Media Tune in to Ethnic Audiences

MEDIA TUNE IN TO ETHNIC AUDIENCES
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: David Lieberman]
One of the most intriguing new developments in media is taking place in a part of the industry that many executives used to dismiss as a backwater. Call it the year of ethnic media, the vast collection of mostly tiny broadcasters, cable channels, newspapers and magazines that target Hispanics, Asians and other audience niches. Advertisers who once deemed ethnic audiences too small, too poor or too old to take seriously are looking at them anew as immigration rates soar. With minority markets now accounting for nearly a third of U.S. buying power, pitching to these audiences “is no longer the nice thing to do, or the social thing to do. It's about business,” says Gwen Kelly, senior ad specialist for American Family Insurance. Spanish-language media are getting the most attention. The 2000 Census found that 12.5% of the U.S. population of more than 280 million was Hispanic — a bigger market than all of Canada — and projects the share to be nearly 18% by 2020.
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20060407/ethnicmedia.art.htm