Upfront News/Views: LATV Steps Back Into Upfront Spotlight

Venue: Highline Ballroom at 431 W. 16th St., half a block from the famous High Line overhead walkway. Outside, a small red carpet area featured gorilla heads and the invite to use Twitter, hashtag #WildTalk. Inside, the stage was turned into a talk-show set, with a brick den wall, comfy chairs and a sofa to the right, a house band (Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra from Brooklyn) on the left and a video screen in the center. Grade: 3 Jacks

Presentation: When you have all the talk show trimmings in place, you should go ahead and be a talk show. That's exactly what went down, with the theme "Life Con Acento/Life with Accent." One by one, network officials hit the sofa and made their pitch, answering questions from Nelly Castillo and Humberto Guida, hosts of new series "The Zoo." National Sales and Marketing Vice President Andres Rincon (seated with LATV's Manager of National Ad Sales and Marketing Gisella Fu-Ripp in photo at top) acknowledged last year was bumpy in the ad marketplace, but the network persevered due to "our commitment to the marketplace and our commitment to our audience." He added that a lot of English-language or bilingual Latino services "talk the talk of bicultural (appeal), but they never made a full commitment." Sticking to that direction, ratings among adults 18-34 were up 15 percent in primetime and 10 percent in late night last year. Another factor: A big commitment to branded content segments and product integration, drawing extended deals with Walmart, Starbucks, McDonald's and other key advertisers. Look for more business in that direction this fall and beyond. Grade: 3 Jacks

News: "The Zoo," a daily mix of talk and on-location stunts with social media participation, debuts May 16. "Zoo" also triggers a set of new U.S.-produced series which will launch through early autumn. "@Issue with The Los Angeles Times" will mix Presidential campaign issues and politics on a weekly basis, while "Foodies" focuses on healthy meals and cooking. "The Edge" will feature electronic music performances and related pop culture, and "Fan Nation" brings a "You Asked for It" vibe to the time-honored National Football League weekly highlights format. Or as this program's co-hosts chime, "Where you write the rules."  Separately, LATV will launch a new online service testing unscripted and, down the road, scripted productions that later graduate to TV. Chief Operating Officer Luca Bentivoglio expects this service to start over the next few months. Grade: 3 Jacks

Hosts: Castillo and Guida are a fun pair to catch live, doing their best to keep their bosses on point. With Rincon, they provided a human moment with a picture of Julian Parker, his recent baby boy. "You're successful in the family department," quipped Guida. Grade: 3 Jacks

Star Turn: The Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra did well with their quick intros of network talent, followed by a full set of classic and original mambo tunes post-presentation. Living near this hood, I freely acknowledge some bias. Grade: 3.5 Jacks

Cuisine: Buffet-style menu covering a number of bases from chopped salad to rice and beans. Best chow-down: Salmon with a delicious black glaze on top. Worst chow-down: The salad was extremely light on the dressing, plus no dressing on hand to improve the taste. Grade: 3 Jacks (Note: Cuisine does not figure in the overall Jacks ratings.)

Overall Grade: 3 Jacks Engaging presentation, leaving a sense that the network (which has gone a number of ways with content over its existence) is now steady under its mostly English-language format.

A quick recap of our Jacks system:

5 Jacks -- Excellent
4 Jacks -- Very Good
3 Jacks -- Good
2 Jacks -- Fair
1 Jack -- Poor
0 Jacks -- Don't go there

Notes from the Passing Parade:

Outdoor Sportsman Group, owners of Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel and World Fishing Network, did stage an Upfront event in New York last Wednesday. Basically a meet, greet and eat affair with no new programming announcements, according to an attendee who e-mailed me about it. A press release issued through PR Newswire earlier on Wednesday noted Outdoor now devotes Monday nights to unscripted armchair-type adventure series (including "Duck Dynasty" replays) and Friday nights to "man vs. wild" nature features and series.

The class of 2016 Peabody Awards winners is a done deal, with 30 honorees picked from 60 finalists. A quartet of HBO productions, including miniseries "The Jinx," were among the last batch of winners, all for documentary and educational achievement. Everyone gets their awards May 21 at Cipriani Wall Street. Don't forget the pasta for the press room.

Next up: Let the Digital Content NewFronts begin!

Until the next time, stay well and stay tuned!

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