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V ol 4 - # 1 AP R 2009 THE FIRST MAGAZINE FOR HISPANIC TV IN THE USA

NCTA, W a s h i n g t o n DC

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Growth

César Español

TBN Enlace USA installed an uplink at channel 58 in Dallas, the site of their production studios. César Español, the channel’s Marketing and Public Relations director, pointed out that they have uplinks in Miami, Florida; Guadalajara and Distrito Federal, Mexico; Caracas, Venezuela; Bogotá, Colombia; San José, Costa Rica; Guatemala; Guayaquil, Ecuador; and Tegucigalpa, Honduras. He also commented that they expect to add two more this year, one in Peru and one in Argentina.

In line with Latin America

Entrepreneur

LatinWE’s CEO Luis Balaguer and Los Angeles-based NALA Investments’ president and CEO Emilio Diez Barroso established a joint partnership to launch NALA Entertainment. They seek to produce 400 hours per year of Spanish-language programming with global appeal. Initial funding for top quality TV projects is US$100 million.

The first project will be developed with Epigmenio Ibarra’s Argos Communications in Mexico.

Luis Balaguer

Re-energized web presence

Luca Bentivoglio, VP of Programmming at LATV, is very satisfied with the ratings yielded by the programming purchased in Latin America. “Since October we opened a new line, procuring in Latin America the ideal programming for our target in the US. We have done great with shows such as Nocturninos, Kiu, Verdad y fama and A ras de lona. All these shows have performed marvelously. I believe we were the first of the younger channels to open that line.”

CV Network announced important enhancements to its portfolio of Internet properties. This includes the relaunch of their entertainment portal www.cvnetwork.tv, as well as a name change for their affiliate stations’ web page. “The relaunch of our Internet platform is the next step in the development of our online strategy. We have made important updates both in content and design, enabling a much more interactive access,” explained Emilio Braun, Chief Media Officer.

Luca Bentivoglio

Emilio Braun Burillo

CHIEF-EDITOR: Ríchard Izarra - MAIN EDITOR: Maribel Ramos-Weiner - EDITORS:

ADMINISTRATION: María Paula Capuya, Luciana Conde, Gueylin Méndez, Verónica

Patricia Blanco, Virginia Rada, Marcela Tedesco, Cynthia Plohn, Ezequiel Iacobone, Lucas

Franco - ART: Sergio Szwarcberg, Liliana Martínez - PHOTOS & VIDEOS: Ana Magnani,

Robledo, Diana Rojas, Constanza Kong - SALES & CUSTOMER SERVICE: Lemar

Sofía Izarra, Luz Nis - SYSTEMS: Mauricio Roda - TRANSLATION: Ana Delon

Guzmán, Roko Izarra, Valeria Nardecchia, Sebastián Novacovsky, Mara Fernández, Amy

37 NE 28th St. Miami, FL 33137, EE UU

Ibarra, Kalú Fermandois - PRODUCTION: Andrea Jurado - DATA: Francisco Gutiérrez,

INFO: info@produ.com; ventas@produ.com;

Paula Burela, Cintia Baudino, Emiliano Mussi, Catalina Ochoa, Federico Bianchi

subscriptions@produ.com - T +1-305-256-6774

New look

Alejandro Parisca

VeneMovies, SomosTV’s 24-hour Spanish-language pay-TV movie channel, re-launched its on-air image with a new graphics package, which is also reflected on its Internet page www.venemovies. com. “This new image, along with the recent technological upgrade of our satellite transmission platform, gives VeneMovies the best signal among the market’s regular Spanish-language movie channels and a competitive position within the ‘Premium’ offer, excluding high definition channels,” said Alejandro Parisca, General Manager of SomosTV, who presides over the channel.

Personalized attention

Multicasting

Leonardo Alvarado

Alterna’TV announced a new multicast strategy for their latest channel offering, Hola TV. The cutting-edge channel —designed to satisfy the interests of young Hispanic audiences— is now available to broadcasters throughout the continental USA. “Hola TV is exactly what Spanish-speaking young adults have been asking for, it is representative of their voice, yet the channel offers programming that is enjoyable by the entire family, making it a natural choice for USA broadcasters and advertisers,” said Leonardo Alvarado, General Manager of Alterna’TV.

