The Challenges of Programming for Hispanics
by Laura Martínez -- Multichannel News, 7/20/2008 6:00:00 PM MT
Unlike Univision, with its primetime lineup that relies heavily on imports from Grupo Televisa, NBC-owned Telemundo has made it a priority to produce its own content as a means of controlling its own destiny. But the strategy is a very costly one and has not always translated into ratings success. This year, Telemundo cancelled Más Vale Tarde, a show that it launched with great fanfare in November, and put an end to its morning show Cada Día. The network also has announced the upcoming premiere of Levántate, a two-hour morning show to kick off right after the Beijing Olympics. Multichannel News contributor Laura Martínez spoke with Telemundo executive vice president network entertainment Carlos Bardasano about the network’s programming strategy and the challenges of programming TV for U.S. Hispanics. An edited transcript follows:
MCN: It seems that when it comes to programming Telemundo has gone through a lot of trial and error. What would you say Telemundo’s programming strategy is all about?
Carlos Bardasano: Wow. That’s a tough one. One of the things that I do every day when I come to work is try to figure out which are the best programs we can put in the best time periods to really get our audiences engaged, involved, informed and to empower them. But when you’re doing that 24/7 it is challenging. Sometimes you are better at certain things. When they work, well, it’s fantastic, and when they don’t you try harder, and then try again.
MCN: But with Telemundo already spending a lot of money on production, isn’t the trial and error strategy a bit too expensive?
CB: Yes, it is very expensive. But it’s worth it. Because you are trying to really speak to your audience rather than just grabbing a [show produced in another country] and hope that it will work. Here, you try and if something doesn’t work, then you tweak it; and then you tweak it once again until it works. Sure, it is a lot more expensive to produce our own product than to buy it from a third party. But we do it for many reasons. One of the reasons I came back to Telemundo [from Univision] was exactly this. I had the opportunity to hear what the audience wants and develop a product based on that.
MCN: In May Telemundo announced the upcoming release of several new telenovelas. Are telenovelas still the bread and butter for your network?
CB: I think telenovelas are not only the bread and butter of Telemundo, but of anybody who wants to be in the Spanish-language business: There is no way to do this without telenovelas. They are really the centerpiece of any Spanish-language programming; they are part of the DNA of our audience. If you look outside the general market in the U.S., the most popular format is the novela. It is sort of like soccer and football; soccer is the most popular sport in the world — except in the U.S. For our audience, telenovelas are like soccer. So now the trick is, how do we make them better?
MCN: How do you make them better?
CB: Well, we try to bring high standards in the production and writing talent. The idea is try to get the best possible product in the world. Sometimes we’ll produce it, sometimes we’ll buy them elsewhere.
MCN: Telemundo scored some big ratings with Victoria. What do you think was the main reason why this telenovela performed better than others?
CB: Every time there is a success, you always try to deconstruct and figure out what were the ingredients that made that happen. I think that as with anything else, it was a combination of many things. Sometimes it is accidental, but in this case it was not. The fact that we went with a major story that had worked in all its versions was a big plus. Then we had talent with the caliber of Victoria Ruffo and Arturo Peniche. It was also a story people could relate with. But I also think the timing of Victoria [which runs through the end of this month] was right.
MCN: Besides telenovelas, are there any other genres where you see big ratings and advertising potential for Telemundo?
CB: I think the fact of the matter is that we are always, constantly trying new things. One of the things we started 7 or 8 years ago was Protagonistas de Novela, which was really the first reality show developed within the U.S. Hispanic market, as opposed to most reality shows that came from the Netherlands or Spain. We had a cast of 12 aspiring actors, 6 men and 6 women, and locked them in a studio where they had to go through several challenges until they were cast as talent for a Telemundo novela. This was something that was developed for this market and it became very successful; there were about 15 versions done throughout Latin America.
MCN: Earlier this year Telemundo pulled the plug on late-night show Más Vale Tarde barely five months after launch. Are you done with programming for late night?
CB: No. I think it will be counterproductive from our part to think that we’re done with the time period. I think if anything, I’m encouraged from the lessons learned from this experience. I can tell you that I personally have learned a lot more from the shows that didn’t go the way I expected than from the shows than worked. In the case of Más Vale Tarde, the main lesson was that we were trying to do something that the audience was not prepared for. It was a very progressive show that we were hoping would click. Sometimes it happens, but we missed the mark on that one.
MCN: Telemundo also cancelled Cada Día, and is now prepared to launch yet another morning show, Levántate. How is the new show expected to be different?
CB: One of the things that I like about Levántate is that we were truly counting on someone of the caliber of [producer] Tony Mojena, who has been producing the Latin Billboard Awards, which is probably one of the most important specials that we have on the air, and something we are definitely very proud of. We rely on Tony’s expertise in the area of entertainment and variety. We are bringing primetime to the morning.
MCN: You have been quoted in the past talking about the difficulty of programming children’s shows in Spanish. Why is that?
CB: The entire family is super important for Telemundo and kids are very important. But there is a reality to that. I’ve tried really hard to have children watch programming in Spanish. But kids coming to the country or born here have this extreme need to not be different; to be as much as possible like the rest of their schoolmates. They don’t want to be the Hispanic kid. And it’s amazing, because the minute they hit 18, they start speaking Spanish and understand the value of speaking another language.
MCN: Beyond soccer and telenovelas, do you think there is there a trick or formula to program TV for U.S. Hispanics?
CB: I think that there is a formula. But the minute you find out what it is, it changes. And that’s what’s fascinating about this business. But one common denominator of great programming and great performance is that every time you have a universal story that goes directly from the heart, it works. Everytime we go away from targeting the heart, and target the rational rather than the emotional, we [at Telemundo] get into trouble. When you connect with values such as love, family, things that are really important to this audience, that’s when you start seeing a lot of magic.
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