The rebirth of AltLatino
12 years in, the famed show's hosts talk representation and rebuilding
AltLatino is the This American Life of Latino content. 🙌🏻 Is this really in question?
Throughout the last 12 years, the legendary program/podcast has introduced audiences to emerging musicians and visions that have defined contemporary Latin culture. The interviews and the exploration of songs are the hook. Yet the magic is in how AltLatino uses these conversations and tracks to get into the history and nuance of Latina/o/e/x life and politics.
No one in public media has told the Latino story so consistently or on as high a platform as AltLatino. It predates virtually all the public radio programs that speak to matters of race and belonging. It built a community of listeners way before others, encouraging fans to share their thoughts on music and memories. Moreover, AltLatino has over its lifespan used humor, poignant discussions and warmth to examine a shared identity and experience.
So, how do you remake a beloved brand like AltLatino? During the relaunch, co-hosts Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre talked about changes in the show as well as in pop culture that were unimaginable years ago. But they raised topics calling for more dialogue. Fortunately, Sayre and Contreras were open to talking about it for this edition of OIGO. 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽
What were the conversations like around relaunching AltLatino?
Sayre: It started with a lot of debates perhaps. Felix and I come from different perspectives and different experiences. And I think we love to have all kinds of ideas about what the show should be, and what kind of stories we should be telling, and so that naturally evolved into, ‘Let's do something fresh. Let's do something that we feel speaks to both of our experiences to a whole variety of people and something that really gets at the heart of of this beautiful thing that Felix has been has been building for the past 12 years.’
It's taking the wonderful moments and expanding on them and making that the center of the show.
Contreras: It really was a time to re-examine what it is that we’re doing. I've been doing it for such a long time. I’m very happy and proud of the archives that we've built along the way, but, as with everything, you’ve got to kind of keep things fresh. You’ve got to keep things moving. I was really open and excited about the idea of redesigning, rethinking, reformatting, etc., and getting someone to sit in the co-host chair to share ideas with and conversations with.
So, yeah, it was a combination of things, but ultimately it's about being able to keep things fresh, and also to react to what's going on in the community — because things have changed so much in the 12 years since I started this show, within the community, within the media landscape, and even within music. The relaunch is a way to address all of those things moving forward.
Who you feel the audience is today for AltLatino?
Sayre: You know, I think we're always trying to imagine a little bit. [laughs] We definitely created this new iteration of the show with certain audience members in mind. We really imagine people coming to this show as a way to understand more about themselves and their families, and where we all come from, and how we're all part of this much larger diaspora. We explore the way that music can speak to that, and showcase it. That was a key thing for us.
I had the experience as a listener, before I even started working on the show, of hearing moments. Felix would have an interviews with an artist, and just being like, ‘wow, I had no idea that was a part of my story.’ Because if it's part of the Latino story, it is part of my story inherently. And so we knew we wanted to bring a show to people who would care about that, and who were trying to learn something more about themselves and where they come from.
Our hope is reaching and really speaking to our community, from our community, by our community, for our community, all of those things. It's really about creating a space for us on the air and in the podcast.
Contreras: And at the same time, that message goes out on what is considered NPR's most diverse product, right? I think we have the most diverse audience of any NPR property in terms of geographically where people are listening from, age-wise, culturally, ethnically. That's reflective of the curiosity of the NPR listener and the NPR audience, so that they can come to these things that Ana just talked about and absorb them and get a better understanding of the world that they live in and the people that they live around.
What do you both feel are going to be the biggest challenges for growing the program?
Contreras: Just understanding the media landscape, man. How many podcasts are out there, right? And how do you stand out amongst all that? And then how do you stand out as a Latino podcast, because, 12 years ago, I mean I could listen to all the Latino podcasts in one sitting. That's not the case anymore. There's a very vibrant community now. I don't consider it a competition. It's just another reflection of different aspects of the communities.
For me, it's a matter of trying to understand where the audience is and which way or how we can reach them in the most effective way and then deliver the content that we have that we think stands out.
Sayre: I don't think we're afraid to say too and be transparent that the NPR audience is not necessarily at this point super Latino-centric. It's something that we're constantly working on. To really build out a larger Latino community within the NPR listener base is a real challenge.
Also, it's a reality that we're working within a network that we really care about reaching this audience. And that's going to take some time — by inviting people, serving as an entry point for some of those people to meet NPR for the first time. We're able to do that in different ways with the podcast, with the Tiny Desk series we've been able to really successfully do. And so that's an awesome entry point.
We're kind of at the forefront in this way, and so it's going be a real challenge. Yet it’s something we're excited about.
What is the lesson you feel like you've learned from your audience?
