Puerto Rico in the OTI Festival
| Puerto Rico in the OTI Festival | |
|---|---|
| OTI Festival | |
| Participating broadcaster | Telemundo Puerto Rico[a] |
| Participation summary | |
| Appearances | 28 |
| First appearance | 1972 |
| Last appearance | 2000 |
| Highest placement | 1st: 1974, 1980 |
| Host | 1975 |
Participation history
| |
The participation of Puerto Rico in the OTI Festival began at the inaugural OTI Festival in 1972. The Puerto Rican participating broadcaster was Telemundo Puerto Rico,[a] which was member of the Organización de Televisión Iberoamericana (OTI). The broadcaster participated in all twenty-eight editions of the festival. It won the festival two times: in 1974 and 1980; and hosted the event once: in 1975.
History
Telemundo Puerto Rico, branded as WKAQ-Telemundo in 1968–1976 and Canal 2 Telemundo in 1976–1986, selected all its entries for the OTI Festival internally. In fact, it always selected big names in order to compete in the event. It won the contest on two occasions, the first time with the song "Hoy sólo canto por cantar" sung by Nydia Caro in 1974. This song, composed by Ricardo Cerrato, was enormously popular and very controversial for being considered an "anti-protest" song.[1] In 1980 it recorded its second victory in the festival with the song "Contigo, mujer" sung by Rafael José, which was composed by Laureano Brizuela and Ednita Nazario.[2]
Apart from its victories, it managed to reach the top 10 in eight occasions, but from 1983 on, the results started declining, In fact, since then, it was unable to reach the top ten positions again, until the last edition of the show in 2000, when it got the second place with the song "Con una canción" by José Vega Santana.
WKAQ-Telemundo, hosted the OTI Festival 1975 after the victory of Nydia Caro the previous year. The venue of the contest were its own television studios in San Juan. The broadcaster created a colorful stage with a central platform and an orchestra section in the background.
Participation overview
- Table key
| 1 | First place |
| 2 | Second place |
| 3 | Third place |
| F | Finalist |
| SF | Semi-finalist |
| X | Contest cancelled |
| Year | Artist | Song | Conductor | Place | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Chucho Avellanet | "Por ti"[b] | Pedro Rivera Toledo | 4 | 6 |
| 1973 | Óscar Solo | "Yo quiero una orquesta"[c] | Pedro Rivera Toledo | 6 | 5 |
| 1974 | Nydia Caro | "Hoy sólo canto por cantar"[d] | Pedro Rivera Toledo | 1 | 18 |
| 1975 | Los Hispanos | "¿Dónde vas, amigo?"[e] | Wisón Torres | 5 | 5 |
| 1976 | Eduardo Delgado | "¿Quién?"[f] | 15 | 1 | |
| 1977 | Aquamarina | "Piel Dormida"[g] | Wisón Torres | 6 | 3 |
| 1978 | Rafael José | "Háblame"[h] | Pedro Rivera Toledo | 4 | 35 |
| 1979 | Ednita Nazario | "Cadenas de fuego"[i] | 5 | 21 | |
| 1980 | Rafael José | "Contigo Mujer"[j] | Jorge Calandrelli | 1 | 36 |
| 1981 | Glenn Monroig | "Mírame a los ojos"[k] | Ángel "Cuco" Peña Berdiel | 15 | 8 |
| 1982 | Lunna | "Sin tu música"[l] | Ángel "Cuco" Peña Berdiel | 18 | 5 |
| 1983 | Edgardo Huertas | "Navegaré"[m] | Héctor Garrido | 9 | 55 |
| 1984 | Lou Briel | "Todo llega"[n] | 5 | – | |
| 1985 | Juan Manuel Lebrón[3] | "Represento"[o] | Luis García | – | – |
| 1986 | Maggy | "Solos tú y yo, nadie más"[p] | Pijuán Piñero | – | – |
| 1987 | Marisol Calero | "Soy mujer"[q] | – | – | |
| 1988 | Sandra Roger | "Para ser feliz"[r] | 14 | 0 | |
| 1989 | Aldo Matta | "¿Por qué no volverás?"[s] | Eddie Fernández | – | – |
| 1990 | Ivonne Briel | "La mujer que sueños vé"[t] | – | – | |
| 1991 | José Juan Tañón | "Nuestra voz"[u] | Ito Serrano | SF | – |
| 1992 | Brenda Reyes | "Atrapada en el tiempo"[v] | Eduardo Reyes | – | – |
| 1993 | Rumba y Bembé | "Que siga la rumba"[w] | 6 | – | |
| 1994 | Jessica Cristina | "Lo que te toca vivir"[x] | SF | – | |
| 1995 | Carlos Alberto Fortuño | "Latinoamericano"[y] | Antonio Ramia Pérez | F | – |
| 1996 | Porto Latino | "Ay, amor"[z] | – | – | |
| 1997 | Ángel Joel Peña | "Almas solas"[aa] | Ángel "Cuco" Peña Berdiel | SF | – |
| 1998 | Ariana | "Yo te propongo"[ab] | SF | – | |
| 1999 | Contest cancelled X | ||||
| 2000 | José Vega Santana | "Con una canción"[ac] | 2 | – | |
Hosting
| Year | City | Venue | Hosts | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | San Juan | Telemundo TV studios | [4] |
Notes
- ^ a b Branded as WKAQ-Telemundo in 1968–1976 and Canal 2 Telemundo in 1976–1986.
- ^ Translation: "For you"
- ^ Translation: "I want an orchestra"
- ^ Translation: "Today I sing just for singing"
- ^ Translation: "Where are you going to, friend?"
- ^ Translation: "Who?"
- ^ Translation: "Aesleep skin"
- ^ Translation: "Talk to me"
- ^ Translation: "Fire chains"
- ^ Translation: "With you woman"
- ^ Translation: "Look into my eyes"
- ^ Translation: "Without your music"
- ^ Translation: "I will sail"
- ^ Translation: "Everything comes"
- ^ Translation: "I represent"
- ^ Translation: "Justo you and me, nobody else"
- ^ Translation: "I'm a woman"
- ^ Translation: "To be happy"
- ^ Translation: "Why won't you return?"
- ^ Translation: "The woman who sees dreams"
- ^ Translation: "Our voice"
- ^ Translation: "Catch the time"
- ^ Translation: "Let the rhumbe go on"
- ^ Translation: "What it's time for you to live"
- ^ Translation: "Latin-American"
- ^ Translation: "Oh, love"
- ^ Translation: "Lonely souls"
- ^ Translation: "I suggest to you"
- ^ Translation: "With one song"
References
- ^ "Nydia Caro celebrará 40 aniversario de su victoria en el Festival de la OTI". www.efe.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2017-06-05.
- ^ "Rafael José a 35 años de haber ganado el OTI". El Nuevo Dia (in Spanish). 2015-11-06. Retrieved 2017-06-05.
- ^ "TBT: Hace 30 años que Juan Manuel Lebrón cantó en el Festival OTI". Primera Hora. 2015-09-03. Retrieved 2017-06-05.
- ^ "Festival OTI de la Canción 1975". OTI Festival (in Spanish). 15 November 1975. Telemundo Puerto Rico / OTI.