The Mutual Spanish Network (MSN; known in Spanish as Mutual Cadena Hispánica or MCH) was a short-lived radio network spun off of the Mutual Broadcasting System in 1972.
 | |
| Type | Spanish-language radio network |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Mutual Broadcasting System |
| History | |
| Launch date | May 1, 1972 |
| Closed | late 1972 or 1973 |
| Coverage | |
| Affiliates | 17 (May 1972); 21 (July 1972) |
Creation edit
In the spring of 1972, Mutual Broadcasting System ("Mutual") president C. Edward Little announced the creation of two new networks designed to target minority audiences: the Mutual Black Network (MBN) and the Mutual Spanish Network (MSN), or Mutual Cadena Hispanica (MCH). Both services signed on May 1, 1972; MBN had 32 affiliates, while MSN//MCH began with 17 affiliates, mostly in the southwestern United States. Miguel Bomar was hired as news director for MSN/MCH, which aired 16 newscasts every day at :45 minutes past the hour between 7:45 a.m. and 11:45 p.m. eastern time. Two sportscasts were fed weekdays, three on Saturday and Sunday.[1] One advertisement for the new network (headlined "A Spanish News Network? Si!") stated, "Now, for the first time, advertisers can reach the U.S. Spanish market on a national basis with network radio...one order, one billing covers outstanding Spanish radio stations in all the important U.S. markets."[2]
Problems and closure edit
From the start, advertiser support was lacking for MSN/MCH: it wasn't until August that the network signed its first sponsor, when Sterling Drug bought 15 commercials on an alternate-week basis for Bayer Aspirin. One problem was a lack of commonality among the then-eleven million Americans who spoke Spanish. Instead of one audience united by an ethnic background, Mutual found three distinctly different groups of Spanish-speaking Americans: those of Puerto Rican descent on the east coast; Cuban-Americans in the southeast; and those of Mexican descent in the southwest and on the west coast. And with each group using a different dialect, the network's newscasts were unintelligible to a large portion of the audience.[1]
Ultimately, MSN/MCH didn't have enough advertisers to keep it going, and the network signed off after about six months.
References edit
- ^ a b Mutual Radio Tribute Site: The Spanish Network, archived from the original on 2018-04-25, retrieved 2021-11-08
- ^ Robert L. Hilliard, "Media, Education and America's Counter-Culture Revolution" (Ablex Publishing, 2001), p.89