Is the same news, reported in a different language, Spanish for example, worth less? According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle it is.

Reporters at San Francisco’s leading Spanish-language TV news station, KDTV/Univision, make roughly one quarter less in base pay than their English-language counterparts. This despite the fact that the Spanish newscast attract more viewers in the 25-54 demographic than every other newscast in the Bay Area save the top-rated KGO-TV.

How to explain the disparity?

According to the Pew Hispanic Research Center, it’s because despite the growth of Spanish language media consumers, advertisers still don’t see us as the “right” audience.

My unofficial analysis would be that most advertisers still haven’t done adequate homework in terms of the diversity that is the Spanish language media consumer. We come from different countries with different tastes and cultures that go beyond our common language. Additionally, I would venture to say, is like I said at the LAMC panel on blogging, many advertisers still can’t get beyond stereotypes and for example expect all Ricans to respond to salsa music.

Via / CJR

Image Via / QNR’s Flickr