¡Aplauda Hampton Roads!
By Idalia Rosa-Martinez
"Bubba Gringo, that's what they've coined me," said Dave Bowling, general sales manager of Hampton Roads' Hispanic music station - Selecta 1050 AM. New to Spanish radio but not new to the airwaves, Bowling cites Salem/Roanoke, Va., as the place where he first turned on the DJ microphone 28 years ago. ¡Aplauda! takes a peek at the man behind the scenes at Selecta.
Why invest in a Hispanic radio station in Hampton Roads?
The radio station, Selecta1050, has been in existence for three years and I've been with the station two of those years. I'm still in the learning process, but am investing my time and energy into learning about the culture and this market because I feel that it's refreshing to work with the Hispanic station. They're so passionate about their work and their culture. The people enjoy going live on the air. I see the radio station serves as an extension of the Hampton Roads Hispanic family. It opens up the ability to communicate in the native language and a way to talk about topics that are of real interest and desire. The major radio markets are investing in areas where the Spanish population is bigger in numbers, but we've chosen Hampton Roads where the population is significant and growing everyday. We're growing alongside and I'm learning about the variety in foods, key words, diverse backgrounds and the music of Hispanics.
How do you see yourself giving back to the Hispanic population of Hampton Roads with your radio station?
We open the airwaves to educate, inform and serve the Hispanic community. We want to serve as an information outlet and not make it only about the music. For example, when there was a free legal rights question/answer event recently at a church nearby, we ran promotional announcement for 10 days to let people know where and when things were happening. We give free airtime to the people we advertise who come in to the morning show and talk about housing, getting jobs or getting bank loans. This is a service we can offer the callers. They call in and get to ask a lot of questions. We do our show to purposefully communicate with the audience. Everyone coming into our station has to communicate in Spanish, the language understood by our listeners. I'm working on learning Spanish myself and it's hard but necessary to be bilingual in the community! I defend myself with some key words like ¡Hola!
How well do you think the United States in general, but Hampton Roads in particular, have done in creating opportunities and accommodating Spanish-speaking people?
The people that do bilingual best are many of the bigger major corporations like your Walmarts, Home Depots, Lowes and Food Lions. A lot of the smaller local businesses want to be a part of the Spanish-speaking community but they're still learning and working on how to get it done. I tell them the first thing they have to do is get bilingual staff.
What influence do you think the Hispanic population has had on the Hampton Roads community?
The Hispanic culture brings a new fresh attitude to the Hampton Roads community. From my point of view, the culture has preserved many family values and work ethics that our own U.S. culture has let fall by the wayside. From what I have seen, they're a close-knit community with larger families that take care of each other. My best experience was the Latin Festival at Virginia Beach last year where I observed that the people came as a family, enjoyed each other, and it didn't matter what country each represented. You saw the 80-year-old grandma doing the salsa dance right beside her two-year granddaughter. I see something of my own upbringing of family picnics with grandma that you don't see too much of today. I can't wait for the Latin Festival this year scheduled for June 6 and 7. That's my 'baby' and I work hard to make it happen and see people happy and sharing community. Selecta 1050 will broadcast live from the event and I can't wait. We've added a lot of new events. See you there!
Words of wisdom for the Hispanic population of Hampton Roads:
1. Be proud of who you are
2. Glad you're here
3. Be ready to play by the rules and do what you need to do to get the most of your experience
What is your favorite cultural dish?
I love hot and spicy food, the hotter the better.
When you hear the name, Bubba Gringo, in the neighborhood of Hampton Roads, you now can relate it to the man behind the scenes, Dave Bowling, of Selecta 1050 who continues to push for a good thing in the Hispanic community.
Read Past Aplauda
