130 CultureShock! Chile
business news from Latin America on its website. Chile Post
offers news related to Chile from a wide range of international
sources on its website (http://www.chilejournal.com). There is
a German language Chilean newspaper called Wochenschau
Chile der Zeitung CONDOR. (http://www.condor.cl) A number
of foreign language newspapers and magazines can be found
at kiosks in the downtown area of Santiago.Television
Cable and digital television in Chile is very good. You can
receive Latin American, European and American channels in
their original language for a fee. CNN has a Spanish language
station in addition to its regular English broadcast. Chilean
television offers a wide array of local programs, dubbed
foreign language shows and movies. Reality and farándula
(show-business gossip) programmes get huge audiences, as
do music and dance shows.Telenovelas
A cultural phenomenon common throughout Latin America
is the soap opera or telenovela. Literally everyone watches
the telenovelas. Foreigners are often shocked by how good
they are, given the poor quality of such fare available in
many other countries. Even Chilean men avidly watch them,
and they are a topic of casual conversation among family
members or good friends. Latin American telenovelas only
last about five months, after which time they end and rarely
have a sequel, allowing the actors to pursue other shows. The
actors are household names in Latin America, and appear
in many different telenovelas, so you will get to know them
if you live in Chile for any length of time.
At first all the telenovelas will seem the same to you. But
after a time you can distinguish the imports—from Mexico,
Venezuela, Argentina and Brazil—from the local shows. If you
are not well integrated into Chilean society it may be the best
way for you to observe Chileans. However, as there is much
talk and very little action, they may be hard to follow until
your Spanish is very good. Chilean telenovelas are usually
filmed in neighbourhoods around Santiago, places that