Broadcasting

Speaking of Mexico.

Radio television the University of Texas in cooperation with the National

Association of educational broadcasters presents speaking of

Mexico. Dr. Marvin al-Askari is chairman of mass

communications. Arizona State College. It is with pleasure that we present

Dr. Alice ski as he discusses mass media in Mexico with Professor

RC nor as assistant director of radio television the University of Texas

and Sinjar Gabriele Martinez director of Radio government of

Mexico for the short time that we have before us the three of us are

going to be talking about Mexican broadcasting and see if we can discover

where there are similarities and where there are differences in the way broadcasting is

carried out in these two neighboring countries.

Thank you Martine is. I would like to begin our conversation with you by

first stating that we know that you have practiced broadcasting both in the United States

at K I.W.W. in San Antonio and in your native Mexico.

And from that background of experience in the two countries to ask you

what differences you have observed in

broadcasting with particular reference to broadcasting law in these two countries.

Why that the biggest difference is that we can I talk

about religion we cannot talk about politics and that

you need to permeate to the economy from announcer in Mexico

morn makes Again I wonder if we could take these three points one at a

time and talk about them just a bit.

First the matter of religious broadcasting in your country. What does that

mean that you cannot do. I know in this country we can rod. We can

put a microphone inside a church and broadcast the full

circle and are all of the services. You cannot do that.

We cannot Mr. Norris.

And in the realm of political broadcast when for instance a

candidate can go to my school like Gratias radio station to make his campaign

he's not allowed to do that not even the speaker or announcer

from Dre station.

In other words the man who is a candidate for the presidency cannot speak on Mexican

radio in behalf of his candidacy for the

office of the president of course not because it's against the law.

Well that is certainly a big difference. Well what we have in this country of

course it is. And as a matter of fact radio stations make quite a

bit of revenue off of the selling of time to political candidates here.

I'm not sure that would be a very popular law and there are a basic

radio laws strange in another way though a

person or even a corporation is restricted to owning one

radio station or one television station in a city

or a greater listening area.

MARTIN That that's a good point I want if we could hold it for just a moment I think I think about a team that had one

other point of difference the the matter of licensing the announcers

before we before we come to that.

Well yes that means that of course you can be an

announcer. Any time you want to be. You like the profession

if you do it's a profession and I guess it has to be a profession.

You asked for an application is a good idea because you are the secretary of

education. That's right.

They give you the rose. You start him. You go back to the thing with

the guys you know on and through the question of Cory's cording

to rules and present an examination I was

hoeing for imprinted station for instance and

to know that they had the farm and Heskey saw in the

restrictions and I was her for any

product especially they may seen their products. Very few MPs

rock stores forward and

professed cause I mean so he brings in Garrison's called ratings.

You had to know that too.

The announcer has to be aware of Mexican broadcasting law.

That's right and he has to pass an examination on pronunciation that might have his own

language and many other languages of course. Primarily he's only English

he has to know foreign language pronunciation. Yes.

Can he lose his license if he

turns out not to be a good announcer. Can he have a penalty.

Well I'm going to sleep more than that if he breaks the law way and some way

of course we have very good announcers. Maybe some were just

regular In others words but in some cases

they regularly all.

We could say you post in a nice your way. It has it

all. It has no repercussions

against a piece of the country. Maybe he's only fine

maybe he's only forbade him to announce for a month or something.

And that I wouldn't break the law by. What would he say what would he do

that would lead to.

For instance you can take a poll most of all the radio stations

news guys programs. Yes.

Suppose he takes a note from a newspaper that alarmed the

people that are against him.

A rumor that might cause panic or perhaps even a slander that right

libelous statement. I was about to observe

before that your law seems a little

restrictive in regard to say religion and political campaigning.

Conversely Ottomar has a broadcasting

law has the restriction of limiting a person or a corporation owning one radio

station and one television station in a particular city or county or greater

listening area primary listening area metropolitan area. I believe

though in Mexico in that respect your law is more liberal more lenient do

you get on more than one station in one community.