Back to business

Media World announced the creation of their Affiliate Sales department.

Their objective is to provide clients with a more personalized attention and to continue their work of distributing the television signals they create and/or operate. The new department will be spearheaded by Antonio Briceño, with Roy Meyeringh in the position of director of Affiliate Sales.

Backed by his experience as a programmer, distributor and buyer, Luis Baraldi, head of the Baral Group, returns to the game with a new initiative: a niche sports channel. The plans are to launch the channel during the first semester of 2009 for distribution in Mexico and Central America and, in a second phase, to the rest of Latin America and the Hispanic US.

Roy Meyeringh

Luis Baraldi

www.produ.com

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Presenter Héctor Marcano hosts this three-hour show recorded in Puerto Rico.

It includes a reality-show segment titled Me quiero divorciar (I want a divorce) with the antics of a couple that is definitely not getting along and the counsel from a group of specialists suggesting solutions to their problems; comedy sketches produced in Miami; and an entertainment section with the participation of Pedro Juan, Nikauly de la Mota and Javier Ceriani.

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You think you know Crash and Yasmin?

Think again! The girls are back and taking an uncensored approach to life, as they let loose in this new, hour-long show.

The mun2 hosts and stars of the Chicas Project open up about their lives and give their candid opinions on topics such as relationships, sex, fashion, and much more.

It’s the Crash and Yasmin you’ve never seen!

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Peruvian TV presenter Laura Bozzo returns to the Hispanic screen with a show produced by TV Azteca in Mexico.

This show will follow Bozzo’s style of presenting true cases with problems pertaining to all audiences, but now with a more journalistic twist and a touch of reality.

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This is a weekly, half-hour, first-run syndication sitcom, starring breakout standup comedian Steve Treviño and co-starring award-winning actress Jessica Caban, with a diverse supporting cast. With nods to Martin and King of Queens, Treviño follows the struggles of a young couple newly arriving to a middle-class neighborhood.

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This four-and-a-half hour, interactive magazine for weekends is dedicated to Colombian individuals and families living abroad. Produced by RCN for TV Colombia, each show has a special theme and includes live musical shows, contests, advise and audience participation.

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A 30-minute boxing analysis show focusing on this sport’s biggest stories.

Hosted by ESPN Deportes’ SportsCenter anchor Jorge Eduardo Sánchez, alongside Mexican WBC Super Featherweight Champion Marco Antonio Barrera contributing analysis. Golpe a Golpe looks into the details of current fights, and also looks ahead to upcoming bouts.

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www.produ.com

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Presented by René Solorio, editorial director of lamusica.com, with contributors Mary Carmen Cruz, Laura Estrada and Héctor Copca from Mexico and L.A., this show arrives to the TV screen from its original realm in the Internet.

The hottest artists, event chronicles and critique of TV programs, as well as the latest news from the entertainment I FE CT O I XI TR HT H H N O R T H S F F industry, all have a spot in this show.

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This half-hour show, presented by Puerto Rican chef Cielito Rosado and produced for WAPA America by WAPA Televisión in Puerto Rico, will show the public how to cook in today’s world, where lack of time has turned people away from their kitchens. Each episode presents recipes for three main dishes and a desert.

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Alan Sokol InterMedia Partners

Damaris Valero Animus Entertainment Group

Fernando Madeira Terra

Laurens Drillich Endemol USA Latino

“In a multicast environment you have to bring into line 100% of your ad revenue, which means that you must have ratings and that you have to invest large sums in marketing and programming. We have yet to see a formula that generates a good return on investment.”

“This year we must complete at least eight or nine Branded Entertainment projects, because we have opened important doors –with Nissan, Sprint, JCPenney, The Home Depot. In this area, we already have the quality, the reliability and the products to prove that we’ve done it right.”

“In Latin America, iPhone users navigate three times as much as regular mobile users and they seek mainly to attend sports and news.

We are going to offer this audience the opportunity to access Terra TV’s successful content through their mobile screens.”

“Usually, the program is generated by the channel, but with Branded Entertainment it’s the opposite. It’s the new world in media: fewer people are watching commercials, so advertisers must capture the audience’s attention from within the program.”

