Hispanics are exceeding growth expectations in every arena. They are acquiring wealth, starting their own businesses at overwhelmingly rapid rates, and developing strong individuals who are diversifying the ranks of leadership at the highest levels of the private, public and federal sectors.

Hispanic American growth can be measured in many concrete ways. The capital generated by the over two million Hispanic-owned businesses is increasing their economic strength, with Latina-owned businesses representing the fastest growing business segment within the U.S. economy. Latino annual purchasing power now exceeds $800 billion. And their political influence has increased with the election of Hispanics to local, statewide, and national office. Couple years ago, two prominent Hispanic Americans were elected to the U.S. Senate for the first time in U.S. history; after 133 years, another was elected Mayor of the 2nd largest city in the country and a record number more were elected to the U.S. Congress.

This changing national landscape has created an unprecedented opportunity for new and traditionally non-Spanish language media to reach new markets, and for existing ones to increase their market share. With these new opportunities also comes responsibility and challenges. Hispanic-owned media have the responsibility of accurately portraying and informing their growing diverse population.

TV advertising can show and tell many people about your product or service, and can actually demonstrate the benefits of ownership. Since they see how it works and how it is packaged, every time they see it they will be psychologically reminded of their desire to have it.

Television has always been a popular medium for large retailers, but because of lowered production costs and the ability of cable to reach smaller market areas, its use by small and medium size businesses has become more popular. Television is often referred to as the "king" of the advertising media, and has proven its power to influence human behavior again and again.

Hispanic media in the market today are a clear indication that Hispanics residing in the U.S. remain loyal to their culture and traditions. The Hispanic American masses need to be informed about the issues that directly affect them both in the U.S. and overseas. The challenge for Hispanic Media therefore is to thoroughly understand the values of Hispanic viewers, auditors and readers to provide culturally relevant messages.

Local, regional and national Hispanic media effectively provide invaluable services and information covering a wide range of issues and news. From local news, community events —particularly those that would not be covered by other media outlets— to the weather, sports and political news throughout Latin America. The value of media in providing in-depth coverage of this vital information is significantly enhanced by its affordability and accessibility to our Hispanic community, making it an essential community resource and asset.

On average, Hispanic-American TV households spend 43.5 percent of their media time watching television, versus 33.9 percent for the general population. Of the 8.94 million estimated Hispanic-American TV households, 4.55 million are Spanish-dominant, meaning that all or mostly Spanish is spoken. On the other hand, a study conducted by the market research company Synovate reveals that Hispanics trust magazine advertising more than any other type, and that approximately 85 percent of Hispanics read magazines.