Latino Media in the Seattle Area

This just in - a study of Seattle-area Latino adults and their Spanish-language media consumption by Portland's Rojo Research illustrated a clear preference for Univision.

In fact, Univision earned 67% market share, followed by KDDS 99.3 FM – La Gran D which saw 42.7%. Note that I'm not sure whether they were measuring actual consumption of the local Univisión affiliate (over-the-air) or the national network channel.

The study involved traditional media (versus online). In May, Rojo Research interviewed 485 Latino households in King, Pierce, Snohomish, Skagit, Thurston, Kitsap, and Island counties for a 58-question, 22 minute study. More than 33,200 households were contacted; 55% of participants preferred to respond in Spanish.

The Top 10 Seattle Latino Media Ranking according to this 2009 Rojo Research study:

1. Univision
2. KDDS 99.3 FM - La Gran D
3. Telemundo
4. Spanish-Language Outdoor Advertising
5. TV Azteca
6. KKMO 13360 AM - El Rey
7. KTBK 1210 AM - Ke Buena
8. Sea Latino Newspaper (now defunct)
9. El Mundo Newspaper
10. La Raza del Noroeste Newspaper

Latino media consumption is based upon a 7-day cume for TV and radio, a 4-edition cume for weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly publications, a 6-month cume for business directories, and a 4-week cume for outdoor advertising. The researchers captured over 400 data points on local media consumption, purchasing plans, shopping behavior and personal demographics. Seattle-area Hispanic media will leverage the data to highlight the value of their offerings, and be able to better justify a return on investment for their advertisers.

This is it, folks - if your company or organization wants to benefit from the patronage of our Hispanic population, please consider getting involved in Hispanic marketing now while rates are at an all-time low and your message will shine bright! Once the 2010 Census data is out, Hispanic media rates and availability will change forever. Make sure your brand is the one Latinos are thinking of, starting NOW.

Imagine: Your brand can be the category leader for the largest minority and the fastest-growing population here and nationally.

And, of course, we can help. Call me at 206-621-2185 and let's talk!

*New* Local Spanish-Language News Online

This post is contributed by Intern Melissa Duque.

The Northwest now has a daily Spanish news website
… and I couldn’t be more excited.

I moved to the Northwest about a year ago, and over this past year I have been having trouble with my Spanish. I left a predominately Spanish-speaking community in Los Angeles to move to the Seattle area, where I have slowly begun to meet other Latinos.

My biggest issue hasn’t been speaking the language (a quick phone call to a friend or ordering in Spanish does the trick); it has been reading and comprehension that have caused me difficulties.

When it comes to getting my daily dose of news I watch local English-language television stations before my commute to get the weather and traffic. I get my national and international news from English-language broadcasts. Occasionally I will watch the local Spanish news station, Univisión, for international news but not for local.

I did try to read El Nuevo Herald from Miami for a couple of months, and although the celebrity news was great, the news stories weren’t relevant to me. Same goes for La Opinión from Los Angeles--lots of great information but not the stories I needed.

I am not like many of the local Latinos who go to small carnicerías (or "marquetas" as they call them) in the area, so I don’t have a chance to pick up “La Raza de Noroeste” but as of today I can go online to find daily Northwest news in Spanish at the publication's brand new site, Nuestro Noroeste.

The site is pretty easy to navigate and so far I like it. On my iPhone, it's a little difficult to navigate (really big photos) but on a desktop that's definitely visually appealing.

In the following weeks we shall see if this website becomes part of my morning ritual. For now, I will give it a chance. Let me know what you think about this new resource for Spanish speakers by leaving a comment.

Tonight on Ke Buena 6:30-7pm

Ke Buena (1210 AM) is airing a show this evening that will help Seattle-area Latinos better understand how to discuss their headaches with their doctors.

Considering that some people suffer headaches regularly--and most of us don't know how to express that pain to our doctors--this is an enlightening show that shares how different headaches can be, where the pain is coming from, and some tips on avoiding and alleviating them.

Tune in this evening, 6:30-7 to hear Host Gigi Basaure talk with Erica Eickoff, LMP and trained physical therapist.

This is a service brought by Community Health Plan in the interest of helping our Latino community better understand issues around health and safety, and helping improve the overall health of our community.

For more information about Community Health Plan, visit the organization's multilingual site.

*NEW* Spanish-Language Radio Health Show

This Sunday from 6:30-7pm, tune in to Ke Buena (1210AM) in the Seattle Metropolitan area for the debut of a new Spanish-language program called Información es Salud con Community Health Plan.

This show was created by Community Health Plan of Washington to inform and educate the Latino community on various topics by providing a Q&A format with health providers and educators.

The half-hour program will be hosted by Gigi Basaure, and this Sunday's show will feature interviews with Jorge Madrazo and Jackie Vasquez from Sea Mar Community Health Centers, as well as Adriana Flores as a spokesperson for the local chapter of American Diabetes Association. The topics will include diabetes and nutrition.

Tune in to this new show, and let us know your thoughts!

English/Spanish Help Talking to Kids About $$$

Get help talking about the economy with young children on KCTS and V-Me.

Tune in the week of June 22 for special economy-themed episodes of A Place of Our Own and and the Spanish-language Los Niños en Su Casa.