Yes of course she's more liberal as you say and you can

then have as many stations as you can by the ones that mix with it

wisely in the you know the country. Yes.

So if you have enough money you can only as many stations as you have money

to buy the equipment far in Mexico. Now I believe that

Mexican broadcast law is very similar to the law of

this country. In saying that they say

the how empty the doing of the station the manager of the station doesn't

really own that frequency. He doesn't own the

airwaves. That's right that their ways belong to who the people

to the government the government and in that respect

that philosophy is identical with the philosophy that the station

manager has a concession of right to to use these

airways far for how many years at the present time do you recall 20 years

20 years that he can have his concession for.

Well now on this matter of getting a broadcast license

you applied to your own ministry of communications which I

believe is a slightly different than our Federal Communications Commission I have CC it which is it.

Ours is an independent agency yours is actually a part of the cabinet. Now what

about some of the other government agencies or are

cabinet entities which may be concerned with

broadcasting for example your public health ministry wouldn't be

concerned with say commercials and products

while only in the area of the contents of

a commercial spot for instance you can say

they properties of medicine that.

Make a product I mean without receiving the approval of the department.

Not only in the magazines but as I said before very few

food everything that has to do with

health of the people for whom drugs and you know false claims are what it will be

and what no false claims in other words doesn't ride.

You couldn't say that me how well that will cure everything.

Of course not. You can say for me to do this in Florida

by the way Zamora's better than me what I've done.

Oh that must be your advertising I think I know you suspect I'm advertising and having it

here. Well there's his headache he makes money off of that particular problem with the

product against this info and I thing a here in the states he's

known as Coricidin.

Well maybe but I repeat the name for the stage because there might be some US sponsored or something.

Well this is an education broadcast these are hardly playing where you can send them the bill you know what you

might do they don't forgive my faith or your agency commission on

that 15 percent.

Well since you are a very effective advertising

band in Mexico I hope you won't think this next answer is the next question

is too personal but it has been my own opinion

from listening to Mexican radio and reading some of the trade papers

that most of the production. Most of the programs on

Mexican radio are not produced by the station but are produced by advertising

agencies. Am I correct in that.

Well in a way yes. But I have to spray you.

That of course they are produced by Radio I guess here I mean I retire as an

agency but actually dubbed the only radio

station at the present time in Mexico that has I live programs. That

means that they need production and then I retire agency since through

these two he's on producer to make the programme but it's only one

radio station so the whole country that has more than 400 radio stations

300 maybe I guess something that I call my share of radio station they only play

regulars.

So all the other nations. Yes or. Well they do news and have announcers only go

around sometimes but not production. You know production because they only play records and I've seen

records for five or six parts commissions parts

but actually W and actually W's power is around 250000

watches I corrected.

Yes Mr. Orr That's correct.

They also have a couple of repeater stations to reach to the far

corners of the Republic with you where they have exactly six

six so it's literally blankets the country.

Well in a way yes but the reason for that aid that

makes it doubly O.

Although they have a two hundred fifty two and fifty thousand two hundred fifty

thousand watts they don't breach some times of the

day. So the whole country freeze this big markets like the

wild I had I'm going to have a better crews they have

an already stationed meeting in Tanzania what it's

done or transmitted in Mexico City.

I suppose this would be because of reasons of geography.

I'm out in the Y where more than that

it's because the man that your meter US car are the

owner more than manager the owner a

ver a very aggressive man I am of

course talking the business I spect. Enterprising would be pretty good

translations and then drive. And of course he's looking for more

sponsors in those cities because they are potential markets very important to me to any

I retire.

I wonder if we could come back just a moment now to this matter of

Mexican broadcast. Lol I think that. We got into this matter

of agency production which I must admit I am

fascinated with. But it occurred to me that we might have omitted one very

important aspect one very important part of Mexican broadcast law which is

different from the law in this country as I understand it.

