ABSTRACT
For decades, Spanish-language radio has held a commanding presence over the United States airwaves, often securing top ratings in the largest cosmopolitan cites and most lucrative radio markets. This chapter examines how La Que Buena, broadcasting from Los Angeles, California, skillfully uses ‘Don Cheto’ – a radio host in character – to court a multigenerational, Mexican and Mexican American audience. Juan Carlos Razo plays the role of Don Cheto, heard as an elderly, familiar, on-air paisa from the rural hillsides of Michoacán, Mexico. Don Cheto’s playful use of nostalgia to reference ‘el rancho’ (quaint, ranch life) in Mexico has clearly resonated with a greater Mexican diaspora. Don Cheto’s high ratings also demonstrate how Mexicans are transforming urban cities with migrant sensibilities.
