Content-Type: text/html Language Preference Issues Related to the Entry of a Local Hispanic Television Newscast Paper submitted for consideration to the Minorities and Communication Division Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication April 1, 2002 Billy Alonzo, M.A. South Plains College Levelland, Texas Todd Chambers, Ph.D. Texas Tech University Contact: Todd Chambers, Ph.D. Assistant Professor School of Mass Communications Texas Tech University MS 43082 Lubbock, Texas 79409 (806) 742-6500, ext. 240 [log in to unmask] AV: Power Point & PC Language Preference Issues Related to the Entry of a Local Hispanic Television Newscast Abstract This paper examines the language preference issues related to entry of a local Hispanic television newscast. As the Hispanic population continues to grow, local media outlets will attempt to meet that need. One of the acculturation issues related to Spanish-language media is the issue of language preference. Using a telephone survey method of Hispanics in a local television market in the Southwest, this study found a large demand among Hispanics for a newscast targeted to their population. Although there wasn't a clear overall language preference for that newscast, those who spoke Spanish in their home preferred a newscast that was delivered in Spanish. Language Preference & Local Hispanic News Language Preference & Local Hispanic News Language Preference Issues Related to the Entry of a Local Hispanic Television Newscast As more U.S. census data becomes available, it has become apparent that Hispanics are becoming one of the most prolific social, political and economic population demographic groups in the United States (U.S. Census, 2000). For the media industry, the spotlight on the Hispanic audience has provided expansion opportunities for national and local programmers. For example, the recent announcement that NBC is purchasing the Telemundo network emphasizes the growing importance of the Hispanic media audience. At the local level, radio and television stations attempt to market to this niche with Spanish-oriented programming. The growing popularity of Hispanic media and programming has highlighted the numerous vacuums in mass communication research related to Spanish-language media. Specifically, there is an urgent need to explore the link between acculturation and television programming targeted toward Hispanics. Before making the decision to market Hispanic programming to the audien ce, certain types of issues need to be addressed. In particular, media managers must appreciate the various preferences different groups of Hispanics bring to the mass media table. One of the most intriguing acculturation issues facing managers and programmers is language preference among Hispanics. This study used a telephone survey method to examine demand, general news media preferences and language preference among Hispanics for the entry of a Hispanic-oriented television newscast in a local market. Problem Background The Hispanic population in the U.S. is growing at a faster pace than other races of the U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001). This growth has many industries scrambling to find the best and most efficient method of reaching this audience and/or consumer. In Texas, the increase of Hispanics from 1990 to 2000 was 25.5% to 32% (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001). Although the Hispanic population is growing, it is a very diverse group of people. The U.S. Hispanic population consists of several ethnic backgrounds including Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Central and South Americans, and others who just identify themselves as Hispanic. The largest group of this population is of Mexican decent (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001). From traditional Spanish-language television networks, newspapers, radio stations and magazines to the new media technologies such as Spanish-language cable television networks and websites, the Hispanic media industry is expanding to meet the growing viewer demand from the expanding Hispanic media audience. At the industry level, national networks targeting Hispanics are faced with a unique problem that most English-language media don't deal with -- the language issue. For Hispanic media, they target an audience which has the possibility of three language preferences -- Spanish-only, Bilingual (English and Spanish) or English-only. Before programming in one of the three choices, networks and local stations must address the language preference issue. Literature Review Understanding Hispanics in the U.S. can be very complex and challenging for anyone. Hispanics are diverse in many ways. Even identifying a "Hispanic" can be difficult. According to Wallman et al. (2000), "self-identification continues to be the preferred means of obtaining data on an individual's race and ethnicity" (Wallman, Evinger, & Schechter, 2000, p. 1707). Hispanic in this study refers to Hispanic Americans, and according to Greenberg