Monthly Archives: September 2006
Telenovelas, not just for Latin Americans
| September 28, 2006 | Posted by Angela under Business & Technology |
If you are from San Antonio, you most likely know what novelas are. They are those Spanish soap operas that majority of Spanish-speaking individuals follow. Although, I never really watched them growing up, I just remember them being so popular and those that did watch them were attached. Novelas are the strongest selling point for Spanish speaking networks such as Univision, which we discussed last blog entry. In some cities, such as Miami, they actually have a higher percentage of viewers than the other English networks.
The reason I bring this topic up is because I came across an interesting article in an issue of Foreign Policy. It talks about how novelas are becoming globalized. Novelas have made a hit in countries such as Russia, China and the Philippines, among others. Why? Apparently, novelas have story lines that are consistent with the current economic situations viewers are in. They gear towards the lower income and under privileged. Apparently, story lines are fairy tale in the sense that characters earn money through fortunes and other means rather than having an elite, professional job. They are obviously revolved around romance and there is always a cinderella and a happy ending. Novelas, unlike US soap operas, are geared towards the whole family so they are shown at prime time hours.
Other countries are becoming hooked and are either outsourcing to Latin America or are coming up with their own. Novelas have been around for a long time and have at about 2 billion viewers world wide. Their viewers are very loyal and have a sense of connection to the character.
The television industry is noticing the popularity of the novelas and the question is if the novelas will continue to stay to true to the Latin American originality or will they become “Hollywood” once the larger producers gets some some of the action. It will be interesting to see.
Hispanic Television: English vs. Spanish
| September 26, 2006 | Posted by Angela under The Arts, Film, Music, Fashion |
I wanted to bring up a topic I found interesting regarding the largely growing Hispanic population in the United States and how this is affecting the television industry.
As you may know, Univision is a television network that owns and operates 18 full-power and 8 low-power stations all across the US and 2 in Puerto Rico. Univision Network is the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast
television network in the U.S. reaching 98% of U.S. Hispanic households. They dominate the Hispanic market.
Univision really takes pride on the fact that all of their television content is in Spanish.
The Hispanic population is growing rapidly. Hispanics accounted for about one-half of the national population growth of 2.9 million between July 1, 2003, and July 1, 2004. The Hispanic growth rate of 3.6 percent over the 12-month period was more than three times that of the total population (1.0 percent), according to the US Census Bureau. So this can only be good news for Univision right? You would think yes, but that may not be the case.
The issue at hand is that as the growth continues, you will begin to see more 2nd and 3rd generation television viewers. According to the US Census Bureau, 85% of Hispanics in the U.S. under the age of 19 are second or third generation whereas 60% of those over 19 are foreign-born. According to other researchers, the use of Spanish is significantly reduced in succeeding generations of immigrants.
What makes this issue more complicated is that 2nd and 3rd generations do want to be tied to their heritage and are encouraging their children to learn and use Spanish. So there is this huge gray area that researchers still need to work on.
So the Hispanic population is increasingly growing and consequently, the Hispanic television viewer percentage is growing, hands down. This sounds really great but is this the kind of data Univision should be concentrating on? Yes, they take pride in the fact they offer content only in Spanish, but is it time for a change? If it is, will Univision make that change or will they continue to strive on a solely Spanish-speaking network?
Other networks have caught on, such as SiTV. SiTV is a television network that focuses on offering Latino content but in the English language. SiTV does not have anywhere near the market share as Unvision but will they catch up to Univision? And if so, when?
My personal opinion, Univision needs to make the cross-over. If they are stubborn, they will keep it solely Spanish and other networks will catch up to them.
Regardless, the television industry among Hispanic viewers is thriving and it will be interesting to see the competition continue to fire up.
What do you think?
Useful links:
http://corporate.univision.com/corp/en/utg.jsp
http://www.everyonecounts.tv/news/UNI0607.htm
http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/newsbyid.asp?id=3289
http://corporate.univision.com/corp/en/pr/Los_Angeles_08102002-1.html
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6306528.html
Shakira, Shakira!
| September 23, 2006 | Posted by Angela under Local Places & Events, Random, The Arts, Film, Music, Fashion |
After following Shakira for 10 years, I finally made it to her concert. I became an immediate fan when her first album, Pies Descalzos, came out in 1996. Although I wasn’t a fluent Spanish speaker, I memorized each song on that album and played it over and over and over again. I loved each song and some of my favorites were “Te Necessito” and “Donde Estas Corazon.” Of course, her most popular was “Estoy Aqui” and that song hit the charts here in the US. And then she came out with “Donde Estan Los Ladrones.” Same thing, memorized each song. “Ojos Asi” was my favorite on that album.
