Telenovelas

=Telenovelas=

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What are Telenovelas?
If you haven't already guessed, the term derives from a Spanish meaning. [|Telenovelas] are soap opera's or mini series that originate either from Portugal or Spain. Unlike the soap opera's we can relate to in North America, Telenovelas do not run for as long. Sometimes, they are even put on air to last a specific duration. Can't say that for Days of Our Lives can we? Unfortunately, not many Telenovelas are viewed by the North American public, which makes this genre unique to the people and countries it represents. For the most part, they are produced in Spanish fluent countries. For example Brazil, Portugal, Spain, Mexico, and even in Hispanic regions of the United States (Wikipedia).

What Makes them Different from Soap Operas?
Aired in most Latin American countries, telenovelas have a genre of their own. Many people like to compare them to what we know as soap operas, however they are different. In our culture, most programs are Americanized. Meaning, the majority of the population can recognize and adapt to celebrities or even the show itself. Even though Telenovelas and Soap operas carry the same traits, they do not air on TV in the same way. Telenovelas are viewed 6 days a week, watched by both men and women of every age and hold the highest advertising rates. Usually, they only stay on TV for about half a year and come to a dramatic ending that marks the finale ([|Museum of Broadcast Communications]).

//El Vuelo del Aguila//

What Cultural Roles do Telenovelas Play?
As observed throughout literature and media exposure itself, television has a huge impact on society and individuals within it. In Waisbord’s words, “Local and regional shows regularly command popular preferences. Latin America is not different from what has been observed elsewhere: build local programming and audiences will come and choose domestic/regional over Hollywood productions” (Waisbord 1998) Telenovela's are in fact in high demand from the Latin audience. The familiarity of their mother language is a predominant reason for why they are such a success.

It is very evident that in Latin American entertainment there are many cultural aspects incorporated. A good example of this would be Brazil, with their telenovelas which promote its Latin American culture through the television. This escalation of domestic production has opened new possibilities for television to endorse cultural imagery and political realties within Latin American societies. There is an appeal to local viewers for telenovelas because they are influenced by their own culture.

How does the Government View Telenovelas?
The Latin American people do not just watch their own television programming, but also watch programming from the United Sates. Many of the smaller Latin American countries, “feed off regional and U.S programming” (Waisbord), in the other countries where the domestic production of programming is higher; they use the U.S shows as filters.

The Latin American government cannot fund all the genres of television. The government lacks funding for children’s programming and cannot relay on domestic production so they must look elsewhere. This genre is dominated by the Japanese and the U.S fare. Nonetheless, Telenovelas have been around since 1969 and continues to go strong over the airwaves.



Example of Telenovela
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