Mexican broadcast law requires that each station donate

a certain amount of time each day. Yes our government broadcast

is that is that correct.

Yes Nora she said 30 minutes of a 30 minutes each day is at 30

minutes always used or at the present time he is for instance.

Of course there is always. That operation from the

commercial radio stations for reasons.

When we post we are just making a

start to the year in the year more or less.

The company for schools for repairing the schools and all the

radio in Mexico are the courageous.

Make their best ever. And instead of giving determiners they gave more of the

time that was a very late campaign I remember

that last week. Don't you have a silent newspaper from a

QCT dedicated and a Tory I would say

that the Nesco gave a very big

credit to or going through the barman I mean to

or take that idea because your own ministry of education.

Yes for the great effort they are making

for the biggest hold they're making.

They put an X an example for the whole ward and he was saved by the

next guy.

Welcome to come back for a moment then to the

commercial aspects of the operation of the commercial radio stations in

Mexico. I gather that the role of

radio in Mexico is pretty closely allied is pretty

closely tied to some of the ideas

or some of the aims of the revolution the Revolution of 1917 in

Mexico that radio feels a responsibility

for helping in the development of the country. Am I

suggesting something that is not true.

Well there's two different aspects. For

us the state is in Henri's.

Don't forget that our commercial radio stations

are just that.

In a way they helped to hide you just said.

Our revolution 51 years ago will

make a complete change especially in this hotel aspect.

If you own a commercial radio station you don't have

to talk about that you are selling

time. You're you're selling commercial time and any effort

any corporation you make it as bait of course will receive

is appreciated by our by our government that is not your obligation.

With that I mean that just a few radio stations

in the whole country may die. For that

reason I suppose that our government established

a lot of nice united.

That brings us really to your other role now your as example

owner manager of a large public relations and

advertising agency in Mexico City but you also bear the title of

director of the National hour or on ice you know which comes from the

Ministry of the interior.

Now this or announce you know what exactly it's a Sunday night program of

all linking all the stations would you tell us a little about them.

Yes Mr. ski there is a network every Sunday from I

think to 11:00 PM or the a nation of our loud

and I should know its principal purpose aides

to feel the make feel our people.

They progress we are having

every day.

I can assure you and I am very proud of saying that I had every

make sick and now my going very feels that

makes it go its in a way its

a new country a country that is fighting to get the

pussy he deserves. Our history is

a very beautiful. We have many examples we use and we use the

information on the story by Brown we have a lot

of nice and I'm not a nice woman of the present time is divided

into seven sections exactly the first one is

dedicated to make it run and you say shown

something important through our history.

It could be seen as quote them later.

You gotta go for independence.

Later a letter for him and then the letter was here only he can

order so Morris spades. We have many poets

many scientific men and if you last for years and

we'd rather I thought sometimes not only the hero aspect.

We dramatized some examples that TV has

serves as an example a present example to our people

and very young people. They second section is

dedicated to our Constitution. Every week we read one of the

articles of our institution. A true take is

dedicated to a Tauriel page of some papers newspapers I mean

that means that every week I have to read from 60 to 70 and Toreadors

or the newspapers you make you go and pick one of the best and be one of the

best thinking of hese importance eyes

and national interest not luckily interest because those newspapers

are in the federal district. The forsake shown

and so far as Sikhs are serving is according to the timing of the

program. He's dedicated to inform to make to give some

information to all our people. That information is usually taken

from the newspaper and 99 percent of that information is from the

newspapers.

In other words you're not interested in scooping the papers but rather

repeating and making clear some of the things they've already reported. That's right that's the grain of

forcing reinforcing Yeah right reinforcing.

Besides consider that if we have

that's what we suppose that we have 5 million listeners.

Some of them were a part of them. Very said don't worry

the DMV the newspaper or they don't have time to read it. Saw

no harm to our program in repeating that in the next holiday the coming

Sunday. The an organization these are dedicated to

to a point where we have very good speaker in

Mexico monitoring Earl and he says a point every week.