Jacqueline Hernández Telemundo

Mauricio Gerson Mega TV

Óscar Ramos ESPN Deportes Radio

“In these difficult economic times, delivering breakthrough, measurable programs is key to driving sales. Our partnership with Descontrol offers Honda an interactive connection with their consumer.”

“If there is no money to buy air, we have air to exchange for other things.

Many don’t have the money to buy air, but they might have a project, so we combine the ideas and creative financing. We have tried to adjust our budgets, work with independent producers and increase the added value we give our clients.”

Cynthia Perkins-Roberts Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau “What has happened is that many of the network programmers in the general market have created programming for the Hispanic consumer. This has generated a lot more choices for the Hispanic viewer.”

“We are a healthy company in a not very stable economic environment. We offer entertainment to our audience, something that is important in difficult times. With us, radio operators can make radio in a more efficient way and reduce a station’s operational expenses. With attractive content, they have the opportunity to be successful in a very competitive market.”

www.produ.com

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Hispanic Networks prepare their audiences for the switch to digital Although the date for the switch to digital was moved to June 12, almost one third of the full-power TV stations in the United States are transmitting digital signals. According to a report by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), 1,655 stations in 210 US markets (including the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico) are delivering in digital form

Since mid-February (the original date for the DTV switch) more than a half-million homes have prepared themselves for the Digital TV transition, according to an update from The Nielsen Company. As of March 1, 6.5 percent of Hispanic TV homes remain unready for the upcoming transition to all-digital broadcasting.

Even though Hispanic open TV networks were ready for the switch in February, they are now using the extension to advance initiatives in order to better prepare their audiences for the imminent change.

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Preparedness

Iveliesse Estrada, VP of Corporate & Community Relations at Univision Communications, Inc. speaks of the company’s initiatives to foster DTV preparedness: “We are strengthening our efforts on the last mile to DTV transition. Univision will leverage its media assets across TV, radio and online in a massive push to reach viewers and ensure that they are prepared. Both Univision and TeleFutura networks and several Univision television stations have added a daily countdown segment that shows the number of days left until the transition. We have created a series of new public service

6.5% of Hispanic TV homes are not yet ready for the switch to digital

announcements (PSAs) featuring some of the network’s most popular personalities, and will also incorporate weekly DTV-focused segments into some of Univision’s and TeleFutura’s most popular network programs. Our local television and radio stations will continue to provide DTV information through local news segments, public affairs programming, Escuadrón Digital grassroots events, PSAs and Town Halls. In addition, Univision.com will also provide extensive daily online coverage.”

Alfredo Richard, Senior Vice President of Communications and Talent

Development at Telemundo, emphasizes that the digital transition is an important issue at the network.

“We believe education is key.

Telemundo launched Alerta Digital, a company-wide corporate initiative, more than a year ago, and we have been working closely with the FCC to assist in their outreach programs and in making the tools and information accessible to the community,” he says.

Alberto Santini, executive VP of Programming at Azteca América, points out: “We are complying, along with the other networks, with all FCC requests, such as the 100-day countdown, and airing the 25 new

“We believe education is key. Telemundo launched Alerta Digital, a company-wide corporate initiative, more than a year ago, and we have been working closely with the FCC to assist in their outreach programs” ALFREDO RICHARD, TELEMUNDO

Alfredo Richard, Telemundo

Iveliesse Estrada, Univision Communications

Alberto Santini, Azteca América

Starrett Berry, LATV

spots they sent. There’s also a 30-minute special scheduled. We mention the topic on shows like Ventaneando América, Al extremo, and on the newscasts. In this last phase, we will produce short promos reminding people that the change will happen soon and explaining what they have to do.”

“The February 17 date was set a long time ago and those costs were not considered for 2009. We had anticipated that by February 17 we would shut down our digital signal.

Unfortunately, since it didn’t happen as planned, you incur expenses that were not budgeted –and in a difficult economic time like the one we are experiencing,” indicates Berry.

ready to discuss specific plans but we will be in compliance with NBCU’s overall strategy. We are evaluating the different options that take into account the business opportunities and NBC’s general guidelines. We can’t discuss the topic at this time because we are in the process of analyzing everything.”

and 3) we are living in an unusual, unprecedented economic environment. Any investment at this time must be considered with great care.”

