Hispanic Power

Nowadays in Southwest Florida, you can't swing the pro-

verbial gato muerto without hitting another new Spanish-language publication, television show or radio station entering the market.

Newspapers and magazines with names like Gaceta Tropical, Vista Semanal and D'Latinos have all debuted in the past few years. Broadcasters have appeared offering programming with monikers such as Noticias Univision and La Raza 1200.

"[Hispanics] are such a large portion of the market in Southwest Florida and in South Florida in general," says Mark Gilson, a spokesperson for Fort Myers Broadcasting, which operates two Spanish-language radio stations. "You can't ignore a growing segment of the population."

According to Enterprise Florida, a public-private organization promoting statewide economic development, Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties saw their combined Hispanic populace grow from 11.5 percent of the population in 2000 to 15.8 percent in 2005.

Many are new immigrants, but there are also first-, second- and third-generation Hispanics moving to our balmy shores from other American cities. They come for the same reasons everyone else does: great climate, a growing economy and plentiful jobs. Local media giants and small entrepreneurs alike have rushed to serve this growing audience by introducing a wide variety of media platforms.

Today, there are at least four local Spanish-language television channels-all affiliates of large, national networks. At least six area radio stations broadcast in Spanish, and close to a dozen weekly or monthly Spanish-language newspapers and magazines are in print-some of which now also offer Spanish-language content online.

All are serving a community that is growing in affluence.

"The reality was that in the 1970s, most Hispanics in this community were working in the fields," says David Plazas, an editor at The News-Press in Fort Myers and the founding editor of its Spanish-language weekly newspaper, Gaceta Tropical. "Today, there are more than 3,000 Hispanic-owned businesses all over [Lee County alone]. There is an enormous amount of middle- and upper-class Hispanics who can afford all sorts of services that are offered. You have doctors and lawyers and teachers and journalists-people who can invest in the community."

Fort Myers Broadcasting got the message in July 2002, when overnight the company dropped the talk-radio format on 1240 AM and launched Latin music in its place. The new format proved so popular, managers moved it onto the more powerful FM dial, and later launched a second Spanish-language station on 1200 AM.

"We have about 17 percent penetration for Hispanics," says Victor Brust, general manager of the local Univision and Telefutura network affiliates. "If [businesses] don't advertise [with] us or our competitors, they are missing that part of the market-and that's a lot of money."

Check out some of these stats produced by Univision for Brust and his salespeople to use:

>Hispanics in the five-county Southwest Florida area (Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Glades and Hendry) have an estimated buying power of $2.4 billion.

>The Fort Myers-Naples television market is the 66th largest in the country, and the 36th largest Hispanic TV market.

>While just about all segments of the population in this region have been growing, the non-Hispanic market growth of 30 percent between 1990 and 2000 seems absolutely puny compared to the growth during this same period of the Hispanic market-153 percent.

"What's driving the market right now is the Hispanic growth," Brust says.

Many local and regional companies are putting some of their advertising dollars into Spanish-language media. Major Southwest Florida car dealerships, including Coconut Point Ford in Estero and Bill Branch Chevrolet in Fort Myers, advertise in Hispanic media. So do many of the area's builders, such as First Home Builders Inc.

Lakeland-based Publix Super Markets is a leader in reaching out to Spanish-speaking customers. The company advertises heavily on local Spanish-language television and radio stations. It also puts a weekly Spanish-language advertising insert into many newspapers, including Gaceta Tropical.

Loads of smaller businesses, including Southwest Florida lawyers, doctors, spas, real estate agencies and even churches have also found targeting area Spanish speakers is smart business.

Greg Soto, owner of Apex Computers, a computer sales and service store in Naples, ran his first Spanish-language ad in an April edition of the newspaper Vista Semanal. It was a tiny, bottom-of-the-page notice, with a substantial return.

"That one [ad] has already paid for itself," Soto says. "I had three customers come in after it ran."