Invisible yet possible

Why is public media failing to meet the needs of bilingual audiences in its broadcasts?

Public media stations are constantly striving to keep up with evolving trends, but there is a major area that is often overlooked: Spanish-language broadcast content. Many prefer to go the podcast, WhatsApp or social media route. In such a choice, they pass on Spanish content on what virtually all stations acknowledge is their biggest opportunity for connecting with audiences. 📺

This conversation was seemingly resolved years ago for most of public media. Yet new energy around diverse content (hey NPR) and the shifting of the culture (hola Bad Bunny 🐰) is sparking dormant dialogues.

(Fair play to community and public-access media, which has many examples of doing such content. ⚽ More on this later.)

Are you a public radio or television station that has considered or is considering putting out Spanish content? 📻 With the growing bilingual population in America, it may make sense to incorporate some Spanish-language programming. Most of those stations doing so focus on social media. In this article, I want to discuss the issues you should consider and weigh when deciding whether or not to integrate bilingual content into your broadcast programming.

Let's investigate the potential for Spanish-language news content on radio and television on a primarily English channel; and whether our current choices are the best ones. 👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾

But first, the big question. What is the roadblock? 🚧 A quick summary of why Spanish is not done on English-only public media covers a range of disparate subjects.

• Public media’s core broadcast audience is older, white people who presumably don’t know Spanish.

• Some may be upset by hearing a language they don’t understand - then call, email or write (tweet does not seem like as much a thing here) to programming and sometimes membership people if Spanish is on air.

• We assume this audience will feel otherwise feel confused by Spanish and listen to something else.

I have heard this scenario dressed up in more mission/vision-oriented ways. But they both come to the same conclusion against Spanish on broadcast. 🛑 To be clear, this isn’t a call out, but exploring how we arrived here. 💭

The other theory looks this way:

• The Spanish-speaking audience has no substantive trust in or relationship with our organization.

• They don’t listen to the station. 📵

• We do not have the bandwidth to create content in a manner that fosters habits with these listeners/viewers to tune in.

• Insert anecdote about Latinos being young and more online than other ethnic groups.

• Insert anecdote about listening/viewing being increasingly based in streaming not terrestrial broadcasting.

• The way to engage the Latino audience is online.

I confess I’ve almost certainly made at least one of these arguments before. A lot of us in public media have. My station does not broadcast Spanish-language programming presumably rooted in this reasoning, as do many public radio stations.

I believe many public media organizations would like to offer Spanish-language broadcast content, but face various challenges in doing so. 🤔 A lack of funding is one major obstacle, as creating high-quality content can be costly. Additionally, there may be few staff members who are fluent in Spanish and able to produce the content consistently. Another challenge is finding ways to reach bilingual audiences, as they may not be tuned into public media channels or aware of the programming that is available.

The demand for Spanish language content has grown over the past decade. 📈 However, Spanish-language broadcasting is still a relatively new concept in the modern public media landscape. While there are a handful of public television and radio stations that offer some form of bilingual content, there is still a long way to go in increasing access to this type of programming.

In response, there are some public media organizations that have been able to overcome these obstacles and offer successful Spanish-language programming. One example is Radio Bilingue, which was founded in 1977 and is the only nationwide radio network aimed at Latine audiences. Radio Bilingue produces a variety of shows in both English and Spanish, reaching millions of listeners across the country. 🔉 Community media organizations such as WMNF, KWMR and many others produce weekly Spanish and bilingual programming in blocks. Yet where organizations are uncomfortable to make such broadcast moves, digital has been the focus.

The pivot to digital is a key part of public media's commitment to serve Latinos. 📱 Our digital offerings in the system may include news, podcasts and other audio and video content that is accessible on mobile. This is believed to allow public media to reach Spanish-speaking audiences who may not have access to traditional television or radio.

There are some fair arguments for digital-only. There is also a blindspot.

Digital media allows us to better connect with our audience through social media and other online platforms. We can interact with our listeners and viewers in real-time, and gather feedback that helps us improve our content. ✏️ By reaching more people online, we can fulfill our mission of providing high-quality news and information that is vital to the community.

The pivot to digital also has significant implications for how we work. 💻 We have moved from producing content for one broadcast platform -- radio or television -- to producing content that can exist across multiple platforms, from mobile phones to streaming services. This requires us to rethink our businesses and embrace new technologies and skillsets. 🎧

Here’s the blindspot, or two. If we sincerely believe that digital is the way to audiences, if they don’t have habits with us there either and we also don’t have the bandwidth to create regular content, what’s the strategy to grow the audience? In addition, our revenue/underwriting, membership, biggest content investments and key operations unchanged from broadcast. Are we missing a chance to build audience with our strongest asset?

