Hours before his arraignment at a Miami courthouse this week, Donald Trump conducted an exclusive interview with a South Florida radio station. The former US president was interviewed in English by host Carines Moncada, who later translated the interview into Spanish for Radio Libre 790 listeners. Moncada drew a parallel between the “persecution of the political conservative opposition” in Latin America and what she believes to be happening in the US. Trump agreed with her sentiment and praised her for her questions. This interview took place on Americano Media, a Spanish-language conservative media group that aims to reach 50 markets across the US. Founded by Iván García-Hidalgo, Americano Media has raised $20mn from private investors and plans to bring in another $50mn in its next equity round. The network recently secured national digital distribution through a deal with iHeartRadio, the largest radio station owner in the US.
Latino Media Network (LMN), founded by Jess Morales Rocketto and Stephanie Valencia, former staffers of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, has also entered the Spanish-language radio market. The start-up raised $80mn and acquired 18 radio stations from TelevisaUnivision. It started its operations in Texas’ Río Grande Valley, a region where Trump gained significant support among Latino voters in the 2020 presidential election. LMN now reaches eight of the top-10 media markets in the country.
Until recently, Telemundo and Univision dominated Spanish-language media in the US. However, with the entry of LMN and Americano, competition in the Spanish radio market has increased. Radio is highly popular among US Latinos, with broadcast radio being the top platform for reaching Latino audiences on a monthly basis, according to Nielsen. In 2022, 97% of US Latinos tuned in to radio each month, compared to 92% of the general population. On the other hand, live TV viewership among Latinos decreased by 13% from 2017 to 2022. Spanish is also the most common non-English language in the US, spoken by nearly 50 million people.
These new players in the Spanish-language media market reflect the growing economic, social, and cultural mobility of Latinos in the US. They have the opportunity to become influential voices for one of the country’s fastest-growing populations and important platforms for political candidates seeking the Latino vote. While Latino voters predominantly favor Democrats, there has been an increase in support for Republicans among this demographic since 2016, particularly in Florida.
Iván García-Hidalgo, CEO of Americano Media, aims to capitalize on this shift and fill what he sees as a conservative “void” in Latino media. The network has already secured interviews with Republican politicians like Senator Marco Rubio and plans to position itself as the Spanish-language equivalent of Fox News. However, some critics, such as Republican strategist Mike Madrid, argue that the push for a conservative Spanish-language media company is more symbolic than substantive, as Spanish is declining as the dominant language among right-leaning audiences.
Latino Media Network, despite its founders’ Democratic backgrounds, aims to go beyond political news and include programming on sports, immigration, healthcare, and personal finance. The network claims to have a non-partisan mission and has a diverse set of advisors from different political affiliations.
Overall, the Spanish-language media landscape in the US is evolving, and new entrants like Americano Media and LMN are seeking to cater to the growing Latino population and their diverse interests and political preferences.
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