BRING HISPANICS INTO FOCUS
Television show covers business, politics, education, art, entertainment, and more from the Latino perspective

By Millie Acebal Rousseau

Augustine “Augie” Martinez barely stepped into his new position before he started making plans on how to elevate the profile of Hispanics in business. Part of that strategy: taking the syndicated television show, Hispanics Today, to the next level.
As the interim president and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Martinez knows the show can be a powerful tool in sharing the success stories and addressing the interests of the Latino community across the nation.
Perhaps that is because Martinez has been the general manager for the show for the past year. When former USHCC president Michael L. Barrera announced he was leaving to work for Source One Management, Inc. of Denver, the organization tapped Martinez to fill in while they searched for a permanent replacement.
Martinez, who has a 30-year history in broadcasting—putting in time at CBS, FOX, Telemundo and Univision, and even serving for nearly 10 years as the general manager for KMEX, the Univision affiliate in Los Angeles—immediately saw the opportunity to market USHCC.
“We’re doing great things, but haven’t been able to convey it to supporters,” he says. He believes the show can market USHCC more efficiently, better reaching sponsors, advertisers and constituents. “The potential of this vehicle ... it’s a great opportunity to enhance branding, to tell our story of what Latinos have accomplished.”
Hispanics Today was launched eight years ago. The half-hour newsmagazine is taped and airs nationally every week on 165 stations across the country in 112 markets, such as Miami, Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Chicago and Dallas. It airs on major networks such as NBC, between Friday and Tuesday, depending on the market.
“Our goal is to increase viewership and expand reach,” says Erica Ortiz, the show’s host and one of the producers. Right now, she explains, they reach 84 percent of the Hispanic population—that’s 26 million households.
The show is broken down into four segments and covers topics such as politics, education, art, entertainment, sports, finance, business and culture. “We’re showcasing the contributions of Hispanic leaders in these areas, and issues affecting the Latino community,” says Ortiz. While the show is in English, it has a bilingual tone. For example, rather than saying Mexico, you may hear the host pronounce it as Méjico.
One segment, Healthy Recipe Makeovers, a new feature, asks viewers across the country to submit their favorite traditional recipes. A nutritionist then shows them how to make the selected dish in a healthier way.
The show also has special editions, including an immigration series and an ongoing segment on women entrepreneurs.
To Martinez, showcasing the Latina initiative is very important to USHCC’s mission. “Women are the fastest-growing segment of business entrepreneurship,” he says. “We have to do our part to pat our own people on the back for their success.”
Last year, the show underwent staffing changes and now has in place a new team made up of 12 employees, nine of them producers scattered across the country. Their vision, according to Ortiz, is to increase their reach while showcasing Hispanic accomplishments, inspiring Hispanic entrepreneurs and providing resources needed to succeed in business.
“We want to identify stories that are inspirational; people who were immigrants and tapped into the American dream, and how they did it,” Martinez says. “I want the Hispanic parent sitting on the couch to say, ‘We can do that.’”
One of the changes the new team introduced was a website—www.hispanicstoday.com—that was planned for launch in February. Now viewers can see segments online and submit story ideas and feedback, which is one of the ways Ortiz says they measure the show’s success. Martinez says they’re also exploring other platforms, such as podcasts to increase availability.
Hispanics Today is financed through corporate sponsorships. Show advertisers include Toyota, Progressive Insurance and New York Life, while Nissan is one of the web sponsors. They’re all national sponsors, according to Ortiz. Past advertisers include General Motors, Wal-Mart and The Home Depot.
The audience is currently 25-54 years old, 60 percent female and 40 percent male. Another goal of the new leadership is to attract the 18-24 year old demographic. Viewers are bicultural, bilingual and both Hispanic and non-Hispanic.
Ortiz says they get emails from non-Hispanics who love the program, find it informative and enjoy the stories. “We’re targeting anyone desiring to have a better ear for the Hispanic community. It’s not a show only Hispanics would enjoy,” she says.
The future, according to Ortiz, also involves covering more Hispanic groups. “We have almost every country represented here, across the nation. We want to make sure we cover all Latinos.” For example, “go to Idaho and see what the Hispanic story is there.” There are also plans to start submitting content for television industry awards, something that was never been done in the past. “We have some great exclusive stories,” Ortiz says.
“It’s the only show of its kind,” Martinez agrees. That’s because it’s the only English-language show targeting Hispanics that airs exclusively on major networks, other than Univision, Telemundo and Azteca.
Both Martinez and Ortiz agree there is a need for syndicated programming that highlights positive Hispanic news and stories you don’t hear every day on traditional media outlets. It’s the goal of the team to convey those stories through the show. In fact, Martinez encourages chamber members to help identify success stories.