Poll Shows Growth in Minority Media
Jul. 23–A growing population of Spanish-speakers who regularly get their local news in Ventura County get it from a Spanish broadcast radio station or a weekly newspaper.
They are not alone.
Nearly a quarter of American adults — 51 million — get their information from ethnic media, according to a national poll released recently by the nonprofit New California Media, a nationwide association of more than 700 ethnic media organizations.
“The thing is, you have to speak to people in their language,” said Guillermo Willy Gonzalez, general manager of the Spanish-language weekly, Oxnard-based Buenos Dias. “We have to offer news that affects and interests our community.” That’s why Gabriella Navarro, 38, of Oxnard said she reads it. It’s the best way for her to be informed because she doesn’t speak English.
The poll found that 29 million people prefer ethnic media outlets to their mainstream counterparts, proving that minority newspapers, radio shows and television programs are becoming a major force in the American marketplace.
Mi Estrella, The Star’s Spanish-language weekly newspaper, recently has launched home delivery to its readers. It has steadily increased its circulation to 21,500 readers, and is the only Spanish weekly newspaper in the county that is audited by the Audit Bureau of Circulation, said Frank Moraga, The Star’s diversity director. The audit system is the only independent way to verify the number of copies sold each week.
Mi Estrella is in competition with several other Spanish newspapers in the county alone. Just this week, Buenos Dias, a three-year-old weekly, increased its circulation from 10,000 to 12,000, Gonzalez said.
“There’s been a rapid growth in the Spanish-language newspapers because interest has increased,” Moraga said. “Hopefully, the quality is increasing, too.” Spanish radio and newspaper officials say their success is not something new. It’s a blend of loyalty from their readers and listeners and giving them what they want.
“It’s coming to the forefront to English speakers who weren’t paying attention,” said Chip Ehrhardt, executive vice president of Gold Coast Broadcasting, which operates Radio 14 on AM 1400.
“The Hispanic market is quite powerful. We have some really good stations in this marketplace. É In general, the Spanish-language market is very loyal, not just to radio but to products and services.” Gerardo Ceja, owner of KMLA 103.7 FM, “La M,” said he caters to his listener’s need.
“We give people what they like, and that’s helped me improve the programming of the radio station and the quality of the music,” Ceja said, noting that the broadcasts include children’s shows and the Spanish version of golden classics.
“What we’ve done differently is not promise something that we cannot comply. If we tell the people we’re going to give you this, we give it to them.” The poll shows that minority groups access ethnic media differently.
Eighty-seven percent of Hispanics, the nation’s fastest growing minority group, access Spanish-language television, radio or newspapers on a regular basis, the poll found. While the popularity of the two major Spanish-language television networks — Univision and Telemundo — is well-documented, the study also found that Spanish-language radio and newspapers are rapidly increasing their penetration in the market.
African-American radio — which focuses on African-American themes and content — is the most popular ethnic medium among blacks in the United States.
In Asian-American communities, ethnic newspapers reach a substantial part of the population. About 80 percent of all Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese adults read ethnic newspapers on a regular basis and more than 50 percent of Indian, Filipino and Japanese read them a few times a month or more, the survey found.
Cox News Service contributed to this report.
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