Univision 41 campaigns for Kids to get out of the house.

“Sal Con Los Solecitos,” a Univision 41 (WXTV) campaign to get young children off their seats and out of the house this summer kicks off Memorial Day weekend with a public appearance by sportscaster Salvador (Sal) Cruz and Los Solecitos, the yellow-costumed children’s music quartet, at the Unisphere in Flushing Meadow Park at 5:30 pm on Friday, May 25. “Noticias Univision 41,” (Univision 41 News), the news program of Univision 41 (WXTV), New York’s premier Spanish-language TV station, will cover the event live on its 6 pm newscast that day.

“Sal Con Los Solecitos” is Spanish both for “Go out with the Solecitos” and “Sal with the Solecitos.” Sal Cruz, sportscaster for weekend news programs at 6 and 11 pm on Univision 41, is host of the series of weekly Friday public get-togethers with Los Solecitos which will run through the Labor Day weekend this summer. The 6 pm Saturday “Noticias Univision 41” is New York’s most watched Saturday early evening news program according to Nielsen Station Index figures for the May 2007 sweep.

Los Solecitos have been featured on Univision 41 for three years. They are phenomenally popular with children. The station developed animated characters based on the quartet. Each morning, animated Solecitos wake up children in a station break. Each evening Los Solecitos tell children that it is time to go to bed in a loving, musical message. Throughout the day Los Solecitos encourage kids to exercise with animated “exercise moments” set to music.

The station realized the popularity of Los Solecitos when it was flooded with calls complaining that they had been pre-empted due to special programming. Parents called WXTV on evenings when Los Solecitos did not appear to say that their small kids would not go to bed without the musical sendoff. Soon after their debut on WXTV, the station began to get requests from the public for appearances by the yellow-costumed quartet. As many as 2,000 children have shown up for appearances by Los Solecitos on behalf of WXTV.