KTLA to Simulcast 1st Bilingual Commercial

KTLA Channel 5, the first station in the nation to broadcast its programs in English and Spanish simultaneously, today becomes the first station to air a commercial the same way.

The 30-second spot for the Rice Growers Assn. of California will be aired periodically during the more than 20 hours of programming that the station airs each week in both English and Spanish, KTLA officials said Wednesday.

KTLA has been broadcasting a portion of its programming in Spanish for nearly four years, using technology developed for stereo broadcasts. Two sound tracks are transmitted at the same time, with viewers able to switch from one to the other with the push of a button provided they have specially equipped stereo TV sets.

Joe Lallande, the rice association’s vice president of marketing, said the 1,000-member rice farmers cooperative planned to buy advertising time on several local English- and Spanish-language broadcast media, including KTLA, because Los Angeles is the nation’s No. 2 rice-consuming market.

But KTLA’s “Spanish simulcast was the icing on the cake,” Lallande added. “They are transmitting programs in English and Spanish, which allows us to pick up a bonus audience. That’s a very innovative concept that deserves our support.”

He said reaching the Southland’s estimated 4 million Spanish speakers was especially attractive because Latinos consume much higher amounts of rice than the national average.

KTLA officials estimate that 40% of the TV sets in Los Angeles are equiped to receive stereo or multichannel sound, a number that continues growing every year. But they say KTLA has no way of knowing for sure just how many viewers are switching to its Spanish-language programs.

Still, recent ratings studies suggest to some at KTLA that its late evening news has begun to lure a few Latino viewers. According to last November’s Arbitron Hispanic Report, KTLA’s “News at Ten” delivered the most Latino homes by averaging a 7 rating compared to 6s for KABC-TV Channel 7 and KNBC Channel 4, and 4s for the half-hour news shows aired by KMEX Channel 34 at 10 p.m. and KVEA Channel 52 at 10:30 p.m.

Besides “News at 10,” KTLA’s other English-Spanish simulcasts include “Knight Rider,” “Magnum, P.I.,” “The Love Boat,” California Angels baseball, “Columbo,” “McCloud,” “McMillan & Wife” and select documentaries and specials such as the “Hollywood Christmas Parade.” A coming new weekly series, “The Latin Connection,” featuring Latin music, will also air in both English and Spanish.