El Kiosko Budweiser: The Making of a “National” Television Show in Puerto Rico

Abstract

Originally devised as a marketing tool for Budweiser beer in Puerto Rico, El Kiosko Budweiser is currently one of the most popular local television shows. An analysis of the production and reception of this show provides the basis for a discussion of its continued popularity and an evaluation of the processes by which mass media products become vehicles for the assertion and definition of contemporary identities. In this article I also question the nature of “national” television in the current transnational context through a discussion of the distinct role played by locally produced commercial programming in the promotion of local artists and shows, and in the imagining of Puerto Rico as a distinct national community. [Puerto Rico, popular culture, national identity, commercial television, advertising]