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‘Urban Latino’ Makes History

Mar 24, 2003  •  Post A Comment

The weekly independent syndicated series Urban Latino has been renewed on WCBS-TV in New York for season two, marking the first time a syndicated English-language series for Latinos has made it past its first season, according to Robert Rose of Artist and Idea Management, the packager, executive producer and distributor for the series.
“For us this deal is huge because our show is in its first year,” he said. “This proves that we are not a fluke, and for WCBS to pick us up so early is a great vote of confidence, because once New York clears, everything else tends to fall in line.”
Urban Latino is an English-language half-hour show designed to highlight the diverse elements of U.S. Latin culture, with topics ranging from entertainment, sports and celebrity interviews to fashion and music. Urban Latino is a co-production of MetroTV, Urban Latino Magazine, Artist and Idea Management and Latino Media Ventures (formerly Gallco Productions).
Now in 37 markets with access to 35 million Latinos, the series reaches 77 percent of Hispanic homes in the United States.
“The English-speaking Latino population has long been underserved, but stations such as WCBS as well as ABC stations on the West Coast and others have stepped up to show their commitment to making this work. They make sure that the clearance times are advertiser- and viewer-friendly, not buried in late-night or early-morning hours.” Mr. Rose said. “It’s a credit to the stations’ management. Having a good time period allows us to market the show aggressively in all our markets, making good on our promise of providing our affiliates access to a new, untapped audience and revenue stream.”
Artist and Idea is moving to solidify the series’ place within the English-speaking Latino community this week with the much-hyped Toyota Matrix-Urban Latino Spring Break set to take place March 27 to March 30 in Miami.
In addition to providing coverage of the Spring Break event on location in Miami, Urban Latino Television is producing segments highlighting Latino fraternities and sororities and the growing influence of Latinos on college campuses nationwide. Those segments are scheduled to air in and around Urban Latino’s Spring Break coverage in March and April.