et al. (1983), Hispanic is "an individual living in the U.S. whose ancestry, language, and/or cultural orientation is or has been in some way related to a Spanish-speaking country" (Greenberg et al. 1983, p. 7). However, according to Cu‚llar and other studies, there are segments of the Hispanic population who have assimilated to the U.S. culture (Cu‚llar, Arnold, & Maldonado, 1995). An important area of research related to cultural differences among Hispanics is acculturation (Rios & Gaines, 1998; Shaull & Gramann, 1998; Ueltshy & Krampf, 1996; Cuellar, Arnold & Maldonado, 1995). At a basic level, acculturation is a personal process of integrating with a different culture through various socio-cultural mechanisms ranging from interpersonal interaction (language) to intrapersonal interaction (media). Assimilation refers to a mode of acculturation in which the acculturating individual loses his or her original cultural identity as he or she acquires a new one in a second culture (LaFrombosie, Hardin, Coleman, and Gerton 1993). Several studies and scales have been established to determine the different levels of acculturation. The most popular one being the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II (ARSMA and the ARSMA II). However, language usage of Hispanics, and comprehension of Spanish and English is a measurement for determining an individual 's level of assimilation or acculturation level in many studies (Burnam, Karno, Hough, & Escobar 1987; R¡os, D.I., & Gaines, S.O. Jr. 1998; Shaull, S.L., & Gramann, J.H. 1998; Ueltshy, L.C., Krampf, R.F. 1996;). For example, A.C. Nielsen U.S. uses language preference as a barometer of acculturation in the Los Angles market (A.C. Nielsen, 2001). Although an individual may not be able to communicate in Spanish, they may still consider themselves to be "Hispanic" because of behaviors or values they may still have tying them to that culture (Livingston, 1992). As the assimilation or acculturation process continues to create a more diverse Hispanic population, media outlets continue to try and find ways of reaching this population. Spanish Language media, English Language media and now bilingual media stations are trying to gain this audience. One of the questions marketers have had for a long time is whether English- or Spanish is the best way to reach Hispanics (Mogelonsky, 1995). Univision, the dominant of the Spanish language television networks in the U.S., will debut a new network in early 2002, "the content will target more acculturated Hispanics, meaning viewers who are comfortable in both English and Spanish"(Zbar, 2001, p. 48). "Si TV," a television production company, has produced programs in English targeting younger Hispanics (Hispanic Business). GE, the owners of the NBC television network, is currently in the process of purchasing the Telemundo network from Sony media. According to Stapinski, Hispanic youth ages 12 to 19 currently account for 14 percent of the total Hispanic population (Stapinski 1999) and are catching the attention of television programmers, networks, and marketers. However, the question still remains, "which language is preferred by this diverse population?" According to Mogelonsky, "most Hispanics prefer their media in the first language they learned to speak"(Mogelonsky, 1995, p. 21). Media choices for Hispanics in the U.S. have changed tremendously from the 1970's to today. According to the book Mexican Americans & the Mass Media, Spanish language media, or media targeted at Hispanics in the U.S. was very limited in the 1950s and 1960s (Greenberg et al. 1983). The electronic media was limited to only brief hours on English language stations and mostly in markets with large Hispanic populations (Subervi-Velez et al. 1997; Greenberg et al. 1983). Spanish International Network (now Univisi¢n) and Galavisi¢n were the first Spanish language television networks in the U.S.. However, they were limited again to only cities with large concentrations of Hispanics. Today, Hispanics have multiple television choices, from broadcast to cable networks. With three broadcast television networks, Univisi¢n, Telemundo, and HTVN, and possibly a fourth network with Azteca America, all broadcasting outlets in Spanish reaches 85% of the U.S. Hispanic market (Dougherty, 2001). Cable television has also joined in the increased number of networks targeting Hispanics, with Galavisi¢n, GEMS, and HBO Latino all broadcasting in Spanish. But, there are also programs being produced in English to reach the younger U.S. Hispanic audience. Cable networks such as Showtime, Nickelodeon, and Galavisi¢n are airing programs in English or bilingual in an attempt to reach the fast growing young Hispanic population (Zbar, 1999; Dougherty; Messina, 2001). Univisi¢n will also try to reach the young highly acculturated Hispanic audience with a new network to begin broadcasting in 2002. So, with more media outlets attempting to grab the attention of the rapidly growing U.S. Hispanic population, which language is the most