The future of radio may be difficult to predict, but one thing is clear: Radio is in a good position and adaptable — it’s what makes it ubiquitous, says Raúl Alarcón, chairman and CEO, Spanish Broadcasting System. During a Q&A titled The Future of Radio and moderated by Billboard‘s Leila Cobo that helped kick off day one of the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week on Oct. 14, Alarcón was candid about the status of radio in the United States and the impact it has on an artist’s career today.
“It’s been around 100 years, and that’s not a coincidence,” the executive says categorically. “It will always be with us, it’s ubiquitous, it’s free, you don’t need an external way to receive it. Radio is in a good position.”
SBS, a family-owned company around for more than 40 years and has endured the force of the streaming era, is home to radio stations such as Mega 97.9 (New York), 97.9 La Raza (Los Angeles) and La Ley 107.9 (Chicago), to name a few. “We always have to keep adapting, fixing, refining, but radio allows us to do that more than any other medium. Radio is also super local and that’s important.”
Below, find some of the best quotes from The Future of Radio Q&A with Raúl Alarcón.
Is there a threat to radio?
“There was, there is and there will be, so one must always be evolving. We were the first to put comedy in the morning. I remember when the morning show started, that was innovation. We took a risk, but that’s what it’s about — always evolving and, after a while, adapt again.”
Catching trends
“We can perceive trends because radio stations are hyperlocal. Like corridos tumbados or bélicos, we were able to catch that trend as it was happening, we saw indications of the trend and we were able to adapt quickly because radio is local. People will tell us right away if they like it or not — it’s one of our strengths. We adapt to what our listeners want.”
Artists still want a No. 1 on radio
“Artists have told us, ‘You makes the hits, you sell tickets, run promotions.’ People are now realizing that radio was a discarded … this medium, like it’s been discarded before when TV came, now I have noticed that there’s a resurgence. Radio is important, radio is everything, it’s the connection with the local public, it adapts to trends, it’s entertainment. It’s not just a repeater, few people can create, and creativity is adaptation.”
Does radio inform streaming or vice versa?
“The two are not mutually exclusive — what we’re implementing is just another adaptation. They are both different, but can be conjugated together. But while digital expands, it doesn’t give you that immediate local fanbase.”
A new network
“We’re launching a network over the air and digital, for that new fusion of regional Mexican with urban, because we’ve seen that the music is appealing. And La Privada is not just a station, it’s a whole network. We’re still in preparations, but in the next 90 days, we’ll launch in Chicago, New York and other major cities.”
The 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week coincides with the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards set to air at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 20, on Telemundo. It will simultaneously be available on Universo, Peacock and the Telemundo app, and in Latin America and the Caribbean through Telemundo Internacional.
