Personally, I am a HUGE Food Network junkie.And although Latinos have been represented on the network by Venezuelan-born Ham on the Street host George Duran, the themes have never really been Latino focused.Aside from the occasional “taco dinner night” by Paula Deen or a “paella with a twist” by Giada De Laurentiis, there has never been any real “home cooked” Hispanic meals.Until Colombian-born and Miami-transplant Ingrid Hoffman was signed on. They recently showcased her at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival in February; which has become a huge and pricey celeb-fest here in Miami.It’s amazing to see how many shows they shot here that week.
Her new show “Simply Delicioso,” will be airing Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. beginning July 14, Hoffman will take her place as the network’s first Latina host.She comes to the Food Network from a cable show Delicioso on Galavision and segments on Univision’s Despierta America.There are many Spanish-language stars who have tried to cross over to English but have not always successfully.But media experts think Hoffmann, 42, has a shot. For starters, food is common ground for all cultures.Now that’s very insightful…NOT!
According to Bob Tuschman, the Food Network’s senior vice-president for programming and production, Hoffmann’s success in Spanish underscores her appeal. He said the network was impressed by her take on Latin food. “Ingrid has a sparkling personality, a breezy way of making cooking approachable and a passion to take classics and give them a Latin twist,” he wrote in an e-mail. Read the rest of this entry »
Matt Lauer will be hosting NBC’s “Today” show live from Cuba today to report on the political and economic climate there.My curiosity as to how accurately depicted things will be.Given Castro’s current health situation, government restriction on access are high and should pose an interesting backdrop.I am sure they will not be interviewing any official heads of state.However, although the Today Show is my daily morning ritual…I don’t see it as the forum for real hard lining news.
Although Lauer is a world traveler for “Today,” it took them over 18 months to negotiate the visit to a country only 90 miles from the United States, said Jim Bell, the show’s executive producer. Bell used his ability to speak Spanish in the negotiations.
After having the chance to watch the entire broadcast from Cuba, I believe they tried to do too much in such little time. With a little over 1 hour of true Cuban content, we were left wanting more. I sure hope that they are taping other segments for other shows while they were there, if not, the trip and all that effort were in vain. Afterall, it takes months and even years to get that kind of access approved by the government.
I believe that although NBC played the role of unbiased media outlet, that the coverage was very vanilla and really didn’t get at anything important. I believe the reporting was a 30,000 mile perspective of what life in Cuba is about. It did not deal with anything difficult…or easy for that matter.
The overly simplistic, but SUPER-insightful video released last week by Microsoft titled “Bring the Love Back“….yes MS…reveals the often one-sided, ego-centric relationship that exists today between brands (and their agencies) and the consumers that buy their products.
In the Hispanic market, brands, to some degree, have had to do a great deal of listening in order to correctly service their Hispanic consumer base. Not by choice, but because they are afraid of public failure.Many only get one shot to do it right.But in the general market, that is really not the case. And as marketers become savvy of the Hispanic market, I believe this too will begin to occur.
More Disney surprises with the announcement that Disney-ABC and Univision will be partnering on the U.S. Hispanic version of Desperate Housewives. Yes…it will be coming to Univision affiliates near you next season. Production is said to begin in July in Argentina by Pol-ka Produtions in Buenos Aires and will be titled “Amas de Casa Desesperadas” and are expected to cast the remake with high-profile Latin American and U.S. Hispanic actors. Wisteria Lane will never be the same…that I know.
This move, I believe, is promoted by the increasing pressure on Univision to free itself from the Televisa content-addiction. Much like the U.S.’s dependency on foreign oil, tensions between the two broadcasting giants came to a head last summer when Televisa lost its bid to purchase Univision.
In a trial set for October 30th, Univision could lose access to its primary provider of telenovelas that have helped keep the broadcasting giant on top. Licensing agreement expires in 2017, but Univision’s only other attempt at producing original programming was the ill-fated telenovela “Te amare en silencio,” which former Univision chairman and CEO Jerrold Perenchio produced through his own production company. Can you say Halliburton?
No, not on a raft under the Biscayne Bay Bridge. These Cubans are rich and coming to CBS’s Prime Time in a new show called Cane. A drama about a well-to-do Cuban-American family torn by “male tension” as its sugar and rum businesses are passed down to the next generation, is part of the new fall schedule presented at the upfront in NYC last week.
With Miami as its backdrop, the show has a star-studded Latino cast — including Jimmy Smits, Rita Moreno, Hector Elizondo, Nestor Carbonell and Miami local Paola Turbay — and executive producer Jonathan Prince says that the script will be as exceptional.
Once again, Disney had a surprise for the Hispanic market this week when they announced (just in time for the upfront) that GLo. would not be returning for an 8th season. And the high profile Hispanic sitcom star is not sitting around and laughing about it.
Tuesday, ABC President Steve McPherson announced that the network’s fall schedule would no longer be home to “The George Lopez Show,” a G-rated family show starring the stand-up comedian as “a guy who has made lemonade from lemons at every turn.” Four new sitcoms are on the horizon at ABC, including “Cavemen,” inspired by the Geico insurance spokes-Neanderthal.
“We’re heading into the new season with a strong lineup of returning shows that we’ve developed and nurtured over the past few years,” McPherson said in a release. “… We’re dedicated to working hard week after week to deliver the best stories and most memorable characters on TV.” Ratings and cost have been cited in the decision to axe “The George Lopez Show,” which is produced by Warner Bros. Television.
This blog was developed to discuss issues affecting Hispanic marketing today. It is also intended to offer a fresh perspective different from the scripted media coverage currently being offered in the industry.
Her new show “Simply Delicioso,” will be airing Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. beginning July 14, Hoffman will take her place as the network’s first 