effective? As ad agencies and researchers alike have determined "measuring Hispanic viewing habits according to language preference remains a "murky" science" (Dougherty, 2001, p. 52). The 25 most-watched television programs by U.S. Hispanics are on Spanish-language television, according to James Garcia (Garcia, 2001). In 1998, Telemundo attempted to target a younger Hispanic audience by programming shows much like action shows of English-language television in the 1970's, which resulted in a drop of audience share for Telemundo. According to Dougherty, "it wasn't until the network returned to traditional telenovelas that its fortunes dramatically improved"(Dougherty, 2001, p. 51). Advertisers also continue to increase their media buys with Univisi¢n and Telemundo, with the networks expecting a 20% increase in ad sales in 2001(Whitney, 2001). Television is the medium most Hispanics prefer regardless of language use or acculturation (Mogelonsky, 1995). It is understandable why marketers struggle to understand the Hispanic population use of media, and which they prefer to use. Targeting the Hispanic audience with mediated messages requires exploring the theoretical link between cultural differences and media preferences. There have been several studies related to general media preferences and usage habits of Hispanics (Gibson, et al., 1999; Albarran & Umphrey, 1993; Delener & Neelankavil, 1990; Greenberg et al., 1983). In general, research has indicated that Hispanics spend more time with English-language media than Spanish-language media (Gibson et al, 1999; Greenberg et al., 1983). Much the same was found in another study conduct by Melanson, Hudson, & Watts (1995) in a smaller market. Several studies conducted in the 1970s and 1980s also found that young Hispanics preferred English-language media (Greenberg et al. 1983). Delener and Neelankavil (1990) found that Hispanics preferred television and radio over newspapers as a media source. Although these studies indicated that U.S. Hispanics preferred English-Language media, most of these studies did not examine the relationship between the level of acculturation and media preferences. Scholarly research in the area of cultural maintenance and acculturation has suggested that media use can be predicted for those Hispanics categorized as low-Latino, bicultural and predominant Latino heritage persons (Rios & Gaines, 1999). In particular, Rios and Gaines (1999) concluded that Hispanics' used mass media such as television, newspapers and radio for cultural maintenance. Specifically, Rios and Gaines found that bicultural Latino heritage persons used both general market media (English-language) and Spanish-language media and predominant Latino heritage persons used Spanish-language media (1999, p. 755). In one of the few studies dealing with language preference of content among Hispanics was a study examining the effectiveness of a public service campaign stimulating awareness among Hispanics (Gombeski et al., 1980). The researchers found that a Spanish-language PSA can be very effectiveness in creating awareness among the Hispanic population. In particular, the findings showed that female Hispanics with less education and lower income levels were more likely to want more information related to the PSA campaign (Gombeski, 1980). Research Questions and Hypotheses Drawing from the literature review, there appeared to be specific research questions that could be considered for a television station seeking to start a local television newscast targeted to Hispanics. First, in local markets, one of the important questions facing management is the whether or not there is demand for a newscast targeted to Hispanics. RQ1: Is there a demand among Hispanics for a local television newscast targeted to their population? The second issue facing local managers is language preference. Creating a local television news product requires careful thought in terms of packaging. Past research indicated that Hispanics respond favorably to products and services targeted to their ethnic group (Hoyer et al., 1986; Gombeski, 1980). Part of the local news package is in the language of broadcast. Therefore, the second research question dealt with language preference among Hispanics for a local television newscast. RQ2: What language would Hispanics prefer a local newscast to be presented in that was targeted to Hispanics? The final research question sought to examine the relationship between normal language use and language preference for a local television news broadcast. RQ3: What is the relationship between the language someone prefers to use at home and language preference for a local newscast targeted to Hispanics? Based on the literature review, it appeared that there should be an expectation to find differences among Hispanics with different language preference and use of English-language media and Spanish-language media (Gibson et al., 1999; Rios & Gaines, 1999). Specifically, there were two hypotheses: H1: There will be a difference among the