Shakira had this cool Latin rock star vibe to her. She wrote all her own songs, played instruments (usually the guitar) and had the coolest long reddish brown hair with braids. Every young girl wanted to be her (or at least I did). She was just so original. Then, Shakira released a couple of English albums, Laundry Service, her first, and then Oral Fixation, recently released. Right before she released her first English album, she turned blonde. This caught her a lot of media attention and negative criticism. Everyone kept saying that she was turning into the typical American pop star. I had my doubts. I was a bit disappointed to see her go blonde, and English for that matter. I just couldn’t really get into her English songs. So, whatever I heard, was on the radio. I didn’t go out and listen to her full English albums. I just missed the old Shakira.
When I found out she was coming to San Antonio, I had to go. And she totally proved me wrong! Shakira kicked ass and she hasn’t changed a bit! She rocked out and sang all her old Spanish songs. It was all about her music. There was no back up dancers, no flashy outfits, no crazy make up…. just Shakira and her band. Of course she brought her sexy dance moves. I am sorry I had my doubts Shakira, you rock!
RAIN, but still in STAGE 1
| September 23, 2006 | Posted by Angela under Random |
So my last blog posting “It’s Raining” said I would update you the next week. So it’s been a little over a week, sorry about that. Anyhow, it did rain in San Antonio, thank goodness! It was so weird (but wonderful) to see, smell and feel the rain because we did not have rain for so long.
Well, although the rain was awesome, it was not enough to make up for a record breaking 17 month drought. We are still in Stage 1 restrictions. Stage 1 begins when the aquifer level drops below 650 ft. You should know by now what Stage 1 restrictions are and if you do not, you need to know. In regards to landscape watering, you cannot run your sprinklers on the weekends and are only allowed 1 day per week, on your designated day, to water. Your designated day is determined by the last digit of your address number. You can run before 10am or after 8pm. To learn more, please see the following link:
http://saws.org/conservation/aquifermgmt/stage1.shtml
More rain is in the forecast but remember, it does not necessarily mean we are no longer in a drought.
Loop 410 is Driving me crazy!
| September 20, 2006 | Posted by Angela under Random |
So anyone that lives in San Antonio most likely uses loop 410 at some point during the week. Whether it’s going to work, going to North Star mall or the Airport, chances are, you will need to use Loop 410.
Loop 410, also know as Connally Loop, is about a 50 mile long inner loop highway in San Antonio, Texas. Being the inner loop of San Antonio, it serves as a the connector to other major highways such as I10, 281 and I35. It is an extremely busy highway, averaging close to 200,000 vehicles per day (according to San Antonio Freeway system).
As you already know, there is major construction going on Loop 410. Lanes are blocked off and shoulders are cut off and replaced with barriers. It is really unsafe and difficult to drive on especially driving next to 18 wheelers. If there is an accident, with no shoulder, 2 lanes can be blocked off, leaving you with 1 or 2 lanes open. This is particularly annoying during traffic peak times.
So what is going on Loop 410 and when will it be completed? TxDOT started a seven-year, $483 million program to widen Loop 410 to 10 lanes from Culebra to I-35 North, the largest highway expansion program in San Antonio’s history. Other interchanges are included in this program but Loop 410 is the primary focus.
According to http://texhwyman.com, I found the following information. Culebra to Ingram started in Mar 2004 and should completed in Spring 2007. Ingram to Callaghan started Dec 2005 and should be completed late 2009. Blanco Rd. to McCullough (Airport Area) started June 2004 and should be completed early 2007. Nacogdoches Rd. to Austin Hwy should be starting Mid 2006 (I haven’t noticed anything yet, unless I am missing something). So it appears that the major sections won’t be completed until mid to end of 2007 so the frustration on 410 will continue for a bit longer unfortunately.
The good thing is that once completed, 410 will be expanded to 10 lanes, 4 more than what we currently have! And we are closer to the end of the project than we are the beginning. Just be careful out there and be patient! It will be over soon.
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