Spanish Talk Radio Debuts in Northern Nevada

It looks like a fusion of two different formats is kicking off in Reno, Nevada. Spanish language radio and talk radio come together in a first for the northern part of that state as Victor Calderon at RGJ.com reports:

A Reno-based Spanish-language radio station began a new talk-radio format Friday that station officials said is the first of its kind in Northern Nevada.

The station, 1590 AM, began broadcasting under the name “Innovacion,” Spanish for “Innovation.” It was previously known as “El Universal” and has been playing Spanish-language Christian music for the past month, said Ricardo Garcia, general manager for Jireh Media Inc.

There is no questioning the popularity of the talk radio format, it is a huge and significant presence on the air and has been for many years now. Spanish language radio on the other hand is a newer, but rapidly growing format that is progressing in leaps and bounds along with the steady increase in Hispanic population. (The most recent US census figures place Hispanics as 20 % of the total U.S.) Combining the two is something I predict we will steadily see more and more of as time marches on.

There is little available about the proposed programming under the new format, although Calderon cites educational programming and “family values” content as part of its offerings.

With the total Hispanic population of the country gaining a greater voice as its numbers increase, the amount of Spanish language programming on the air has experienced a corresponding  expansion across the media landscape. Univision, a Spanish language Television network, is a terrific example of this.

Reaching people on their own terms is more important than ever in this age of time shifting and on demand media. What more comfortable terms are there than reaching someone in their native language?

Image: paraflyer / CC BY-ND 2.0

Tags: format change, nevada, radio, reno, spanish language, Talk Radio