Posted by Elena del Valle on July 15, 2009
Chris Wienk, program director, WEXT
Photos: Christopher Wienk, Josh Norek and Ernesto Lechner
WEXT 97.7, an Albany, New York station recently launched The Latin Alternative, a Latin alternative music weekly public radio program for national syndication, about Latin rock, electronica, funk and hip-hop. The first hour long program, hosted by Josh Norek and Ernesto Lechner, aired at 8 p.m. July 4 and spotlighted Manu Chao, Café Tacuba, Aterciopelados and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. The show can be heard live online Saturdays at exit977.org.
“WEXT 97.7 prides itself on playing a wide range of music. As a Triple A station, we’ve embraced artists like Manu Chao, Juana Molina, Rodrigo y Gabriela and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs from the start,” said Chris Wienk, program director, WEXT. “We recognize that Latinos are becoming an important part of the public radio audience, and we also know that non-Latin audiences love the Latin alternative genre. When we launched the station in 2007, we were surprised to discover that there were no syndicated Latin alternative public radio shows we could pick up to air. So we thought ‘why not create one ourselves?”
Wienk indicated that although the station won’t have audience numbers for a while, the first show had a great initial reaction and that people are buzzing about it.
Josh Norek, co-host, The Latin Alternative
“There is something amazing about a radio station in Albany launching the nation’s first syndicated Latin-alternative radio show. In my childhood growing up in a small town outside of Albany, I couldn’t wait to leave the area and move to a bigger city that had a Latin alternative music scene,” said Norek. “Ironically, now I live in Los Angeles and it’s an adventurous radio station in upstate New York that has taken the lead and launched the first syndicated show for the genre.”
Ernesto Lechner, co-host, The Latin Alternative
The audience for the show primarily consists of two groups of listeners: Non Hispanics with little prior exposure to Latin alternative music and English-dominant Latinos who consume English-language media.
“While there is a lot of amazing music out there, we knew we had to come out swinging and win folks over quickly. So we’ll be playing many of the most important artists and songs on the show. Once we have the listeners hooked, we can dig deeper and expose them to some of the more underground music coming out Colombia, Mexico, Spain, and Cuba,” said Norek by email.
“I was pleasantly surprised to see that in literally one week, before the show even aired, we had 300 fans on Facebook (facebook.com/pages/The-Latin-Alternative/97270379694?ref=ts). So I suppose there is a large, untapped audience for the show and we look forward to bringing it to many additional cities in the coming year. Generally speaking, we’re not going to play a punk band that just happens to sing in Spanish. We’re trying to turn folks on to what’s uniquely special about the genre, whether it being cumbia-rock, electro-tango, norteno-hiphop, etc.,” said Norek.
There are 10 programs finished and recorded already and the co-hosts expect to complete 26 one-hour episodes by the end of the year. They plan to expose their listeners to a new genre featuring crossover friendly artists whose music will resonate with an audience that is new to Latin alternative music, offering a type of Latin fusion they consider new and revolutionary.
Norek is co-founder of the Latin Alternative Music Conference and frontman of Latino-Jewish rap group Hip Hop Hoodíos. Lechner is a contributing writer for Rolling Stone, LA Times, and Chicago Tribune and author of the book Rock en Español: The Latin Alternative Rock Explosion.
Exit 97.7 WEXT is a special listener-supported music service from WMHT Educational Telecommunications established to provide a unique listening experience with music that knows no boundary of genre. The focus is on emerging artists, classic songs that regular radio has forgotten, and especially music from the region (the Local 518). The the station operates with listener support.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 13, 2009
Martin Cerda, director, Encuesta Research
Photo, video: Encuesta, Inc.
Encuesta, Inc., a Miami research company, just released a 30-second thank you video in appreciation to past participants in its surveys and to celebrate its 20 anniversary in the business. The short video ad, in English and Spanish, was released initially on YouTube and is due to air on broadcast television in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and Houston and on Azteca America, PBS, V-me, and GenTV.
The video was produced in-house with a limited budget and included the contribution of an illustrator, Ken Orvidas, a voice over artist and an animator who asked to remain anonymous. The inspiration, in part, for the work was a painting from a social club in a small town in Spain.Scroll down to watch the videos in English and Spanish.
“We want to thank Hispanics nationwide for allowing us the privilege to enter their lives on a daily basis, all in an effort to have one person’s opinion represent that of thousands of members of their community” said Martin G. Cerda, founder and president of Encuesta, Inc. “Latino participation in the survey research process helps advance public understanding of social and economic issues and helps influence government and corporate decision makers.”