I expect we are devoted to broadcast (even if our diverse initiatives aren’t) because we in public media see our immediate future (0-10 years), if not further, firmly oriented around FM and TV. Rarely are we frank and public in that analysis. And it’s a blindspot to argue, at once, that the primary way to attract a Latine audience is online, when we operate as if we already know how to attract an audience: with our broadcast content. Offering it bilingually just isn’t part of the plan.

There’s ultimately no right answer. 🕰️ As we continue to evolve, public media will need to remain focused on our mission of serving all Americans with timely, relevant and accurate news and information.

There are many reasons why public media should offer more bilingual content, and weight the benefits of broadcast. 🗼 First and foremost, it is an important way to engage and be a presence among the large bilingual population in the United States. According to the Pew Research Center, Hispanics in the U.S. are very comfortable with English and Spanish, even generations into their American journeys. And these audiences still tune in to broadcast.

Furthermore, public media aspires to provide broadcast content that is accessible to a variety of audiences. 📡 This includes content in languages other than English. By offering Spanish-language content, public media can make its programming more accessible to a wider range of viewers and listeners. Such relationship building is critical as we seek our future generations of supporters and consumers.

When costs can be managed well, there is no reason why an organization has to limit itself strictly to digital or social. 📣 KQED’s Bay Area Ofrendas, a bilingual broadcast and digital interstitial, might inspire you to think creatively, for instance.

Finally, Spanish language broadcast content might be an important effort for public media organizations looking to serve their local communities. In many parts of the country, there is a growing demand for bilingual news and information. We shouldn’t dance around the fact that, while digital is crucial, broadcast is still key. Public media organizations that offer this type of content can help meet the need and better serve their communities.

Yet, whatever your organization chooses, spend time getting to know the Latine audience. Alexandra Svokos reflected on a similar matter recently related to young people and news consumption. Meeting audiences where they are isn’t enough. How we tell stories needs to grow, too. 🟢

Cafecito: stories to discuss ☕

• Arizona PBS has Launched Conexión, a platform to engage Latine audiences. You can sign up for notifications. 🔍

• Noting the few Hispanics working in broadcasting compared to other industries, the Government Accountability Office has suggested the Federal Communications Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission share data regarding discrimination charges filed against broadcasters and otherwise work on exchanges of information. 🗓️ (Thanks to Abby Goldstein for this spot.)

• Nieman Lab puts the spotlight on 9 Millones, a new publishing and journalism crowdfunding platform for coverage of Puerto Rico. 🖱️

• New research shows political differences between older and younger Hispanics may not be as big as we think. 🦜 “This is mostly because older Latinos generally express more progressive or left-leaning views than older Americans overall and younger Latinos are less progressive on some issues than young Americans overall.“

• Nicaraguan journalist Carlos F. Chamorro spoke from exile ahead of his Reuters Memorial Lecture 📰 “We shouldn’t drift towards activism,” he says. “We should keep doing quality journalism. That’s our main challenge.”

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El radar: try this 📡

• Check challenges to Latine mental health. 🧠 WTTW held a conversation on the topic in February. Mental health for Hispanics is a rich topic worth exploring anytime.

• Ask about Hispanics at regional HBCUs. Inside Higher Ed covers the social media discussion surrounding the selection of a non-Black Latina to represent an HBCU. The subtext to this flashpoint is HBCUs have grown enrollment by recruiting more Hispanic students. 👨🏼‍🎓 The implications for such in the coming years will be the subject of dialogues to come.

• Visit local museums to discuss inclusion. Austin Culturemap covered an area museum that is seeking to draw interest among Hispanics. 🏢 In fact, many museums are seeking to attract more diverse attendees and donors.

• Find Mexican restaurants that create community. The New York Times offered a look at a suburban Connecticut establishment that has created a place of belonging for immigrants and others. 🍽️ It’s a story as old as time, but itself never gets old.

• See about multilingual emergency alerts. The Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council is renewing calls for the FCC to make emergency alerts available in languages other than English. 🚨 Are there conversations in your community about this issue?

The next OIGO is in your inbox March 17. ✉️ Bienvenidos to all the new subscribers who joined following my moderating stint at the 2023 Audience Development Summit. I welcome your thoughts, ideas and content/interview recommendations.

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