Topics range from communicating job loss to money-saving tips for families and strategies caregivers can use to cope in hard times.For more resources, including a list of Kids & Family workshops, visit KCTS9.org/kids.

And...support our local public television!

V-Me - a unique media opportunity

For sponsors and viewers alike, KCTS' local V-Me affiliate is a fantastic opportunity to benefit from quality programming en español. V-Me staffers are also involved in the community through its outreach programs. Visit their site for more details.

What channel is it on?

In Seattle and Western Washington:

• Over Air - Digital 9.2
• Comcast Digital Cable - 119

In Yakima and Central Washington:

• Over Air - Digital 47.2
• Charter Digital Cable - 297

Watch it and you'll see!

Our Friends at V-ME Need Your Help!

We have learned that V-me services are in jeopardy due to tough economic times. Funding for V-me and many other state programs is being debated in Olympia.

In order for V-me's crucial local services on air, online and in the community to survive—services such as statewide free broadcast, parent and caregiver workshops, local community resources, and unparalleled public affairs—V-me needs your help. Contact your legislators to tell them how important Washington's V-me service is to the fastest-growing community in our state. V-me not only engages Latinos with quality public television, it helps prepare our children, Latino and non-Latino alike, with a global edge. Help preserve V-me services:

• Contact your legislator and tell him/her why V-me is an important service to you and to the state. You can find your legislators by going to http://leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/o OR call the in-state toll-free hotline number, 1.800.562.6000.

• Contact the office of our senate champion, Senator Margarita Prentice. Thank her for her efforts to keep V-me in the budget and urge her to support raising our funds to $180,000, the minimum annual budget we need to continue the offerings of local services, including early learning outreach, local production and transmission from the Puget Sound to Tri-Cities. E-mail her at Prentice.Margarita@leg.wa.gov.

Why support V-me?

V-me is a cost-effective way to serve the fastest-growing segment of our Washington population. It provides resources for parents and caregivers through quality bilingual workshops that provide information and tools to help prepare children for school. Thousands of children and childcare providers have benefitted from these bilingual early learning workshops.

V-me connects Spanish speakers with vital local public affairs through programs including Ask the Governor, Tough Times: Rising Above the Financial Crisis, and a host of shorts on education, culture, arts and financial literacy found nowhere else on television.

The educational and entertaining award-winning content for children and families—the type of programs that help children grow and thrive—is not available anywhere else in Spanish-language broadcasting.

V-me is catching on! In a recent study of Latinos in Yakima and the Tri-Cities, 17.7% of respondents reported having watched V-me in the past 7 days. V-me reaches tens of thousands of homes from the Puget Sound to the Tri-Cities. In our own Conexión Marketing online survey of media consumption, V-Me was right up there.

Let's show this important medium our support!

Seeking Hispanic MBAs in Banking/Finance

Hello - a reporter from Hispanic Career World, Lois Vidavre, is seeking MBAs working in Banking/Finance in companies of 3,000+.

Here's her query:
"As a writer for Hispanic Career World, I am looking to interview two Hispanics working in the banking/finance world for companieswith more than 3,000 employees and who have their MBAs. Themagazine can be viewed at www.eop.com. I will e-mail 12 questions asking the interviewee to share their own career journey. I can be reached via e-mail"

This is a great opportunity to share your success story and inspire others! If you fit the bill, email loismaevid@yahoo.com. If you know someone who might be interested, please share this post! Deadline is 3pm PST January 13.

More Media Updates!

I failed to mention another interesting update in Washington state Hispanic media, which was just announced in the current issue of Tú Decides, the bilingual newspaper that earlier this year made its way over the mountains to Western WA.

Several big-name businesspeople have invested in the paper. They are:

• Edgar Martinez, CEO of Branded Solutions by Edgar Martinez.
  
• Dr. Pedro Celis, Distinguished Engineer and CTO in the SQL Server group at Microsoft
  
• Frank Armijo, Program Director and General Manager for Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Services
  
• Diehl R. Rettig, Senior Partner of the law firm Rettig, Osborne, Forgette, O’Donnell, Iller & Adamson LLP
  
• Michael E. Sotelo, President of Approach Management Services (Approach) and W.G. Clark Construction Co. and Chairman of the Washington State Association of Hispanic Chambers
  
• William N. Lampson, President of Neil F. Lampson, Inc., one of the largest crane and heavy rigging organizations in the United States
  
• Todd Halterman, President & CEO of Pacific Crest Planning, Inc., a financial planning firm
  
• Craig Gaylord, founder and owner of Fiesta Foods in Eastern Washington.
  
• Dr. Robert Rettig, founder of Back to Basics Chiropractic in Kennewick
  
• Fran Forgette, partner in the Tri-City law firm of Rettig Osborne Forgette, LLP
  
• Albert Torres, founder and CEO/Publisher of Tú Decides Media, Inc.
  
• Blanca Torres, founder of Tú Decides Media, Inc. and President/CEO of EXPO NW LLC
  
• Ismael Campos, founder and Vice-Chairman of tú Decides Media, Inc.
  
• Gracie Campos, founder of tú Decides Media, Inc. and Vice-President of EXPO NW LLC

So it appears that this relatively new publication is stronger than ever. What impressed me was the involvement of non-Latinos in the future of Tú Decides.

The company's deal with The Seattle Times, to include Tú Decides in Times issues going to Newspapers in Education, should take effect in the coming months.

More to come...