Founded in 1989, Encuesta, Inc. is a U.S. Hispanic market research and public opinion polling company that offers quantitative and online qualitative research designs and analysis. Encuesta, Inc. is the company behind the Americanos Poll, a public opinion poll created in 2005 to help bridge the knowledge gap that exists regarding the U.S. Hispanic community.
Click on the first screen for the English language video and on the second screen for the Spanish language video.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 10, 2009
Gabriel Garcia Marquez A Life book cover
The work of 17 years of research and dedication, Gabriel Garcia Marquez A Life (Knof, $37.50) by Gerald Martin, is the first official biography of the famous Colombian Nobel Prize winner. The 642-page hardcover book is divided into three sections and 24 chapters that follow the author’s life in chronological order to the time of publication. The book, published in 2008, includes 16 pages of photographs and three maps. A Spanish edition is due out this year.
To complete his task Martin interviewed Garcia Marquez, the author best known for his magical realism writing style, extensively as well as 300 other individuals; including family members (wife, children and siblings), political figures such as Fidel Castro and Felipe Gonzalez, fellow authors and even self described detractors. Martin summarized his findings in order to publish the current title, down from more than two thousand pages which he plans to publish as an extensive work in future years.
A resident of England, Martin is Andrew W. Mellon Professor Emeritus at the University of Pittsburgh and senior research professor at London Metropolitan University. Past publications include Journeys Through a Labyrinth: Latin American Fiction in the Twentieth Century; and a translation and critical edition of Men of Maize, a work of Miguel Angel Asturia.
Click here to buy Gabriel García Márquez: A Life
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Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 8, 2009
Kim L. Hunter, founder, Lagrant Foundation
Photo: Lagrant Foundation
Since its founding in 1998, Los Angeles based The Lagrant Foundation has distributed a little less than $1 million worth of scholarships to 150 students. It has placed 120 interns at advertising and public relations agencies and corporations nationwide, and produced 40 career development workshops. This year, there were six Latino, seven African American and two Asian/Pacific Islander applicants.
Each year the organization awards 15 scholarships; to date ten $5,000-scholarships have been awarded to undergraduate students and five $10,000 scholarships have been awarded to graduate students. Its funding sources are corporations, agencies, individual donors and grants from corporations. Major donors include American Express, Edison International and Weber Shandwick Worldwide.
“For more than ten years now, the foundation has been committed to fulfilling its mission of funding dreams into reality and furthering the advancement of ethnic minorities within the fields of advertising, marketing and public relations,” said Kim L. Hunter, founder and chairman, The Lagrant Foundation. “The recipients reflect the future of this industry and will continue to academically excel toward a successful career path.”
Erick Laseca, scholarship recipient and graduate student
“Thanks to The Lagrant Foundation’s generous scholarship, I was able to stop working and transfer to full-time status at school. This gave me the opportunity to apply for Northwestern’s summer residency program, where I was chosen to work with award-winning faculty for a globally-recognized brand from a major consumer packaged goods company,” said Erick Laseca, a scholarship recipient and full-time grad student at Northwestern University studying integrated marketing with an emphasis on marketing analytics. He serves on the student advisory council, the committee for the study abroad program as well as the boards for the American Red Cross and the Chicago International Film Festival.
“Beyond the monetary contribution to my education, The Lagrant Foundation provided tremendous networking opportunities with senior leaders from top corporations and agencies, with whom I’ve connected and have promising employment prospects upon graduation and ongoing relationships in the marketing industry.”
To qualify for Lagrant scholarship monies applicants must be African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian Pacific Islander or Native American pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in advertising, marketing or public relations at an accredited four-year university or college. Scholarship judges look for promising students who demonstrate a passion in public relations, advertising or marketing and a desire to pursue a career in one of those fields.
Christine E. Nieves, scholarship recipient
“The Lagrant Foundation has been an example of an organization established to contribute to the solution of a threat challenging the progressive development and growth of the Marketing, Public Relations and Advertising Industry. More than a scholarship, TLF provides the opportunity for underrepresented minority students to comprehend the challenges faced by professionals and to a witness their responses by way of comprehensive workshops sparked with an academic approach,” said Christine E. Nieves, a senior at University of Pennsylvania with a major in Communication and Public Service, and a minor in Consumer Psychology.
“Throughout the three years I have been a Lagrant scholar, I have come to realize that no other organization can merge the wealth of knowledge, the diversity of talent, and the breath of executives at the caliber TLF has achieved; the highlight being the sincere interest demonstrated by the members of the board and Kim Hunter to help each of us succeed in our career.”
