 In
trying to please the listeners and the stockholders, Spanish-speaking
radio stations like La Mega, Latino Mix and Amor are being
taken to task by some of their Hispanic listeners who feel
that radio stations in New York City prefer certain types
of Spanish music.
Because of their international recognition, salsa and merengue
are the biggest genres in Spanish music. Salsa has its roots
in Cuba and was made popular worldwide by New York’s
Puerto Ricans and Merengue was created in the Dominican Republic.
Each Latin country has some form of music. Still, some listeners
feel that only salsa and merengue are played on the radio,
and that other Hispanic countries’ music is not being
played on the Spanish radio stations.
“It is not fair when they only play merengue and salsa,
because they have other people listening,” said 16-year-old
Anais Bermejo, who is Mexican. “Like if they play Salvadorian
music, there is a lot of Salvadorans, but they don’t
play their music. It is like they’re forcing us into
another culture.”
 The
only time she hears any type of Mexican music other than Spanish
pop is on the weekends on Amor (FM-93.1) for only two hours,
she said.
Even though there are stations that play Mexican music on
the AM dial, the FM dial hardly carries any Mexican music,
Bermejo and other listeners said. Bermejo feels that the reason
for this is that people who work at the radio stations are
Puerto Ricans and Dominicans, so they get more radio play.
Like Bermejo, 18 year-old Natalia Luna feels that the radio
stations set the trends in music.
“(Radio stations are) the ones exposing people to other
music,” Luna said. “If they don’t play others’
music, people don’t know. If they play it then the audiences
will be interested.”
Luna is from Peru. She has never heard a Peruvian song on
any of the Spanish radio stations. Luna realizes that there
is not a great amount of Peruvians in New York, so she doesn’t
expect her music to be played or to get any recognition on
the radio.
Latino Mix Programming Director Bryan Melendez explained that
as business, they have to make money. Radio stations have
to try to please both the listeners and the stockholders.
“We do honestly and generally try to find the middle
ground,” said Melendez, who station can be found at
105.9 on the FM dial, “what is good for the listener
and what is going to drive the bottom line.”
Radio
stations carry out research in order to find out what listeners
will listen to and what they will like. They are trying
to grab as much attention as they can from their listeners.
Radio stations want their listeners to turn up the volume
and sing along with a song, rather than turn off the radio,
Melendez explained.
“Contrary
to popular beliefs, radio stations don’t set the trends,
they follow the trends,” he said. “Radio stations
kind of solidify a bunch of trends that are happening into
one roof.”
All the different types of music are tested to see whether
or not they fit the radio station’s preferred genres
and format. If the format and genres are not met, the song
is disregarded.
“People tend to be very regionalistic and specific
because you’re your own person and you like what you
like,” Melendez explained. “We’re in the
business in trying to find the common denominator. We have
to play music that the most amount of people like.”
Luna and Bermejo don’t agree with Melendez. They want
to be introduced to other music and they like music from
outside of their countries.
“If I like the type of music, I will listen to it,”
said Bermejo. “I love bachata and I am not Dominican.
I grew up with it and I got use to it. I can get used to
other music.”
Luna would like to hear more music like samba and tango,
even folkloric music from across Hispanic nations.
“I am from another country and I know my music already,”
Luna said, “I would like to hear other music to see
the similarity and differences between my music and their
music.
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