Sayre: One thing that I always try to keep in mind is that we really are here to serve the audience. We're not here — as much as we love the artists and we love their teams — for them or their teams or their publicists or to promote the album necessarily, at least that's not the top priority. To me, it really is caring about bringing people who come to us and come to the show to learn something about who they are and where they come from. It means bringing them content that matters to them.
In some ways we're still learning what that looks like and how to receive that feedback. We would love to hear from listeners — that's the best thing we can get, to get folks to really tell us, ‘this is something that matters to us’ or ‘this is something that doesn't.’ It's been cool to hear from people as they say like, ‘oh there was this moment that really meant something to me.’ That's a massive win. That means we resonated with an experience for even a second of what an artist or what we said and that really mattered.
Now, we're working to continue to center that and focus on that and let that be the statement: caring.
Contreras: I agree with Ana. And the other thing I learned is just be ourselves. Over the years, it's always been the mantra: just be yourself and make it like you're having a conversation with somebody that you know. That's something that we don't have a problem with, being ourselves—
Sayre: Maybe a little too much sometimes!
Contreras: Yeah, just be ourselves and, like she said, don’t try to do any other thing other than explore what's in front of us and what's around us. 🟢
La próxima (y felicidades) 🎈
The next OIGO is in your inbox November 4. Election Day 2022 is Tuesday, Nov. 8. I wrote for America Amplified about how to tell the Latina/o/e/x voter story better. ✨ In honor of the final weekend before Election Day, let's discuss good Latino vote journalism (with examples) in the next newsletter. May it inspire stronger election reporting.
This newsletter marks OIGO’s first birthday. 🥳 ¡No mames! Has it really been a year?! I can’t begin to thank you. Your kind words; remarks about how an interview or analysis helped you or your organization; and recommending OIGO to your networks has been seen, appreciated and never forgotten. I am humbled by your kindness and generosity every day.
In case you’re curious, these are the most popular posts from the last 12 months. 😻 The following are separated by just a few clicks:
Our look ten years after KPCC’s Latino transformation effort was among the most read
A fantastic conversation with Erika Aguilar about her ascent at NPR was also popular
This examination of where we’re at in public media’s DEI journey drew much interest
This powerful (and potentially controversial) discussion on how white editors can impact sharing diverse stories generated talk and readers
And conversations on belonging, Latina/o/e/x representation in unexpected communities, and audience research rounded out the most popular posts
My friend Sway Steward (host of Greater Public’s fantastic Our Hour) reminds me to better point out the ‘buy me a coffee’ link. 👉🏼 Here it is. 👈🏼 I don’t do Patreon or anything because I figure all of you are already giving to your favorite public media on a sustaining basis. I asked myself, ‘do these awesome people need more monthly giving?’ 😆 But if you do want to help out as a one-time, muchismas gracias!
I always welcome your feedback on how OIGO can do more and better. Reach out anytime with your thoughts.
Last thing: I’m a judge in this year’s KCRW Radio Race. Consider joining in!
-- Ernesto
Cafecito: stories to discuss ☕
Nielsen has released its latest study on Latinx audiences. Viewership on streaming platforms is increasing. Read it here. 📺
Out of the PBS Studios Digital Producers Summit, a conversation on helping inform your audience understanding. 📓 “Rather than starting with standard demographics like age, location and gender, [researchers] analyze media behavior and attitudes toward social issues to segment audiences by cultural affinities and shared values.“ More from Joanie Tobin.
A nice profile of community radio station WLCH is out. 📻 Its manager claims it is the only Latino bilingual radio station, and that there are 34 bilingual stations (languages not specified) nationwide.
Salud, a new Spanish language podcast from GBH and partners focused on health issues, is out tomorrow.
KQED’s Farida Jhabvala Romero and Yvette Cabrera of the Center for Public Integrity are the nonprofit reporters selected as California’s most influential Latina journalists. 🍾
El radar: try this 📡
Ask about local misinformation. The New York Times covered the rise of misinformation in many languages, including Spanish. One of the groups working on this subject is Factchequeado, discussed by Natalie Van Hoozer in a recent OIGO.
Keep talking Latino votes. 🌼 Nevada Public Radio got into some of the more nuanced things, like intermarriage, related to the bloc.
See who is using data to advocate for Latinos. WOI’s story is intriguing because the focus in on a local group explicitly collecting data on Hispanic Iowans to aid their efforts. 📈 I expect many groups are attempting the same, but don’t have such endeavors reported on.
Look into small-town Hispanic festivals. 🎪 St. Louis Public Radio did it, asking about the rewards and challenges of celebrating Latine identity in rural communities and small towns.
Profile Latinx creatives. KCET just highlighted with an impressive documentary six local artists on how identity intersects their art. 🎨 This may be a relatively easy reach for many organizations.
🥤 You can buy me a coffee here if you’d like to support the newsletter.