Parlee, L. N. (1984). Pedro J. Gonzalez and the origins of Spanish-language broadcasting in Los Angeles, 1928-1934. Paper presented at the 1984 Annual Meeting of the Organization of American Historians.

    Lorena M. Parlee was a historian, trade unionist, filmmaker and professor. One of her most distinguished accomplishments prior to teaching was serving as press secretary under Cesar Chavez, the founder and president of the United Farm Workers of America. She taught Mexican and Chicano History at San Diego State University and interestingly enough was a professor of Mexican History before she became a producer. At one point in her career she opened up her own large-format production companies, Sol Films and Reel View Productions, where she worked on archiving and stocking film research information that would be helpful in making documentaries, feature films and commercials. Dedicated as she was to producing films, upon her death she was just finishing up a film based on the telling life of Ceasar Chavez.

    Her article titled Pedro J. Gonzalez and the origins of Spanish-language broadcasting in Los Angeles, looks at the early years and beginnings of Spanish-language radio in Los Angeles during the late 1920s and 1930s through the eyes of one man, Pedro J. Gonzalez. Parlee presented her article in a narrative-like form, first looking at the mass migration of Mexicans to Los Angeles shortly after the Mexican Revolution of 1910, the creation of Spanish-language radio in Los Angeles that many prominent mexicans began experimenting with, and several events surrounding the rise and fall of Gonzalez himself, the first Spanish-speaking radio personality to persist and even outlast many other spanish-language broadcasters at the time. Parlee mentions that often when the issue of Mexican migration is discussed,  authors have a tendency to focus on immigrants who were unskilled and forced into low paid positions. However in reality, such was not the case. There was a large segment of the migrating population that came to the United States with adequate skills, education and money to start their own businesses in thier new homeland. Parlee also acknowledges that the creation of Spanish-language radio provided a “sense of community” and was a “unifying factor” for many Mexican immigrants in Los Angeles (p. 1). Early on radio celebrated Mexican traditions, music and langauge providing the community stability, at a time when there was much pressure to acculturate and homogenize.

    A large portion of the article talks about the history of Gonzalez: the gregarious, golden-voiced personality from Mexico who transitioned from singer to radio personality. However Gonzalez wasn't new to the field of communications when he transitioned to radio. He had served as Pancho Villas telegraph operator during the Mexican Revolution from 1910-1917 and then for the Mexican National Railroads. Gonzalez first began his career when he responded to a newspaper ad from Mauricio Calderons music house where he soon flourished as both a singer and member of the Cancioneros Acosta. Parlee describes to readers how Gonzalez was able to make a deal with a radio station to get a Spanish-language program on the air which he eventually was able to expand time wise. He was even able to become listener-sponsored, the first program of its kind, to rely less on advertisers and provide more content to listeners. Gonzalez also started to receive advertising from the Mexican community, not just the mainstream community when trying to advertise to Mexicans. He sang at vaudeville theaters, weddings and carnivals and shortly after formed the singing group Cancioneros del Circulo Artistico de Radio where he and a group of several other men sang mostly rancheras and corridos (p. 9).

     Early on Gonzalez encouraged audience participation, asking audiences members to write to the program showing advertisers they had an audience. Many Mexican businesses then agreed to advertise on Gonzalez's program. Much of Gonzalez’s success in radio was due to the fact that he knew and understood who his listeners were, but most importantly he knew what they wanted and when they wanted it. At the beginning of his success at KELW, the station agreed to let him air his show from 4a.m. to 6a.m. for the low cost of 60 dollars per week. However many Anglos did not understand why anyone would want such an early timeslot. However Gonzalez understood that the majority of working-class Mexicans were already up between 4 a.m. and 5a.m. getting ready to go to work on the fields and farms. His show became so popular that even affluent people, who generally slept in late, would wake up to listen to his show, and then go back to sleep. His radio show featured music from rancheras, corridos or ballads, boleros and tangos. Although there were several Mexican radio personalities that were prominent as well during his time, none of them had the same type of effect Gonzalez’ show had. He provided popular music to Mexican families and workers alike. Gonzalez than had the idea to call his singing group Los Madrugadores (the Early Birds) which was a hit overnight (p. 10). Many large companies sought Los Madrugadores to endorse their company products such as Folgers and Globe Mill Flour. Companies were hesitant at first because of the hour that Los Madrugadores broadcast, but such concerns shorlty slipped away. What was unique about Los Madrugadores was that their programming was a compilation of dedications, commentraies, advertisements and live music (p. 11). Gonzalez's programming interacted very well with his audiences; Los Madrugadores auditioned fans who wanted to sing with them and allowed people to send and receive dedications. Gonzalez also formed "club ideal" which allowed listeners to become members for a small fee "giving them preference over dedication requests" (p. 12).

