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March 21, 2007

Dear AP Sounding Board members,

Hispanics are the fastest-growing demographic group in the United States, comprising nearly 15 percent of our 300 million population, up from 5 percent in 1967 when there were 200 million Americans.

Hispanics tend to hold onto their language and traditions long after establishing themselves here. News from the old country primarily means Latin America, and developments delivered in Spanish find avid audiences.

With this in mind, we surveyed the APME Sounding Board on strategies for attracting Hispanic subscribers. This includes reaching out through AP's Spanish resources – text, multimedia and video.

Here are the questions:

1. What AP Spanish Services are you now using?

2. What services do you wish to have online in Spanish? Text, multimedia, video?

3. Bearing in mind a potential for added costs, would you be interested in audio packages in Spanish – say, a daily feed of AP correspondents doing voicers on the top stories?

4. Would you be interested in Spanish voiceovers for OVN-style video?

5. Do you currently have profitable Spanish products? What format are they in?

6. Where do you see the market for Spanish products in your region going?

Of the 13 responses, three panelists expressed strong interest in obtaining these specialized news products, four indicated some interest and six said not at this time.

"Given that we are looking to upgrade anything and everything about our web site, we would be interested, very interested, in learning about offerings in all three phases," said an editor in the Southwest.

An editor in the South said that "having Spanish services online" could help the newspaper reach the local Hispanic audience in the absence of having staff-written Spanish reports.

The editor of a Northeastern paper's Spanish-language affiliate spoke of "growing, growing" interest in local news in Spanish, but said specialized services were beyond the publication's reach currently.

Another Northeastern editor said, "There is definitely a market for products aimed at Hispanics, but it's unclear how important or necessary it is for those products to be in Spanish."

"At some point we will need to address this issue" of Spanish products, said a Western editor. "However, it is not high on our priority list at this time."

And the editor of a large metropolitan daily said local economics precluded such add-ons.

Responses below are grouped approximately by interest in Spanish services – from high to moderate and low. Special thanks to Sounding Board chairman Troy Turner for suggesting the topic.

The feedback goes to AP senior editors, including those responsible for Spanish and online services. Results will also be posted at the Sounding Board.

— Dave Minthorn

Ken Tuck, managing editor, Dothan Eagle, Dothan, Ala.:

1. None.

2. Text, video and other multimedia. Since there is nobody in our newsroom who speaks Spanish, much less writes it, we would need Spanish promos from the AP to promote the Spanish content online.

3. Yes. Again, along with promos in Spanish.

4. Yes.

5. No.

6. There is a market, but our greatest obstacle is not having anyone on staff who can speak or write Spanish. We would have to create at least two or three new positions, and I just don't see that happening right now. Having Spanish services online would be one way to reach that market though.

José Merino, editor, La Estrella de Tucson, Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, Ariz.:

1. (no reply)

2. All of the above.

3. Yes, that could potentially turn into national/international-news slide shows if we add photos to it.

4. No.

5. La Estrella de Tucsón (www.laestrelladetucson.com) is a free weekly in tabloid format.

6. It will keep growing because of our proximity to the border and the fact that Hispanics tend to keep their traditions, language and connections to their culture, a lot longer than other ethnic groups.

Bill Rose, managing editor, The Palm Beach Post, Palm Beach, Fla.:

1. Yourap.org for stories in print and automated feeds to our Website.

2. All of the above.

3. Not at this time.

4. Not at this time.

5. Weekly broadsheet newspaper (La Palma) and Website.

6. Increasing in size and quantity quickly.

Troy Turner, editor, The Daily Times, Farmington, N.M.:

1. We are using no AP Spanish Services, mainly because we are unaware of what AP offers. We would like to have someone share with us what is available now, work with us on a fair cost plan for our circulation size, and help us understand how the service is complied and should be marketed based on AP data that might be available. To be fair to AP, we have not thought of the idea enough to chase down our nearest AP reps to ask about it, but on the other hand, we're in New Mexico, which would seem like a great place for AP to be better marketing anything it might have in this service.

2. Given that we are looking to upgrade anything and everything about our web site, we would be interested, very interested, in learning about offerings in all three phases. Price, as always, would be a big factor if this service is in addition to our normal AP service. But yes, we have a strong interest in text, multimedia and video, beginning with text. One important question for us, however, is that when our Spanish-speaking editors are out, how well edited would this service come to us? We're sure AP would stand by its work, but given not all of our editors speak Spanish, understanding this AP process for editing the material would be a comfort to us.