Starrett Berry, Senior VP of Affiliate Sales at LATV, a channel that will see its distribution greatly enhanced once the DTV switch finally happens, finds that one of the downsides of postponing the transition to digital is the cost of keeping both signals (analog and digital) active.

Sub-channel strategies in the works

About plans for the sub-channels that will become available to broadcasters with the switch to DTV, Richard pointed out: “We are not

The executive believes that stations will not disclose their plans for secondary channels until the transition is completed. “It is taking time because: 1) there is an important change in the technology and we don’t know yet what impact it will have on cable and open TV channels; 2) the distribution issue has been complicated;

Santini also remained mum about their plans for sub-channels. “We are still working on this, but yes, we already have some options. We have alternatives. We have presented several items. We want the best for the audience. The best that can happen with the transition is that it takes place successfully. And we are defining everything that we are going to do and show.”

Maribel Ramos-Weiner

www.produ.com

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f e a t u r e

Local programming goes far and wide TV stations in the US Hispanic market are producing programs with such quality and appeal that they are exceeding the interest of their local audiences and beginning to flow out to other markets, both national and international

The phenomenon appears to be quickly turning into a trend, and has a number of exponents that include KWHY-TV Channel 22 in Los Angeles, Mega TV through its sister company Megafilms, and Liberman Broadcasting, Inc. (LBI).

Operación Repo

Fátima Goncalves, VP of Programming at the KWHY-TV station (Channel 22) in Los Angeles, says the purchase of their format Operación Repo by Anglo signal truTV in the US has been a welcome surprise.

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“It’s the first time we’ve developed a project with more than local appeal in tandem with independent producers. From the beginning, we wanted to sell our product out there.

We didn’t have the opportunity before and this time, when we developed Operación Repo with production company Arietis, we used the reality format that is so appealing to the general market but is not yet completely developed in the Spanishspeaking market,” explains Goncalves.

The executive points out that the first episodes of Operación Repo shown on truTV were the same they

produced for Channel 22. “They were repositioned and tweaked a bit for the Anglo version, and the success has been such that there’s a good chance that the very same format, with the same characters, will be produced in English”.

The positioning of this format has opened a new door of revenue for Channel 22. “The big problem for local channels is the budget, and taking to air a good product is much easier when you have a good product that airs nationally. This gives you the opportunity to infuse more money into that

Fátima Goncalves, KWHY-TV Channel 22 in Los Angeles

local product and have greater, more nationwide, look and appeal.”

Gabriel, amor inmortal

“Raúl Alarcón Jr. established this division to create original programming that is primarily for his channel, Mega TV. Obviously, however, he has always had international distribution in mind and also the different platforms–DVD, VOD and online, as well as working with international stars such as Chayanne,” explains Agustín Fernández, general director of Megafilms.

f e a t u r e

Local programming goes far and wide TV stations in the US Hispanic market are producing programs with such quality and appeal that they are exceeding the interest of their local audiences and beginning to flow out to other markets, both national and international

The phenomenon appears to be quickly turning into a trend, and has a number of exponents that include KWHY-TV Channel 22 in Los Angeles, Mega TV through its sister company Megafilms, and Liberman Broadcasting, Inc. (LBI).

Operación Repo

Fátima Goncalves, VP of Programming at the KWHY-TV station (Channel 22) in Los Angeles, says the purchase of their format Operación Repo by Anglo signal truTV in the US has been a welcome surprise.

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“It’s the first time we’ve developed a project with more than local appeal in tandem with independent producers. From the beginning, we wanted to sell our product out there.

We didn’t have the opportunity before and this time, when we developed Operación Repo with production company Arietis, we used the reality format that is so appealing to the general market but is not yet completely developed in the Spanishspeaking market,” explains Goncalves.

The executive points out that the first episodes of Operación Repo shown on truTV were the same they

produced for Channel 22. “They were repositioned and tweaked a bit for the Anglo version, and the success has been such that there’s a good chance that the very same format, with the same characters, will be produced in English”.

The positioning of this format has opened a new door of revenue for Channel 22. “The big problem for local channels is the budget, and taking to air a good product is much easier when you have a good product that airs nationally. This gives you the opportunity to infuse more money into that

Fátima Goncalves, KWHY-TV Channel 22 in Los Angeles

local product and have greater, more nationwide, look and appeal.”

