Makes you feel safe...

The sign reads "rapists will face severe fines." Whew.

- Posted from my iPhone

Y Telemundo?

It's interesting how far behind Telemundo remains... while still growing and making money for parent company NBC Universal. The network recently launched an ad campaign challenging viewers to be more daring.

Be more daring? As in "don't watch what everybody else is watching"?

To understand the always changing dynamics of Spanish-language TV, a must read is Switching Channels, a well written article recently published by the New America Foundation.

Telemundo's strategy is clear: to create original programming targeting US-based Latinos, reflecting the reality that we face in this country.

While the ubiquitous novelas that come from Mexico feature old colonial houses and mansions populated by land owners, financiers and evil rich girls; Telemundo's characters live in apartment communities, work hard and face issues with school districts, taxes and immigration challenges.

The jury is still out about whether the Telemundo strategy will work in the long run. Logic indicates that as the Hispanic population ages and acculturates, they should have more things in common with the reality that Telemundo portraits on its shows.

However, is this what people want? To see themselves?

Successful sitcoms have always deformed reality into ideal situations.

Who can forget the Friends, living idyllic lives in Manhattan, dancing and splashing in water fountains without being arrested? Not too close to reality, if you ask me, but that didn't matter.

Part of the enjoyment of TV is not to see ourselves as we are, but as we'd like to be. Too much reality, unless it's part of a reality show, is not what entertainment is about.

Hispanic TV Ratings: Oct 26 – Nov 1, 2009

Last week's ratings were identical to the week before. Univision, once again, owns ten of the top ten positions.

Sortilegio leads comfortable capturing the top 5 spots. Every day, about 1 of every 5 Hispanic were watching the show.

To put this in perspective, the biggest TV show for the general market last week was the game 4 of the World Series... and its audience was about 1 in 10 viewers.

After my "ratings" blog post last week, self proclaimed jet-setting social activist and blogera @meningioma posed an interesting question:

"Do you think top 10 Spanish shows are [what they are because] there aren't other types of programs available to engage new generation?"

I don't believe this is an issue of what novelas are not, but of what they are.

For whatever reason, Latinos gravitate to the simple formula of soup operas: a boy and a girl that love each other but can' be together.

Of course, the formula gets "enriched":

Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Boy discovers that girl's dad, when he was a priest, secretly betrayed his own father by sharing a dark secret with the mean, rich land owner who then ruined his family...

While there are networks and shows that are appealing to the younger generation, like the enthralling and at times sureal Ya Quiero Mis Quince from MTV's Tr3s, or the shows on Mun2, novelas have an appeal and critical mass that should keep them on top for decades... at least until the next generational shift.

My name is Nuel. Ma-Nuel.

Larry Whitten is being vilified and probably sued over his demand that Latino workers at his hotel change their names.

However, while as a Latino I am not happy, as a marketing guy I see his point.

The Latino side is very straightforward: our names are who we are. Networking guru Dale Carnegie said it best: “A person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language."

A lot of our identity is wrapped around our names because of what we think about ourselves. Also parts of our identities, the perceptions of others, are many times triggered by the names themselves.

The are many studies that analyze the very tangible effects of names in people’s perceptions related to intelligence, popularity, competence, honesty and even beauty. But beyond that, our names are our names. And some people can be quite sensitive towards mispronunciation or simple errors.

For some reason, some people call me Miguel, instead of Manuel. To me those names couldn’t be more different, but I guess that for the non-Latino ear they’re pretty close.

Another common error: letting the spell checker change my name to “Manual.” However, it doesn't bother me. I don’t mind an honest mistake.

Besides, I am guilty of the very same thing with some English-language names. Some of my usual confusions: Jake / Jack, Don / Doug and Halley / Holly.

But the bottom line is that I’m Manuel. And it would not sit well with me if someone would demand that I change the way I call myself.

Now, from the marketing point of view, our names are our brands… and many people change their names for “marketing” reasons.

Some examples: Republican Senator Mel Martínez (Melquíades), Texas Secretary of State Hope Andrade (Esperanza), Miami Mayor Manny Diaz (Manuel), singer Ricky Martin (Enrique), and baseball player Sammy Sosa (Samuel).

But you don’t have to be famous to change your name. I know many people that go by John, Joe, Mary or Al that were born Juan, Jose, Maria or Alfonzo.

Why do people change their names? For the very same reasons the hotel owner alleged when making his demands: some of our Latino names may be difficult to pronounce or understand by non-Hispanics.

There’s also the perception issue. Some feel, justifiably or not, than having an Americanized name will improve the perceptions by others.

This is not a Hispanic thing. Many Asians choose an “American” name when they move to the US, replacing beautiful and musically sounding names with monikers like Arthur, Summer or Angela.

The important point is that it is an individual decision. If I want to be called “Manny,” “Mel” or “Batmanuel,” that a decision that I have the right to make.

Forcing a name on someone else has eerie rings of slavery. From Wikipedia:

During enslavement, slaves' names were assigned by their owners. Others received a name based on what kind of work they were forced to do. Some African-Americans have last names such as Cotton, reflecting when they were made to pick cotton as slaves.

Do I see Mr. Whitten’s point? Absolutely. As a business owner I think it makes sense to worry about customers calling on the phone and finding it hard to understand or relate to a Hispanic name.

What is unforgivable is his approach. No one should have the right to demand that anybody renounce to part of who they are so they can feed their families and do honest work.

Hispanic TV Ratings - Oct 19 - Oct 25, 2009

Sortilegio is doing very well, topping En Nombre del Amor as the most watched Hispanic show.

Tortas going mainstream

At my local Randall's grocery store

- Posted from my iPhone

Sometimes, the harshest attacks are intraracial. They occur within the family. http://ping.fm/BCOMu