21345: (Hermantin) Sun-Sentinel-Radio remains Haitians No. 1 source of news, poll repo (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Radio remains Haitians’ No. 1 source of news, poll reports

By Thomas Monnay
Staff Writer
Posted April 14 2004

Whether they are looking for a bargain on a used car, a chiropractor or news
from home, most South Florida Haitians turn to Creole-language radio.

"It's like a directory. It's the people's Yellow Pages," said Daniella
Henry, of the Haitian-American Community Council in Delray Beach. "If you
have an emergency, you call a radio station. It's a powerful tool for
Haitians."

More than other media, radio dominates in the Haitian community, according
to a poll released Tuesday by Bendixen & Associates, a Miami polling
company.

The poll, however, found a strong generational difference between younger
Haitian-Americans, who primarily listen to English-language radio, and their
parents, who prefer programming in Creole.

Interviewers polled 400 Haitians -- 60 percent in Miami-Dade, 28 percent in
Broward and 12 percent in Palm Beach counties, between Feb. 12 and 18. The
margin of error is 5 percent in either direction.

The poll was done on behalf of the New California Media Coalition, a San
Francisco-based national association of ethnic and language media companies
that commissions polls of ethnic groups. Sergio Bendixen, who is known
throughout the United States and Latin America for his polling of Hispanic
communities, is a former Miami-Dade County Democratic Party committeeman and
has worked for three presidential campaigns, including Jimmy Carter's.

Fifty-three percent of those polled said they listen to radio mostly in
Creole, the language spoken by most Haitians, compared with 39 percent who
listen in English.

While 56 percent say they have access to Haitian television in their homes,
most of the 44 percent without the programming said they would watch if it
were available in their area.

Haitian television programming has been a luxury for South Florida Haitians
until the recent opening of Haitian Television Network in Miami, where it is
mostly available.

"There's a tremendous potential for expansion of Haitian television," said
Bendixen, explaining there's a market for investors to tap into.

The language preference is generational, the poll found. Some 63 percent of
respondents 18 to 29 years old, said they listen to radio in English.

In contrast, 60 percent of Haitians 30 to 49 years of age and 68 percent of
those 50 and older listen to Creole radio.

Haitian radio personalities downplayed the generational difference,
insisting there always will be a need for Creole programming because new
refugees will depend on Haitian radio for news about their country.

"The Haitian community is continuously changing," said Lesly Jacques, of
Radio Haiti Amerique Internationale, WHSR 980 AM in Boca Raton, adding new
Haitian refugees arrive to South Florida almost daily.

Jacques and other radio hosts often include English content in their
programming and interview guests in English in hopes of reaching out to
young Haitian-Americans.

Jerry Kolo, urban development professor at Florida Atlantic University, said
the fact younger Haitians are acculturating themselves and learning English
could empower them to get better jobs and improve their lives.

"It's the reality we have to deal with ... ," Kolo said. "It could become a
danger only if younger generations are becoming a majority."

Cheryl Little, an immigration attorney in Miami, said the gap helps more
than hurts the Haitian community.

"It's not unusual for the child who is going to school to be translating for
the parent," Little said. "That's not surprising to me."

Radio is popular because shows are less expensive to produce than
television. Many Haitians rely on oral tradition because they can't read or
write, according to radio personalities.

"We have a literacy problem," said Harold Staco, program director at Radio
Carnivale, WRHB 1020 AM in Miami. "The big majority of them don't read; they
rely strictly on radio."

Radio Carnivale and WLQY 1320 AM in Miami and Jacques' WHSR beam signals to
200,000 to 300,000 Haitians. But they are facing stiff competition from
pirate stations charging less money for commercials.

"Every day they pop up like mushrooms," Staco said.The poll also shows that
69 percent of Haitians with U.S. citizenship read English newspapers,
compared with 50 percent of those with legal residency who use papers
written in Creole.

When it comes to supporting loved ones back home, 83 percent of respondents
said they send money to friends and family members, which Bendixen estimates
between $300 million and $500 million a year from South Florida.

Thomas Monnay can be reached at tmonnay@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7924.




Copyright © 2004, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

_________________________________________________________________
Free up your inbox with MSN Hotmail Extra Storage! Multiple plans available.
http://join.msn.com/?pgmarket=en-us&page=hotmail/es2&ST=1/go/onm00200362ave/direct/01/