Spanish TV arrives in Georgia Cable TV

Local startup stands apart from Telemundo, Univision

June 10, 2005
By Rachel Tobin Ramos

On July 1, at 6 a.m., Georgia's Hispanic community will wake up to a new Spanish cable TV channel geared to them, with a line-up from kids to cooking shows. "Georgia TeVe" will launch on Comcast Cable Channel 150, as part of Comcast's digital packages or "Selecto" option (which offers channels in Spanish, such as CNN en Español).

The channel will reach more than 300,000 viewers in the Atlanta area and offer Georgia, with the third-fastest-growing Hispanic population in the country, a fresh infusion of Spanish programming, made locally, and produced to reach the burgeoning Latino community.

It is a rare cable startup, and will place Atlanta on a short list of cities with a local cable channel in Spanish not run by Hialeah, Fla.'s Telemundo or Los Angeles' Univision.

Georgia TeVe will offer 12 original programs, produced with Atlanta talent, plus several syndicated comedy and game shows, classic Spanish movies, children's programs and the staple of Spanish television: telenovelas, or soap operas.

Georgia TeVe means "Georgia, I see you," a title intended to portray how the station will be in touch with Hispanics in Georgia, said the channel's creator and CEO, Rafael Ortiz-Guzman. The name is also a play on the English "TV."

Ortiz-Guzman's venture, which he started from scratch in his Woodstock studios, is a calculated risk, and he's winning approving nods from Atlanta's Hispanic and business communities.

A 54-year-old Puerto Rican who studied film at The University of Puerto Rico and won several Emmys for his work over 19 years at Turner Broadcasting, Ortiz-Guzman has attracted outside investors who've looked at Georgia's growing Hispanic community and said it's time to give advertisers a way to reach them.

A July 2004 report from the U.S. Census Bureau says that 541,123 Hispanics reside in Georgia, but some Georgia demographers say doubling that number would give a more accurate count.

"We are very enthusiastic about the vitality of the Hispanic community in the greater Atlanta area," said Heritage Capital Advisors President John Gray, who represents investors in the cable channel.

"We think there's a crying need for true local television for this community," Gray said.

The Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce reports Atlanta has 21 periodicals and six radio shows and stations that serve the Hispanic population, including a local Univision affiliate (WUVG-TV), the only Spanish broadcast station in Atlanta, and Telemundo, a national cable channel.

But Ortiz-Guzman said those two stations offer very limited local programming.

"We're creating our programming for our community, not for a national audience. Based on our research and findings, that's what the people want," Ortiz-Guzman said.

Indeed, one recent success story -- that of Clear Channel Radio's Viva 105.7 FM, which came on air in Atlanta last year -- has shown that there are enough Hispanics here to catapult a Spanish radio station into second place in the ratings among 18- to 34-year-olds.

That station's success, said Gray, came during the critical planning phases for Georgia TeVe, and cemented investors' feelings that the time was right for a local Spanish TV channel.

But even without that proof, Gray said advertisers are beginning to wake up to the power of the Latino dollar.

"It's a demographic that is wealthier than supposed, with a higher net worth and homeownership rate than supposed," he said.

That's where Georgia TeVe comes in.

Ortiz-Guzman said he'll be able to deliver more than 300,000 Hispanic households, and give advertisers rock-bottom ad rates.

Ortiz-Guzman wouldn't disclose the advertisers that already signed up, but he said he hopes that all businesses, from mom-and-pop stores to large corporations, will find the rates attractive.

Many are expecting Georgia corporations to flock to the channel, especially as they become aware of the enormous buying power and size of the Hispanic community, if they're not already.

The CIA Worldbook reported that in 2003, U.S. Hispanics generated about $700 billion, or roughly equivalent to the GDP of Chile, Argentina and Venezuela combined.

"People are finally realizing the purchasing power that the Hispanic community has," said Teresa Palacios Smith, vice president of business development and cultural initiatives at Prudential Georgia Realty, and chairman of the Hispanic chamber board. "It's in the billions."

"I think the demand is definitely there and growing strongly from the advertisers' perspective," added Josh Hopkins, communications director for the Atlanta-based Latin American Association. "They definitely recognize not only the purchasing power of the Latino community but the strong customer loyalty."

Loyalty and untiring eyeballs set Hispanic viewers apart, said Michael Castengera, a broadcast news professor at The University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, who also advises stations nationally through his Athens-based Media Strategies and Tactics Inc.

He called launching a Hispanic channel "a very smart move," adding he expects Georgia's top corporations will be attracted to the channel. Hispanic viewers tend to watch more TV than other demographics, he said.

Programming aims at each sector of Georgia's Hispanic audience. One show Ortiz-Guzman is especially proud of is the kids' show, "La Hora de Aventura" (Adventure Hour), hosted by Brazilian native Joana Madruga, who will take children around Atlanta to discover cultural spots. A weekend sports program and a home-improvement program are on tap for male viewers, as well as a show geared toward women and an entertainment show.

Source: Atlanta Business Chronicle