Almost more of the times are makes young boys of course these are

not points especially written for Law Order last year not now of course it's a

metaphor of my own there was that says many years ago and

I have some exceptions made in dissection because a lot of nice and I'll

credit made it always showing go along via trade for use of Columbia

and sometimes I've included a poem from the Colombian poet.

We might explain to the North Americans who aren't familiar with

all of the culture in Latin America that poetry in Mexico and in most of

the Latin American countries is is a popular item in the United

States it is shrunk to the small intellectual circles but

the average Latin American involves himself with poetry it is not just for the highbrow or the

college professor that arrives you're already there.

I'm always taken we have a set of dedicated to the Tories.

With Here we talk about the four eights as

a couple core while I heart our beautiful cities that are many and that

station These are dedicated to that. I speak of the program the next a Chinese

educated two or the people we the people we could say I get there you

have the people speak. They send me a letter and sometimes I have

made a series on the record of this person in interviews with something

interesting of course Yost of a nation of interest and

a section dedicated to

where we could say a lot I would say this to say

hello a place I know almost us. I mean one Maestro by Simon that means to

make the gun that for any reason or any cause are out of the country

and we play by the way beautiful music name it kinds your

mistake. The killer has a story that is well on the night

he'll say how far I have from the earth.

I mourn reaching listeners in Texas New Mexico

Arizona California Colombia places where they're able to tune into Mexico that Rhine and then

I was here many letters by the way from Texas from Mexicans are born every

year and they too like to know makes me go and write me many

lyrics.

You've got your own Voice of America and the way this

loud unless you know where you are crying. Cute is generous.

Remember this is a

point that I mean I retightened may have

done means that I try to make scene last 30 for moments

to make a radio program and entertaining program I am selling a

product.

But behind is a tradition. Yes you're selling a nation. Yes that's a good product and

intangible.

Yes we did lose points or I should say.

He only Zahra's father Anyway the big audience to see because I have a

lease or so without I I mean the

program needs more music on it from a crazy systems I threw

for a minute that he catered to music and goes through the program is all we previews is

around 58 or 59 minutes.

I would like to make an observation here that the fact that a

government can require that all of the

stations all of the commercial stations of a nation join

together either by direct lines are by rebroadcast at the same

hour every evening every Sunday evening and

carry in national government produced program. Both

amazes me and frightens me. It amazes me because it

shows that here is a chance for a government to speak to all of its people. It

frightens me because I think I was a terrific responsibility.

It puts all the director of the program to speak honestly to be a

forthright honest. Representative of that government to the people.

Obviously Mexico has chosen the right man.

Oh I thank you. Well I had the pleasure

I had before you and I may say to your day Liz and I to a

party here in Austin and I watch a program

television program that he gave to drive to that raid they had

Mr. Sam Rayburn and roared.

Remember that when the hay was interviewed by the emcee

here as I remember well the why on earth for many years

that I made you request you gave almost the same eyes for he

gave a beautiful and for why has to be different. If I say the

truth then is the same answer is you know the truth

and you make that thing out and as you know you say the truth.

You're not boasting you are not kidding. You're not

hiding anything. You're not lying.

You can be sure and you have nothing to fear that rhyme. And wouldn't that

be true of all right deal that if you say the truth I do you have to fear for what you have set

of and I think.

It has been indeed a pleasure talking with you saying your home state governor you don't want to miss. And with

you Dr. Alice Kay and I look forward to that type and the three

of us can meet together again to discuss this fascinating topic of Mexican broadcasting.

This has been mass media in Mexico with Dr. Marvin Alice Skee

chairman of mass communications at Arizona State College Professor R. C.

Norris assistant director of radio television the University of Texas and

Sinjar Gabriela Markstein is director of Radio the government of Mexico

speaking of Mexico was produced by RNC Nies and directed by

BW Crocker add radio television the University of Texas under a grant and

aid from the National Association of educational broadcasters.

This is the N A The B Radio Network.