Gabriel, amor inmortal

“Raúl Alarcón Jr. established this division to create original programming that is primarily for his channel, Mega TV. Obviously, however, he has always had international distribution in mind and also the different platforms–DVD, VOD and online, as well as working with international stars such as Chayanne,” explains Agustín Fernández, general director of Megafilms.

“Producing high quality programming in the US opens doors for you in the rest of the world. And, honestly, that is what is happening with Gabriel, it is being very well liked” AGUSTÍN FERNÁNDEZ, MEGAFILMS

Operación Repo opened a new source of revenue for Channel 22 Los Angeles

The success of this company’s first product, mini-series Gabriel, amor inmortal, is evident. Worldwide distributor Lightworks placed the product in several Latin American channels, including Telefe in Argentina, Montecarlo in Uruguay, Chilevisión in Chile, La Tele in Venezuela, City TV in Colombia and TV Nacional in Panamá. Negotiations with Albania, Japan and Turkey are well advanced.

“Producing high quality programming in the US opens doors for you in the rest of the world. And, honestly, that is what is happening

Agustín Fernández, Megafilms

with Gabriel: it is being very well liked,” states Fernández.

The success of Gabriel has been such, that a second season is currently in development, with 13 to 26 episodes planned. And they are about to launch a DVD of the first season. Alarcón wants to make three series like this one per year, and keep the quality of the content running: “We have two ideas for two more series, which we want to start producing right away,” Fernández says. Already in production is comedy show El vacilón– sketch comedy in the style of Saturday Night Live or The Living Color.

Chayanne and José Luis Rodríguez, stars of Gabriel, amor inmortal

International markets

For about a year and a half now, Liberman Broadcasting, Inc. (LBI) has been making part of its content library available to the international market.

LBI has a catalogue of 6 thousand hours of original programming, produced at their studios in Burbank, California. Bill García, director of Distribution & Television Syndication at LBI, explains: “We produce 11 shows that represent more than 55 hours of programming per week – local news, talk shows, musicals, entertainment, comedies and miniseries.”

Bill García, Liberman Broadcasting, Inc.

García admits that selling their programming in the international market has been an uphill process, but that they have identified that some of their shows– such as talk show José Luis sin censura, miniseries Secrets, comedy Los Chuperamigos, and news magazine Alarma TV– can work well abroad. “A year ago, few out there knew us, but today several countries already have our shows,” he points out. The executive now seeks further expansion: to DVD and VOD. “All that is in the future.”

Maribel Ramos-Weiner

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p e r s o n a l i t y

José Luis Rodríguez, of HITN-TV

“We must work creatively to overcome the crisis” The founder and president of the network, created 25 years ago as the first Hispanic public TV cable channel in the US, reflects on the Hispanic market and talks about the confusion and opportunities surrounding the transition to digital TV

P&DH How did you get into television?

“In 1980 there was a conference in Washington to help minorities enter the non broadcast industry (cable, satellite). It was there that I found the area where I wanted to work, and decided that since I did not have the necessary financial resources, I would not enter the home through the main entrance, but through the kitchen.

Meaning that I would do it as a non-profit organization.”

José Luis Rodríguez

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“During the process, we identified frequencies that were being used for non-educational purposes here in the US, called Instructional Television Field Services. These frequencies began to be used for the distribution of cable

television. We started by creating an educational-style channel for MMDS in the US. That was in 1982.”

P&DH How did the actual HITN-TV start?

“When the satellite operation –DISH and DirecTV– came about, we saw an opportunity for the content we distributed to MMDS, which was close to disappearing. We made the move on time to distribute that content through satellite as a public interest channel. We started out with DISH network and eventually entered DirecTV.” P&DH Which was your door to cable?

“Time Warner, when it became available in New York. Since DISH

was successful in penetrating the Latin community in the US, many cable systems began looking into their success formula. They realized that we had offices in New York and were on satellite. Time Warner was the first television cable system we joined, and today they distribute our signal to several Spanishlanguage systems: Comcast, Charter, and we developed a nationwide contract a year ago with Verizon and AT&T. Through these systems combined, we reach today some 33 million households.”

P&DH What is the next step for the channel?