different language preference categories of Hispanics and use of English-language news programs. H2: There will be a difference among the different language preference categories of Hispanics and use of Spanish-language news programs. Variables Outside of the demographic variables, the primary variables for this study included viewer demand for a local television Hispanic newscast, language preference of the newscast, language use and use of English- and Spanish-language news programs. Viewer demand was measured by determining if a viewer would watch a newscast targeted to Hispanics. Language preference of the newscast was operationalized as viewer preference for language presentation of the newscast. Language use was defined as the primary language used at home. Finally, use of English- and Spanish-language news programs was measured in terms of frequency of watching a newscast. Method The goal of this study was to examine the demand for a local Hispanic television newscast, general media preference patterns and language preference for a local television newscast targeted to Hispanics. To answer the research questions, the researchers purchased a listed telephone sample of Hispanic surnames in a small television market located in the southwestern United States. Although the results will not be generalizable, the available U.S. Census information indicated that the market was representative to trends in the Hispanic population. The telephone survey used a 43-item questionnaire. Callers were trained to ask questions from a computer-aided questionnaire. Six of the callers were bilingual, and if a respondent preferred to be asked the questions in Spanish, the bilingual callers would conduct the interview in Spanish, using a printed copy of the questionnaire translated into Spanish. Calls to the sample were conducted between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. starting Tuesday, June 19 through Tuesday, June 26 excluding Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. When interviewers perceived that a respondent had difficulty understanding in English they would ask the respondent in Spanish if they would like to be asked the questions in Spanish. Three screening questions were asked of each respondent to guarantee the sample was comprised of the desired demographic characteristics for the local television audience. Specifically, the researchers sought out respondents who were under 65 years of age that identified themselves as Hispanic, and had no potential influence of people working in the media. The screening questions were as followed: 1) Are you between the age 18 and 64, 2) Do you consider yourself to be of Hispanic, Latino, or Mexican-American origin 3) Do you or an immediate family member work for a television or radio station? Only 2996 of the 5000 numbers were used to conduct the survey. Of the 2996 numbers called 1073 were non-working numbers. The interviewers had 588 people who refused to participate. They also encountered 400 numbers with no answers, 162 answer machines, 62 callbacks, and 53 numbers that were either business or fax machine. The qualification questions eliminated 261 people. The response rate for the study was 24.9%, and the cooperation rate was 38%. Results There were 403 completed phone interviews with Hispanics from the market. Of the 403 completed interviews, only 32 of the respondents asked for the Spanish version of the interview. Overall 68.5% of the respondents were female; 48.8% of the respondents had an income level of 25,000 or more; and, 56.8% of the respondents had an education level of high school graduate or less. The average number of people per household was 3.35. In general, the language use patterns in the market indicated a high level of acculturation for the Hispanic population. In Table 1, the percentages for each of the language use categories are listed by the primary language used with friends, at home and at work. The interesting result is the large majority of Hispanics using English with friends and at work. For home television viewing, almost 50% of the respondents reported using English at home. [--- WMF Graphic Goes Here ---] R1: Is there a demand among Hispanics for a local television newscast targeted to their population? The following question was asked of the respondents, "If there were a local newscast that covered mostly Hispanic issues and events, would you watch that newscast?" 