Spanish Dailies Grow

By: Mike Branom, Associated Press Writer (AP) Three new or expanded Spanish-language newspapers made their debuts Tuesday, testimony to the growing Hispanic market that has publishers and advertisers taking notice.

El Nuevo Dia, owned by the largest daily newspaper in Puerto Rico of the same name, began publishing weekdays in Orlando. Tribune Co. introduced its daily Hoy in Chicago and Knight Ridder's Diario La Estrella in Dallas/Fort Worth expanded from twice to five times a week.

Later this fall, Belo Corp.'s The Dallas Morning News will start publishing Al Dia six days a week and charge 25 cents.

The newspapers are the latest to cater to Spanish speakers. New York, Los Angeles, and Miami already have their own Spanish-language dailies.

Publishers say the growth reflects the fact that Hispanics are now the nation's largest minority group, numbering 38.3 million, or more than 13% of the U.S. population. In Chicago, Dallas, and Orlando, Hispanics comprise at least 16% of the population.

"Our vision is to give the Hispanic community a voice and a means to get important information every day," El Nuevo Dia Editor Jose Maldonado said.

At the same time, the group's buying power has increased nearly 30% over the past three years -- more than any other U.S. minority group, according to a University of Georgia report released last month. The study defined buying power as disposable income available for spending on personal consumption, interest payments, and savings.

"In Chicago, 70% of Hispanics prefer to read and speak in Spanish, they trust advertising more that they read in Spanish," said Digby Solomon Diez, Hoy's vice president and general manager. "The marketers know this, and that's why they're calling us in and saying, 'Help us reach the folks, help us tailor our message to them.'"

There's also hope that Spanish-language publications will improve the newspaper industry's flagging circulation numbers. Newspaper readership has been in a slow yet steady decline over the last three decades, according to the Newspaper Association of America. In 2002, just 55.4% of adult Americans read a paper during the week; in 1970, the figure was 77.6%.

"The slide is abating somewhat anyhow," said John Sturm, president of the NAA. "But for newspapers to be aggressive, as they are in these markets, can only be a plus."

El Nuevo Dia

Diario La Estrella

Hoy