    As Gonzalez's popularity grew, so did the awareness that he served as a powerful role in voicing the needs and wants of the Mexican community.  As such he was seen as a threat not only to authorities but to rivalry broadcast stations. Rival Stations condemed Gonzalez' station for not being "high society" content and his station was seen as not featuring serious music, but rather "racket-rabble." Its ironic how Gonzalez and his station set the bar for many spanish-langauge radio stations to follow, but soo turned against him dencouning his station as a joke.       

     On several occassions, Gonzalez also proved he was able to stir public opinion which was seen as threatening to authorities. For example, police received complaints from Anglos that their Mexican neighobors were blasting their radios too early in the morning, on-air Gonzalez asked for donations for Mexicans in need and he even defeneded individuals on air he thought were wrongly treated and convicted of criminal charges. He often urged listeners to rise up and stop the mistreatment of Mexican communities by the police. However one of the most important services Gonzalez provided to communities was annoucing job oppurtunities. The first time this was done, an estimated 200 laborers needed to go to a ranch in Santa Susana were expected to show up, but almost a thousand people showed up that day causing many police to fear an uprising (p. 16).                      

    When attempts to cancel Gonzalez's radio license failed, he was set up on charges of rape. During his trial, the alleged victim and eyewitness had different accounts of the crime, however Gonzalez’ attorney was unprepared and showed little concern over what the verdict would be. Gonzalez was sentenced to 50 years in San Quentin which was shortly reduced after many hundreds of thousands of fans in Los Angeles established defense committees demanding justice. He was paroled after six years, but was immediately deported to Mexico where he became a key broadcasting figure on the border and served communities primarily in Tijuana and San Diego. Broadcasting was rare in Los Angeles because of the vast amount of radio stations that had taken over during his absence.  

     Parlee’s documentary titled Ballad of an Unsung Hero discusses much of the same items in the article however this time via a direct interview with Gonzalez and his wife providing discourse on the impact Gonzalez had on the community socially. It provides a glimpse into one particalr incident during Gonzalez's interment in San Quentin where he tried to help organize a prisoners movement by hunger striking. With Parlee acknowledging the benefits that Gonzalez had on the Mexican community, she illustrates how important the existence of media in a person’s own language can be. As was seen with radio, it provides a sense of community, cultural identity and minimizes the pressing issue of homoegnization across the landscape.

     Gonzalez’s story is a good illustration of what people trying to start up Spanish-language media have gone through but like few examples provided in the article Gonzalez experienced completeley opposite ends of the spectrum; the positive where he was able to florish with the development of his own radio station dedicated to the advancement of a  particalar community and the negative, what often happenes when an individual is perceved as a threat to the dominant power structure, they are weakened.  In this case, authorities sought to control Gonzalez.       

    Parlee provided some excellent insight into his accomplishmnents of this one individual, however, the article ended too abruptly with his guilty verdict and sentencing. The article would have been stronger had it been able to come full circle by placing more attention on Gonzalez after he left the station in Los Angeles and was sent back to Mexico and began brodcasting to new communities. In addition more interviews with, for instance, people who listened to his radio program at the time could have shed more light on his social impact collectively.

( Edited by Hadas Amar 03/18/09)