chrysler’s CEO recently floating the idea of stripping both AM and FM from entry-level vehicles entirely, Eric J. Toro, President of the Puerto Rico Broadcasters Association, tells Radio Ink why the AM for Every Vehicle Act isn’t just a technology debate; it’s a public safety imperative.
PLUS:
- Hispanic audiences and the new pitch for sports radio
- Radio Ink President and Publisher Deborah Parenti on how broadcasters can fuel the fight in D.C.
- Roy H. Williams on the only thing that matters in advertising
- Loyd Ford on format, geography, and the activations that turn radio into a strategic partner advertisers can’t replace
- Dara Kalvort’s Prompt Perfect guide to turning a needs analysis into a client-ready proposal
- Grace Agostino on building your algorithm brick by brick
- Industry Images from NAB Show 2026, People on the Move, a true trailblazing Blast from the Past… and MORE!
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