The 2009 Final Judges include Micheline Amy, vice president,Constituency Management Group; Alvaro Cifuentes, programs manager, Diversity Agency Services; Jennifer Cohan, managing director, Golin Harris; Hiroko Hatanaka, vice president, IW Group, Inc.; David P. Henry, president, Telenoticias; Andrea Hoffman, president and CEO, Diversity Affluence; Julia Hood, publishing director, PR Week; Lisa F. Hyden Carrieri, managing director, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide; Penny Mitchell, senior partner, Fleishman-Hillard; Claudine P. Moore, director, Hill & Knowlton, Inc.; Dana Muldrow, manager, Deloitte; Michael J. O’Neill, senior vice president, American Express Company; Dave Ramirez, copywriter, McCann-Erickson; Kelly Ramirez, vice president, Euro RSCG Worldwide; William Murray, president and COO, Public Relations Society of America; Andrew Sawyer, executive vice president, Alloy Media Services; and Tiffany R. Warren, chief diversity officer, Omnicom Group, Inc.
The non profit organization relies on volunteers and two staff members, Ericka Avila, a programs manager, and Joy Hunter, the executive director. Kim L. Hunter (no relation to Joy) is the founder and chairman of The Lafgrant Foundation. They concentrate their outreach efforts on California, New York, Texas, Illinois and Florida, states with many ethnic minority students.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 7, 2009
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Posted by Elena del Valle on July 6, 2009
The Idea Cultivators. The Genius Revealers
The Draftfcb Senior Strategic Planner.
At Draftfcb a Senior Strategic Planner is a catalyst for great ideas. We want a person who can artfully lead a team to find the smartest story that answers the assignment. We want a person who is always reshaping the assignment, improving the output, working on the next thing.
Click here for the full text of Senior Strategic Planner
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 6, 2009
Carlos Aguirre, CEO, Grupo Radio Centro
Photo: Grupo Radio Centro
A podcast interview with Carlos Aguirre, chief executive officer, Grupo Radio Centro is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. During the podcast, Carlos discusses entering a new market during a recession with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.
A graduate of the Universidad Iberoamericanao Mexico City, Carlos also studied Alta Dirección de Empresas at the Instituto Panamericano de Alta Dirección de Empresa. He joined Grupo Radio Centro in 1974 as an assistant to the president and has served in several positions, including: general director in Lahina, S. A., Pharmaceutical and Perfumery Manufacturer for 10 years; general sales manager of Pronosticos Deportivos, the Sports Lottery in Mexico for one year; and corporate development director between 1979 to 1983.
He was also general manager of KSSA/Founders Communications in Dallas, Texas; president, Cadena Radio Centro, one of the first Spanish langauge radio networks in the United States; chief operating officer, Grupo Radio Centro from 1989 to June 1998. In 1998, he became chief operating officer as well as member of Executive Committee and member of the Board.
To listen to the interview, scroll down until you see “Podcast” on the right hand side, then select “HMPR Carlos Aguirre” click on the play button below or download the MP3 file to your iPod or MP3 player to listen on the go, in your car or at home. To download it, click on the arrow of the recording you wish to copy and save it to disk. The podcast will remain listed in the July 2009 section of the podcast archive.
“Latino Family Dynamics” audio recording
Brenda Hurley and Liria Barbosa
Discuss
- Latino purchasing habits and products they favor
- Latino family characteristics
- Latinos and extended families
- Division of duties, responsibilities within the family
- Who is the decision maker in the Latino family
- Who is the information provider in the Latino family
Click here to find out about Latino purchasing habits and “Latino Family Dynamics”
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 1, 2009
By Vanessa Bravo
Intern, HispanicMPR.com
Vanessa Bravo
The three sections users prefer are guest articles, articles authored by Elena del Valle and podcasts
Happy birthday! Hispanic Marketing and Public Relations (HispanicMPR.com) is reaching its fourth anniversary and is growing fast. What started four years ago as a small forum to share ideas about the book Hispanic Marketing & Public Relations (Poyeen Publishing, $49.95) has grown into a fully developed website with a wealth of information about business topics in general and the Hispanic market in particular.
Today, HispanicMPR.com offers visitors dozens of guest articles, podcasts, articles authored by Elena del Valle (host and editor of the website), presentations, videos, and job ads. The website has become a useful tool for business people and entrepreneurs interested in topics like marketing, public relations and business development. It has grown a loyal pool of users: just the e-mail newsletter is received by more than 3,500 subscribers.
Click here to read the complete article