3. A guarded yes, bearing in mind a potential for added costs. However, we hope to see more Spanish influence someday soon in the daily offerings of our normal AP service, but we understand we're not at that point yet and would consider reasonable rates for increased services.

4. We're not to that point yet with our web enhancements.

5. No, but we are exploring options for our Spanish-speaking markets, mostly ideas tied into our core product, but also niche products.

6. It always will remain strong in the Southwest. However, we are especially keen on ideas that might somehow help educate our readers in some type of combination of English-Spanish. We would love to see brainstorming done there where our Spanish readers might find nuggets each day in learning English. But given we, and AP, are more about telling a story than teaching an English class, we do feel the Spanish market will remain strong for quite some time.

Jane Sutter, general manager/custom publications, editor of her – Celebrating the Women of Rochester magazine, Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, N.Y.:

1. For our monthly publication ConXion and its web site RochesterConXion.com, we are using Newswire, for which we use stories in both English and Spanish.

2. Not interested right now, but perhaps in the future if we determine there is more of an audience for it.

3. Not interested right now, but perhaps in the future if we determine there is more of an audience for it.

4. Not interested right now, but perhaps in the future if we determine there is more of an audience for it.

5. We publish a monthly tabloid called ConXion. Every story is featured in both English and Spanish. Its web site is RochesterConXion.com, and its offerings are in English and Spanish.

6. The potential for growth remains to be seen. Although Hispanics are the fastest-growing demographic in Rochester, 87 percent of them use English first as a language. There is definitely a market for products aimed at Hispanics, but it's unclear how important or necessary it is for those products to be in Spanish.

Steve Brody, wire editor, Lancaster New Era, Lancaster, Pa., with Enelly Betancourt, editor of our La Voz Hispana newspaper:

1. Because of the expense, Enelly translates stories she finds on the AP wire into Spanish for inclusion in La Voz.

2. Text and some multimedia are posted in the La Voz section of the morning daily, the Intelligencer Journal. Enelly says the demand for local news in Spanish is much greater than the demand for AP material.

3. No, not at this time. It would be "nice," Enelly says, but local news in Spanish is the priority.

4. No.

5. La Voz Hispana is a free standalone newspaper loosely affiliated with the Intelligencer Journal. As noted, it also appears online.

6. The demand for local news in Spanish is "growing and growing," per Enelly. The nearest competitor is in Philadelphia. Enelly says she gets calls from Spanish speakers all over the U.S. interested in La Voz offerings.

Kevin Whitmer, managing editor, enterprise, The Star-Ledger, Newark, N.J.:

1. None.

2. While we don't have direct control over our Web site, I think the multimedia and video options make the most sense.

3. That's one best left for our online people.

4. Also best left for our online people.

5. None.

6. Continual expansion in places that have products and a commitment in markets that have yet to commit.

Jan Webb, nation-world editor, The Ann Arbor News, Ann Arbor, Mich.:

1. None.

2. Text, video.

3. Probably not.

4. Probably not.

5. No.

6. It's likely to rise.

Tom O'Hara, managing editor, The Plain Dealer, Cleveland:

1. None that I know of.

2. None at this time.

3. No.

4. No.

5. No.

6. Nowhere at this time.

Dave Butler, editor and publisher, The Detroit News:

It's "no" to everything.

D. Reed Eckhardt, managing editor, Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, Cheyenne, Wyo.:

1. None.

2. At this point, none.

3. Not at this time.

4. Not at this time.

5. No.

6. At some point we will need to address this issue. However, it is not high on our priority list at this time.

Mark Bowden, editor, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa:

1. None.

2. None.

3. Uncertain at this time.

4. Uncertain at this time.

5. None.

6. Very slow growth.

Kathleen Cooper, wire editor, The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash.:

1. None.

2. None right now.

3. I don't think so.

4. I don't think so.

5. No.

6. I'm not sure.

Dave Minthorn, manager, AP News Administration, coordinates the questions and answers. Newspaper editors wishing to suggest a topic can send an e-mail to Minthorn at dminthorn@ap.org.

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