“What is most important now is to increase distribution. A few months

“We are considering the opportunity that will come with the new digital sub-channels in these markets. We are, like many, looking at these channels as new distribution systems”

Malin Faliu, host of Diálogo costa a costa, with her team

ago we signed an important contract with the cable industry that increases our distribution in an area with huge potential, which is Video On Demand (VOD). We currently reach 61 million households with VOD, in addition to the 33 million we reach through pay TV. Our VOD cable report says that our viewership is increasing 50% each month as well as the number of minutes they download.”

P&DH What is your opinion on the transition to digital TV? “We are seeing what could be an important problem for our community as well as a great opportunity. A problem in the sense that there is a large percentage of our community– the FCC estimates it in 3 million–that is still not prepared. We are seeing

Destination Casa Blanca

great confusion in the Latino market.

I believe that the other Spanishlanguage communication media have done a good job at creating awareness. There is awareness that something is going to happen, but there is much confusion.”

P&DH In your opinion, what makes the transition to digital TV so confusing?

“Part of the confusion out there has to do with the fact that many think that they will have access to those sub-channels by subscribing to cable or satellite, and this is not true.

People need the converter box for this. Even in places like New York, where there will be interference even if you have the box… What’s going to happen with these people? Such

Sazón y algo más with chef Laura Rosa

topics, which unfortunately are not being dealt with, will create even more uncertainty in our people, adding to their economic woes.

P&DH How will you approach the transition from the business point of view?

“We are considering the opportunity that will come with the new digital sub-channels in these markets. We are, like many, looking at these channels as new distribution systems.

We look at the different opportunities available, not only with commercial television, but also with public television. We are already being tapped by several organizations that are interested in having our content as one of those channels.”

Víctor Daniel Nieblas, host of new show Inmigración 411

P&DH How do you see the Hispanic market in the future?

“The Hispanic market faces a series of challenges. The distribution of our content in the systems available out there is limited.

There are many regulatory challenges within the US that have a negative impact and, at the same time, could hold a solution. The main challenge is this economic crisis, how it will affect us. How we will work creatively through all these problems is a challenge we all face, particularly the Hispanic industry. There is a need to identify those topics that are common to all and to find common solutions that contribute to grow the pie we have.”

Maribel Ramos-Weiner

www.produ.com

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m e d i a

The Text-to-Screen Fever The wait time in a stadium or theatre before a favorite team or artist comes up is yielding opportunities for brand interaction with near 100% user attention

Before an artist such as Juanes or Shakira reaches the stage in a concert venue, their fans have already sent thousands of text messages from their mobile phones. Maybe it’s a romantic note to Juanes himself, wishing he may spot someone in the venue; or they broadcast their feelings towards a partner; or tell friends about their location; or maybe send a code to win a cell phone or an autographed poster.

The unavoidable screens in venues where artists meet their fans are becoming an advertising medium.

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Technology has allowed not only that those in the last rows can watch the details of their idol’s performance, but also that they express their emotions (text-to-screen) or participate in contests (text-to-win) sponsored by an advertiser.

“In a concert, where you have a captive audience and giant screens, the most appealing are Text-to-Screen and Text-to-Win. But other interesting applications are also being launched, such as the game ‘Where’s the ball?’, which can be done with the client’s logos and inviting people to play for

Ana Arredondo, Vibes: Text-to-Screen and Text-to-Win are my favorite

a prize,” explains Ana Arredondo, Vibes’ Segment Marketing manager for the Hispanic market.

This mobile interactive marketing firm just signed a contract with The V5 Group, sister company of event marketing company Viva Marketing Group. The group focuses on the US Latin market, especially in the Chicago area. The purpose of the agreement is to expand sponsorships of Hispanic events by including mobile marketing tools.

“Vibes is helping Viva Marketing create strategies that they can offer

to advertisers that sponsor the concerts. Officially, we began our work by helping them out with the databases, a pivotal issue of event promotion. We are helping to create a communication strategy and segmented lists in order to direct people who like different types of music to the events that will take place,” says Arredondo.

