Enrique Santos
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| This article may not meet the general notability guideline or one of the following specific guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: Biographies, Books, Companies, Fiction, Music, Neologisms, Numbers, Web content, or several proposals for new guidelines. If you are familiar with the subject matter, please expand or rewrite the article to establish its notability. The best way to address this concern is to reference published, third-party sources about the subject. If notability cannot be established, the article is more likely to be considered for redirection, merge or ultimately deletion, per Wikipedia:Guide to deletion. This article has been tagged since November 2007. |
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2007) |
| Enrique Santos | |
| Birth name | Enrique Santos |
| Show | The Enrique Santos and Joe Ferrero Show |
| Station(s) | New York WCAA La Kalle (105.9 FM) |
| Time slot | 6:00 - 11:00 a.m. M-F |
| Station(s) | Fresno, California KLLE La Kalle (107.9 FM) |
| Time slot | 2:00 - 6:00 pm M-F |
| Country | United States |
| Website | [Myspace: myspace.com/elmariconson Official MySpace Page] |
Enrique Santos is an American radio personality, former police officer, dispatcher and comedian. Santos hosts the Enrique Santos and Joe Ferrero Show, alongside radio veteran Joe "El Professor" Ferrero, five days a week on WCAA La Kalle 105.9 FM from New York City.
[edit] References
The Enrique Santos y Joe Ferrero Show. Biography (2007-11-16). Retrieved on 2007-11-16.
Enrique Santos was born in Chicago, Illinois to Cuban parents. As a child, Enrique displayed a unique since of humor and invested his spare time in pulling pranks and making others laugh. Although Enrique always had a strong interest in comedy and entertainment, he pursued his childhood dream and became a police officer with the City of North Miami, Florida where he first worked as a dispatcher. Destiny eventually caught up with him when he phoned WXDJ 95.7 FM in Miami and spoke with then Program Director, Jesus Salas. Enrique called to inquire about the name of an album, which contained a song he was interested in. Enrique's personality caught the interest of Salas who immediately invited him to the station and eventually discovered Enrique's hidden interest and talent in broadcasting. He was tested on an overnight shift and hired part-time to work the weekends. Little did he know that this was just the beginning of what is now more than a decade of groundbreaking broadcasting.
His witty personality and comedic interest were quickly noticed and he was offered to host the morning show. Enrique then faced one of the most challenging decisions in his life, continue his career in law enforcement or pursue a career in broadcasting. Torn between two professions for which he grew great love for, Enrique accepted the radio offer but remained as a reserve officer with the police department.
Although management acknowledged his talent, he faced many obstacles as an inexperienced broadcaster. At age 23 many saw him as too young to have been tapped as lead host of a morning show in such an important and competitive radio market such as Miami. His uninhibited humor and bold character intimidated some and many believed that his combination of English and Spanish, better known as “Spanglish”, was inappropriate. However, Enrique's ability to identify with his listeners was overwhelming. Broadcasting came fairly easy to him and he proved to be a natural on the microphone. Enrique is just as complicated as he is simple, a daring and extremely original person who does not sugarcoat and gives life to a vast cast of characterizations which interact while on-air.
It was not, however, until Enrique asked and was granted the opportunity to work with long-time friend and radio veteran Joe Ferrero that the true "magic," as Enrique refers to it, happened. Enrique and Joe quickly gained international notoriety and became known as “Masters of Prank Calls” for their Presidential phone calls. In January of 2003, Enrique and Joe called El Palacio Mira Flores in Caracas, Venezuela. Using recorded sound bits of Cuban President Fidel Castro, they were able to fool Venezuelan officials and their call was actually transferred to President Hugo Chavez himself. In April of 2003 they pulled the same prank on Argentina's President Nestor Kirchner using the same method. "The Mother" of all prank calls was made in June 2003. Using sound bits of Chavez from their earlier call in January, Enrique and Joe pulled-off the same stunt on Castro. Enrique questioned Castro about what he'd done in Cuba and called him an "assassin." A never before heard Castro lost control and cursed violently. They were fined by the Federal Communications Commission for not having informed Castro he was on-air. The fine was collected and paid in pennies, which they raised while on-air during their show.
Enrique and Joe's accomplishments have been featured in Newsweek, Ocean Drive, The New York Times, The Miami Herald, Radio & Records and Billboard Magazine. They have made numerous local, national and international TV appearances on CNN, BBC, Televisa, TVE, Univision's Don Francisco Presenta, El Gordo y La Flaca & Telefutura's Escandalo TV, Telemundo's Al Rojo Vivo and many more. Besides their own radio program, they have been interviewed and have been guests on The Rick Sanchez Show, The Howard Stern Show and National Public Radio, just to name a few.
Enrique unexpectedly ran for Mayor of the City of Miami in 2005 in protest of unmanaged growth and corruption. Amid extortion scandals and threats made against some his supporters, Enrique defiantly held his ground. With less than a month of campaigning and only $35,000 in contributions from residents, he won 30% of the vote coming in second place out of five candidates. This, his first campaign, served as an eye opener to residents and a warning to the incumbent Mayor. Listeners have urged him to run again.
At the request of United States Congressman Lincoln Diaz Balart a U.S. Flag was flown over The Capital in their honor on October 15, 2003 for "making radio history" and for "their commitment to entertain and inform their community". The duo was featured as two of the most powerful people in south Florida by South Florida CEO Magazine "The Power Issue" 2006. The duo is part of the cast of “Scarface: The World Is Yours”, a PC and video game on PS2, which includes members of the original movie, such as Al Pacino, Steve Bauer, as well as Jay Mohr, Cheech Marin and James Woods, among others. They have been named Best Spanish Radio Personalities of the year for the three consecutive years by The New Times (2003-2005). Enrique was also named as one of South Florida's 100 Sexiest Singles by The New Times. They have received numerous proclamations and awards for their charity, community and relief efforts after natural disasters. Enrique and Joe are HAAP (Hispanic Aids Awarness Program) Advocates and currently serve as spokespersons for a Statewide HIV prevention awareness PSA program lead by Florida Governor Charlie Crist. Enrique currently volunteers as an Auxiliary Police Officer with the New York Police Department.
Guests that have appeared on The Enrique and Joe Show include Celia Cruz, O.J. Simpson, Jeb Bush, P Diddy, LiL John, Andy Garcia, WWE's Rey Mysterio, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Penelope Cruz, Sofia Vergara, Steven Bauer, Oscar De La Hoya, Carlos Ponce, Jose Feliciano, Tommy Davidson, Emilio and Gloria Estefan, just to name a few.
The pair's bilingual broadcasts are a crossover hit of humor, social satire and political commentary that bridges cultural and generational differences among Latino backgrounds. Santos and Ferrero entertain their listeners with phone pranks, song parodies, interviews and interaction with listeners, but more than that, they are best known for "harvesting panic" among their listeners, as their slogan suggests: "sembrando el panico".
The high profile and outlandish radio duo have repeatedly broken sales and audience records, and maintained as one of the most popular Hispanic programs in America. Enrique & Joe's success has reflected in ratings and in revenues. In 2005 the duo helped their station rack in $23.3 million, making radio history as the first Hispanic-formatted radio station to become the top biller in a major market.
Enrique and Joe have recently joined media giant Univision. The Enrique Santos & Joe Ferrero Show currently airs from New York on WCAA La Kalle 105.9 FM, in Fresno, California on KLLE La Kalle 107.9 FM and will air on WRTO La Kalle 98.3 FM in Miami, Florida in 2008.
