| Description |
Hispanics living in Utah value their heritage and strive to maintain their identity by preserving their common language, Spanish. One method of preserving and incorporating the Spanish language is through the media, specifically television broadcast media. This paper will discuss the difficulty of developing a Spanish-language television broadcast market in Utah. Research demonstrates how advertising, programming and lack of recognition of the Hispanic community affect the efficiency of Spanish-language television. Research used to approach this problem was gathered from numerous sources including the Internet, newspapers, government agencies and personal interviews. Data gathered to support this thesis include statistics, surveys, charts, videos and expert opiruons. Recent studies show that racial and ethnic minority groups are growing faster than the non-Hispanic white majority. The Hispanic community is predicted to become the largest ethnic group in the United States by the year 2050. Currently, Spanish is the second most spoken language in Utah and the United States. The growing population ofHispanics in Utah can become fully aware of their community and surrounding environment through the broadcast media. However, Spanish-language broadcast stations find it difficult to develop a market without sufficient advertising money. Yet, many advertisers do not invest because they underestimate the buying power of the Hispanic community. Without funding, station owners are not able to create needed and desired programming for the Spanish-speaking community. Also, many leaders in Utah's Hispanic community say it will be difficult to develop a broadcast market as long as non-Hispanic whites fail to recognize and support the Hispanic community. This paper finds the Hispanic community has sufficient buying power. Research shows the diversity of Hispanics in the community and the need for diverse programming that includes local and national news, educational programs and quality entertainment. Local broadcast stations in Utah are not effectively serving the Hispanic community with current programming. This thesis will also show an apparent lack of acknowledgment of the Hispanic community by most non-Hispanics in Utah. |