Once the user responds to a call-to-action message placed on a billboard or on a radio or TV ad (like “Send the word music if you want information about a music genre or

“Mobile represents a great opportunity for advertisers to connect with their audiences at a low cost. We know of the potential of this market because of Hispanics’ preference for mobile phones” ANA ARREDONDO, VIBES

When a call-to-action message about a favorite artist is answered, the user enters a database for related promotions

and artist,” for example), that user is then included in the database and you can now send messages before a particular event takes place. Those messages represent additional opportunities to expand the mobile sponsorship, because at this point it is possible to include in them information such as “Sponsored by…”

“Through a call-to-action on all the media used to promote and event, we begin to generate user lists with their musical preferences. Later, a company such as Viva Marketing can

Text-to-Screen can show in the giant screen any message created by the user

sell that value added to sponsors when their brand is included in the messages,” she adds.

Even though they are already working on this alliance, Arredondo states that it is in early June when the partnership –which will enable Viva Marketing to offer pre-event, on-site, mobile marketing solutions to sponsors of their Hispanic events in Chicago and Midwest venues– will become effective.

About current demand for mobile solutions from the Hispanic market,

Using Text-to-Win on the cell phone, a user can instantly participate in a draw

Arredondo states that more and more requests are coming in. “I believe that the crisis represents an opportunity. Mobile represents a great opportunity for advertisers to connect with their audiences at a low cost. We know of the potential of this market because of Hispanics’ preference for mobile phones.”

She believes this wave will swell, since new players have been joining recently. “As opposed to traditional media, we are now generating numerous proposals for brands that

had never looked at mobile. Brands that didn’t even have a line to try mobile on are now attempting it. We are currently developing a program for agency The San Jose Group. We are seeing more and more interest from Hispanic media because they are realizing that this is the market that most uses cellular phones. And mobile represents a great opportunity to connect with an audience at a low cost,” concludes Arredondo.

Patricia Blanco

www.produ.com

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DirecTV Más, the U.S. premium bilingual paid television service, aims to satisfy the needs of the U.S. Hispanic community through value-oriented and quality program offerings.

DirecTV Más gives its customers access to more than 55 Spanish-language channels. Continuous additions to the DirecTV Más lineup strengthen a platform that already includes top of the line channels with the number one shows from all Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, including the Caribbean and Spain, and over 220 English language channels.

P +1-212-205-0500 www.directvmas.com

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John de Armas

Vice President, WorldD irect

John A. de Armas is vice president of WorldDirect for DirecTV, Inc. In this role, de Armas is responsible for the management of the 16 foreign language services available on DirecTV, including programming, acquisition, and marketing. DirecTV’s nonEnglish services are available under the WorldDirect umbrella and include Spanish, Filipino, Russian, Indian, Greek, Korean and Chinese language platforms. During his tenure at DirecTV, he has been responsible for the reformulation of WorldDirect’s Spanish-language offering into DirecTV Más, an aspirational brand with “More Emotion, More Passion and More Television” for the US Hispanic Spanishspeaking market.

Eurídice Ventura

S enior M anager Acquisitions, Affinity & Affiliate M arketing Eurídice Ventura is the Senior Manager Acquisitions, Affinity & Afiliate Marketing for DirecTV Más. In this role, Ventura, is part of the leading marketing team for the US Hispanic market for DirecTV Más, based in New York City. In this position, Ventura works in conjunction with DirecTV Más programmers to develop and implement marketing strategies. She is in charge of establishing marketing and sales partnerships with different DirecTV sales channels such as Dealers, Telco, Consumer Electronics, Multi Dwelling Units and Commercial. In addition, she develops and manages DirecTV Más affinity marketing programs.

Emma Vélez-López

Naomi K. Rodríguez

S enior M anager Branding and Advertising

S enior M anager Public Relations

Emma Vélez-López is the Senior Manager Branding and Advertising for DirecTV Más. In this role, Vélez-López , is part of the leading marketing team for the US Hispanic market for DirecTV Más, based in New York City. During her career she has been a part of developing effective marketing communication strategies and launching integrated marketing campaigns including all national TV, Radio and print commercials with today’s most popular Hispanic celebrities that provide Return on Investment (ROI) for the business.

