| Written by Maria Elena Salinas |
| Monday, June 09 2003 |
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| I suspected it for years, but now I finally have the data necessary to back up my theory, thanks to the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute in California. When bilingual Hispanics are given the choice to watch television in English or Spanish, the majority does it en español.
My theory was based on what seems obvious to me: Most Hispanics, even those who are fluent in English and are assimilated, have different interests from mainstream America. What they look for in television is content that is relevant to them, and most of the time they don't find it in English-language television.
As a Spanish-language network news anchor, it's part of my job to know our audience. It's my responsibility to be in touch with those who watch us and put their trust in our news broadcasts so we can better serve them when making editorial decisions. It has been clear to me for years that many of our viewers are bilingual, and if they wanted to, they could be watching any network or cable station they want.
I came to that conclusion not just because of the feedback I get from viewers, but because I take the time to analyze the ratings. In cities with large Hispanic populations, like New York, Los Angeles and Miami, it's not unusual for Spanish-language television to attract more viewers in key time slots than the English-language TV networks. At first, beating ABC, CBS and NBC was a novelty. Now it happens on a regular basis.
The Tomás Rivera Policy Institute has put a major effort into an in-depth survey of Latino viewing trends. More than 1,200 Hispanics were interviewed in Los Angeles, Houston and New York. Of those interviewed, about 75 percent watch television in both Spanish and English.
When it comes to choosing what news program to watch, 57 percent of bilingual Latinos prefer Spanish-
language news, while 26.7 percent watch a mix of English and Spanish. Just as a reminder, there are two Spanish-language TV networks and several independent Spanish-language stations across the country.
"Bilingual Hispanics are heavy news watchers," said Harry Pachon, president of the institute. "They want to know what is happening on key issues like immigration. And they want to keep up with events in their home countries."
The survey concludes, among other things, that policy-makers, candidates, elected officials or anyone else trying to speak about public issues can only reach Latinos through a combination of Spanish and English media. More than 47 percent of those polled responded that they would pay more attention to a politician who speaks to them in Spanish. I guess that explains why the Republican Party sent a group of its leaders to Berlitz, a language-instruction company, to take a crash course in Spanish before the midterm elections last year.
That probably also explains why President George W. Bush did better among Hispanic voters than other Republican candidates have in the past. His Spanish is hardly perfect, but he tries. The poll points out that Spanish-speaking politicians -- even those who speak it poorly -- tend to catch the attention of Hispanic voters. However, in order to translate that attention into votes, the message needs to be substantive. Remember, it's content that makes those bilingual TV viewers watch Spanish-language stations.
The study should be required reading for executives at English-language TV networks trying to lure Hispanic viewers. It would also be beneficial to advertising agencies trying to tap into the multibillion-dollar Hispanic market, or to politicians hoping to win Hispanic votes. As for me, it's one of those self-satisfying moments that we all need once in a while. Now I know that, for the most part, my theory was right all along. |
