HispanicBusiness

Q: What is your general opinion about the trend of the U.S. Hispanic TV and Radio Broadcasting sector?

Amador Bustos: There is still a lot of potential in the Spanish broadcast sector but it is getting more crowded and competitive by the minute since the general market and publicly traded operators have discovered the benefits of addressing our market.

Q: Where do you see higher growth, in radio or TV?

AB: There is opportunity and growth potential in both Spanish-media sectors. However, the growth potential does not lie solely in radio or television. The greatest opportunity resides in working the mid-size hyper growth markets around the country.

Q: Why has Bustos Media (BM) decided to enter into the TV market after being an important radio player?

AB: The decision to go into television developed from a need and an opportunity. We had a need to cross promote our radio clusters. The opportunity came from the fact we could buy a good 150,000 Kw in-market Television station for less than an FM radio station. In each of the three markets where we have purchased TV stations—Sacramento, Salt Lake City and Milwaukee—we have bought them at a fraction of the cost of our FM radio stations.

Q: Along with cross promotion, are there any other synergies that you are discovering from owning both radio and TV properties in the same markets?

AB: The reduced cost of creating interesting local TV programming with radio personalities and the artists who come to the radio stations for interviews has been a pleasant surprise. The on-air radio personalities are energized to have the opportunities to exhibit their talents on TV.

Q: Why did you choose to affiliate with Azteca America (AA) in TV?

AB: To see the future of Spanish-language television in the U.S. we need to look at the history of Mexican television. Upon examination, we can see that since the monopoly of Televisa was broken, TV Azteca has made steady progress in gaining market share.

Q: How do you see AA's progress in the U.S. Hispanic market?

AB: Just as TV Azteca has made progress in gaining market share in Mexico, AA will continue to gain ground in the U.S. Hispanic market. Its quality of telenovelas, entertainment and sports programming—particularly soccer—is as good as any of the other competitors. It will only be a matter of time before AA becomes a force Univision and Telemundo will have to reckon with.

Q: How would you compare this progress to that of Univision and Telemundo?

AB: Azteca America has done a remarkable job building its U.S. network and achieving over 80 percent coverage of the U.S. Hispanic population in fewer than 10 years. AA would have gained more ground sooner if it hadn't had a faulty start with its initial partnerships.

Q: What has been the major challenge in building your radio network?

AB: Fortunately for Bustos Media, access to capital has not been a problem. Our biggest challenge has been, and continues to be, access to good stations at a reasonable price.