Bloomberg Gives Bilingual Welcome to the Latin Grammys

[Harold F. Schiffman]

>>From the NYTimes, April 12, 2006

Bloomberg Gives Bilingual Welcome to the Latin Grammys
By BEN SISARIO

Two weeks ago, for the announcement of a hip-hop awards show, he was "Mike
B," and City Hall was his "crib." This time, he was "el Seor Salsa." At a
bilingual news conference at City Hall yesterday that featured his
somewhat tortured Spanish, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced that the
Latin Grammy Awards would be coming to New York for the first time. The
awards are to be held on Nov. 2 at Madison Square Garden and broadcast
live by the Univision television network. "On the streets of our city you
can hear the entire scale of Latin music,"  Mr. Bloomberg said. "From
Mexican norteo to contemporary salsa to reggaetn to Latin jazz one of our
great contributions to the world of music we're home to an incredible
tradition."

Surrounded by members of his administration, Assembly Speaker Sheldon
Silver, representatives of the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and
Sciences and the Latin music stars Willie Coln, Johnny Pacheco and India
who pumped her fist and cheered quietly throughout the mayor's speech Mr.
Bloomberg said that like the Country Music Association Awards last
November, and the VH1 Hip Hop Honors and MTV Video Music Awards later this
year, the Latin Grammys would show off New York as "the world's second
home" and a prime stage for major media events. "Hay solamente un Nueva
York" ("There is only one New York"), Mr.  Bloomberg said, signing a pair
of bongo drums with a black marker to commemorate the occasion. First held
in 2000, the Latin Grammys have been presented in Los Angeles and Miami,
and Mr. Bloomberg said that NYC Big Events, a city office that tries to
bring high-profile shows and contests to the city, had been after the
Latin Grammys for three years.

As with the 39th annual Country Music Awards last fall, there will be a
week of activities building up to the Latin Grammys, including concerts
and retail and restaurant specials, Mr. Bloomberg said. The event will
generate $30 million for city businesses, according to an estimate by the
city's Economic Development Corporation. Last year's country awards show
received mixed reviews, with some critics calling it an awkward alliance
that was unlikely to have a long-lasting effect on either country music or
New York City. But it drew a large television audience: an estimated 18.39
million watched its broadcast on CBS, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The Latin Grammys have had a rocky history plans to stage the show in
Miami in 2001 were scrapped over fears of protests from Cuban-Americans
who objected to its recognition of what they called pro-Castro Cuban
singers and musicians and its ratings have been erratic. Inaugurated amid
the Latin-pop trend that first brought Ricky Martin and Marc Anthony to
the mainstream, the show's first broadcast had nearly 7.5 million viewers,
still its highest audience. Last year, after its network audience dropped
to 3.25 million, the show went from CBS to Univision, which expanded it to
three hours from two and broadcast it entirely in Spanish. It had a
ratings spike, climbing to 5.07 million, according to Nielsen. The show is
to be broadcast to 100 countries around the world.

The nominees for the awards are to be announced in New York on Sept. 26.
Gabriel Abaroa, the president of the Latin recording academy, said at the
news conference that a host had not yet been chosen for the show. But Mr.
Bloomberg quickly added, "It will really depend on how well my Spanish
is."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/12/nyregion/12grammys.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print