79.8% of the people interviewed said "yes" they would watch such a newscast (See Table 2). Local television news is where the majority of the respondents get their news, so support for a local newscast targeting Hispanics does appear to be there. [--- WMF Graphic Goes Here ---] R2: What language would Hispanics prefer a local newscast to be presented in that was targeted towards Hispanics? The respondents that answered, "yes" to the previous question were asked the question, and "If there were to be a local newscast that covered mostly Hispanic issues and events, what language would you prefer the newscast to be presented in?" The univariate results for this question did not indicate a majority for any of the response choices. Of those that would watch a local newscast that covered more Hispanic issues, 32.5% said they would prefer Spanish only, 34.4% said English only, and 33.1% said bilingual (See Table 3). [--- WMF Graphic Goes Here ---] RQ3: What is the relationship between the language someone prefers to use at home and language preference for a local newscast targeted to Hispanics? To analyze this question, a cross-tabs analysis was used to show what if any differences existed between those persons who used Spanish, English or Bilingual at home and those who preferred a Spanish-only, English-only and Bilingual newscast. When cross-tabbed with language spoken at home, there was a significant difference (X2=64.68, df=4, sig..000) (see Table 3). 62% of those who speak Spanish at home preferred the newscast in Spanish, and those who spoke English at home 53.4% preferred the newscast in English. Those respondents who said they spoke both equally at home 50% preferred a bilingual newscast. The results of the cross-tabs analysis were provided in Table 4. [--- WMF Graphic Goes Here ---] The hypotheses predicted differences among the different language preference categories for the use of English-language news programs and the use of Spanish-language news programs. The mean scores for each of the language preference categories are provided in Table 5. Overall, it appeared that there were differences between the days spent with English-language news and Spanish-language news. By adding the independent variable of language preference, one-way ANOVA found no differences among the language preference categories and the days spent with English-language newscasts (F = 1.501, sig. = .225). Therefore, the first hypothesis was not supported. On the other hand, an ANOVA for the three categories and the days spent with Spanish-language newscasts (F = 26.028, sig. = .001). The Scheffe post-hoc comparison test indicated differences between each of the categories. The second hypothesis was supported. Those who preferred Spanish-language programming spent twice as much time with Spanish-language newscasts than the Bilingual category and more than three times as much time than the English-only preference category. [--- WMF Graphic Goes Here ---] Discussion This study explored the language preference for a local television newscast targeted to Hispanics in a local market. Recent changes in the composition of local, regional and national television audiences have created a demand for new types of research questions for television programmers. With the possibility of digital television providing additional programming opportunities for local broadcasters, providing targeted newscasts to non-traditional audiences could become a lucrative option for local television stations. Overall, the results of this study showed that in a particular southwestern television there was a large demand among for a local television newscast targeted to Hispanics. Like other studies, the results indicated that Hispanics tend to spend more time with English-language media as compared to Spanish-language media for news (Gibson et al., 1999). On the other hand, the results of this study failed to provide a clear answer for the language preference issue. In particular, the results indicated that there was almost an almost equal split among the three language preference categories -- Spanish-only, English-only and Bilingual. By adding the acculturation measure of language use at home, the numbers began to show a clearer picture. For those respondents who spoke Spanish at home, they were more inclined to prefer a newscast broadcast in Spanish. English-dominant households preferred an English-language broadcast. The interesting finding was the lack of a clear majority f or either an English-only or Bilingual newscast. This study focused on a local telephone survey methodology to answer the research questions. Although a random sampling technique was used, the results were limited in generalizability. The findings are applicable only to the market under study. Another weakness in the design was the timing of the telephone surveys. By calling during the summer months, it was difficult to achieve a higher response rate. The findings highlighted the need for local television broadcasters to consider the degree of acculturation in the local market. Future research should examine acculturation in terms of other local media use. Other research has suggested that Hispanics tend to prefer radio (Gibson et al., 1999). In some markets throughout the Southwest, 'Tejano'-formatted radio stations allow disc jockeys to mix Spanish and the English language when talking. Studies of local radio stations could provide valuable insight for radio station managers. Other research areas include structural preferences of television newscasts and brand affinity for Hispanic media. 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