Naomi K. Rodríguez is the Senior Manager Public Relations for DirecTV, Inc. In this role, Rodriguez interacts with the press daily and her portfolio consists of developing press and marketing communication plans for DirecTV’s international and Spanish-language programming. During Rodriguez’s tenure at DirecTV, she served as the Marketing Manager in charge of the development and execution of strategic marketing objectives, including point of sale materials, customer offers and brand and loyalty awareness for DirecTV’s key sponsorships and partnerships including Nascar, jetBlue, XM Radio, DirecTV4Schools, and others.

s p o t l i g h t

Lincoln Watkins

Lenard Liberman

Hello Channel: Focused on teaching English Estrella TV: New Hispanic open TV network Hello Channel represents a new television offer dedicated to helping viewers learn English using a television immersion program that includes seeing, hearing, reading and speaking. English is the third most commonly spoken language in the world today in terms of native language. In terms of languages sought after as a second language, English is by far the number one language in the world.

Lincoln Watkins, founder and president of Hello Channel, says: “Our initial focus will be on all cable and satellite systems that serve Latino markets, including North, Central and

South America and the Caribbean.

We anticipate a launch date during the second quarter of 2009”.

The channel, based out of Utah, uses a broad variety of content and methodologies including traditional classroom settings and private tutor settings. Content is designed to appeal to children, youth and adults, and will cater to all different levels of English competency: beginner, intermediate and advanced. At launch, original programming will represent about 40% of the channel’s lineup (they are producing six series).

Stemming from their experience as original TV content producers and the success of their station in Los Angeles, Liberman Broadcasting Media, Inc. (LBI Media) is in the process of launching an open TV network: Estrella TV. “One of the key points is that most people start a network looking at the distribution first and overtime they develop a programming strategy. We already have a successful programming. We compete with Telemundo, Univision and TeleFutura, and we beat them in many day parts and TeleFutura overall. We already have proven programming and we are just going to need to fine-tune our distribution that we are starting and

we’ll be on the air within the second quarter,” says Lenard Liberman, Executive Vice President at LBI Media.

LBI Media owns 22 radio stations and six television stations in Greater Los Angeles and San Diego, CA; Houston and Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX; Salt Lake City, UT; and Phoenix, AZ. Most recently, LBI Media purchased WASA –a Port Jervis, NY TV station licensed to serve the Metropolitan New York area market. “We are already affiliating with Communications Corporation of America (CCA). They are the first group to sign with us and they have El Paso, McAllinver, Wacko, Odessa and Tyler, all in Texas”.

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N

a t p e

2009

Jorge Rojas, director of Entertainment, and Xosé Manuel Barreira, VP of Programming, both with CV Network

Peter Blacker from Telemundo and Flavio Morales from mun2

Derek Bond (Telemundo) and Patricio Wills (Telemundo Studios) with RTI director Hugo León and Gustavo Bolívar, author of Sin tetas no hay paraíso

Steve Treviño, star of the comedy Treviño, and Robert Rose from American Latino Syndication, with Starrett Berry from LATV

Martín Luna and Pedro Lascurain from TV Azteca

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Jim McNamara (Cinelatino), Luis Balaguer (Latin WE) and Carlos Bardasano Jr.

Doris Vogelmann and Guillermo Sierra from V-me

Julio Neri from LAIN-Cinemania Network

Silvia Merino from Canal SUR and Fefi Toll from Fefi Toll Entertainment

Mario San Román, general director of TV Azteca and Azteca Novelas

Froyd Rivera, general manager of Telemundo Puerto Rico Studios and Ileana Santiago, programming manager at Telemundo Puerto Rico

Luis Torres Bohl and his son Demian, both with Castalia Communications, at the Mexicanal stand

Allan Navarrete, VP of Latin America Sales at NBC Universal Television Distribution

Claudia Sahab, Claudia Silva, Gabriela Broca de la Cruz, and Patricia Porto Pedrido, all with Televisa Internacional

Esteban Martin, director of Media World Dominicana

Keith Legoy and Brendan Fitzgerald from Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI)

Joysette Rivera, Adriana Ibáñez, and Bárbara Musa Ruiz from Telemundo, with Carlos Bardasano Jr.

José Vicente Scheuren from Cinemateriales Inc.

Fefi Toll from Fefi Toll Entertainment with Analida López e Ignacio Barrera from Albavisión

Pedro Bellorín and Carolina Mateu from Media Pix Studios

Fátima Goncalves and Rodrigo Escandon from Channel 22 in Los Ángeles

David Núñez, Latin America Sales director at Lightworks Program Distribution

Michele Ravilet from phi-effect productions Inc.

Andrew Farley and Luis Torres-Bohl from Castalia Communications

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