• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
MENUMENU
  • About
  • Send News Tips

Media Moves

Covering Latinos in the Media Industry

MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
  • Send News Tips
  • People
  • TV & Radio
  • Programming
  • Print
  • Digital
  • Job Board
  • Archives

Is WOAI’s lame news promo trying to reach Latino viewers?

February 13, 2012 by Veronica Villafañe

Who was the bird brain who produced this news promo at WOAI in San Antonio? And how could anchor Elsa Ramon play along?

I usually don’t inject opinions on this site, but this is so unbelievably stupid, I just couldn’t help it.

When journalist Laura Martínez wrote about it on her blog and led me to the video, I couldn’t believe it.

Someone at San Antonio NBC affiliate WOAI, channel 4, evidently thought dressing up its anchors and having them do a little role-playing with exaggerated moves, pretending to be characters of a telenovela would be a cool promo to attract more Latino audiences to their 6:30 pm newscast. Or, is it possible that they thought it would attract other viewers by making fun of TV programs many Latinos like to watch?

Either way, it’s a lose-lose proposition.

What’s even worse, anchor Elsa Ramon went along with the gag.

Take a look and please share what you think!

Related

Filed Under: Programming, TV & Radio Tagged With: Elsa Ramon, news promo, WOAI

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Matt Stevens says

    February 13, 2012 at 6:30 AM

    I thought it was cute. Don’t be so sensitive. That probably ranks in the bottom 200 of objectionable things done by local news operations in S.A. over the last year. No? Si.

  2. Jesus says

    February 13, 2012 at 6:44 AM

    Seriously!?!?!? this kind of spots takes out credibility to a newscast.

  3. Tom Hard says

    February 13, 2012 at 8:08 AM

    Speaking of credibility, do you even watch WOAI? Elsa anchors every night at 6:30 pm. BTW, the promo you skewered here got overwhelmingly positive response on the station’s Facebook page…from all types of viewers. Some called it the best spot they saw during the Super Bowl. Lighten up.

  4. Matt says

    February 13, 2012 at 9:52 AM

    I’m afraid that the “news” is no longer the news.

    What we see is a watered down version.

    If the station wants to attract more Hispanic viewers, it needs to cover stories of importance to the Latino community. Then, once they’ve done that, promote it.

    Whether cutesy or not, it does not promote that their newscasts address the needs of the viewers that they are trying to reach.

  5. Frank says

    February 13, 2012 at 2:23 PM

    With all due respect, I think it wasn’t bad at all, I mean come on, we’ve seen worst interpretation of Latinos on Family Guy and MADTV combined and yet they’re not offensive enough, and I’m a proud Latino who loves family guy and I even laugh at some of our own everyday little dramas, the station is just trying to get away from the usual “In your face” promos with cool gfx and music, WTVJ NBC 6 here in Miami in fact had a guy who seemed like he was promoting a music video premier during Super Bowl which wasn’t cool enough, so lighten up a little and take a deep breath and don’t let it get to you! Tequila shots on ME!

  6. Miguel says

    February 13, 2012 at 8:16 PM

    No harm, no foul. I Didn’t find it offensive or inappropriate.

  7. Paco says

    February 25, 2012 at 3:08 PM

    The problem is not the promo — amazing work by the way — the problem resides with our sensibilities, specially coming from you.

    With all due respect, we come here to read your reports, not your opinions, so you should focus more on the information we expect from this blog … example: yesterday, February 24th, Raymond Mesa, KWHY’s Lead Anchor and News Director, was fired for no valid reason … I came to your website to find the inside information that you provide and I found none … those are big news from the number one Hispanic market in the U.S. and you were MIA.

    I’m not going to loose my time debating your assumptions (something a serious journalist shouldn’t do), because your sensitivity doesn’t fit the bill: when you’re able to wear our brown skin, live in our neighborhoods, ride on our buses and speak only español, then we’ll talk about sensitivities … which is one of many reasons we don’t bond as a strong group — try first to understand the idiosyncrasy of us, Hispanics, and then, I’ll bet you’ll think twice before representing “our voice.”

    As for the promo, that’s what it is: a PRO-MO … you know, is that thing that channels use to promote their shows, which bring more viewers, which generate ratings, which dictate the cost of the commercial spots, which pay for Elsa Ramon’s paycheck, who took the chance, for 30 seconds, to think outside the box … you should try it from time to time … you might get more hits on your blog and get more money from your AdChoices.

Primary Sidebar

Veronica Villafañe, Editor & Publisher

Emmy award-winning journalist and former president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ). Currently a reporter for Voice of America, she has worked as an on-air reporter, anchor, writer and producer for Spanish and English-language TV, print and online media, including Univision, Telemundo, Fox 11 News in L.A. and the San Jose Mercury News.

Hispanic media and entertainment contributor to Forbes.

Full bio here

Related

Sylvia Rosabal

Sylvia Rosabal named Director of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting

April 16, 2021

Diana Fuentes

Diana Fuentes leaves Express-News to lead IRE as executive director

April 15, 2021

Univision - Televisa

Univision to pay Televisa $4.8 billion in merger deal

April 13, 2021

Angelica Vale

Angélica Vale hired to host new game show on Estrella TV

April 12, 2021

Leonardo Feldman

Leonardo Feldman does cross-over to English as Newsmax correspondent

April 9, 2021

Secondary Sidebar

Media Moves is a mission-driven digital publication aimed at raising the visibility of Latinos in the media. Since its inception in 2007, the site has covered thousands of stories. To keep moving forward, we need your help. That’s why we launched a crowdfunding campaign.

Learn more about why Media Moves needs your support here.

You can contribute to the campaign clicking the button below.

SUPPORT MEDIA MOVES

Related

Get the week’s stories in your inbox. The Media Moves Wrap newsletter is sent Friday mornings.
SUBSCRIBE

Related

FOLLOW US

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Copyright © 2021 Media Moves · All Rights Reserved | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy