• by Fern Siegel , March 9, 2009

The Hispanic population in the U.S. is growing--and so is the influence of Latin singers. To underscore their impact, PBS is airing "Latin Music USA," which chronicles the contributions of Latinos to American music, via interviews and performance clips.

The fast-paced series covers five decades, spanning everyone from jazz/salsa great Tito Puente to Chicano rocker Ritchie Valens to Latin pop stars Ricky Martin and Gloria Estefan.

It's also an opportunity for companies to demonstrate a commitment to Hispanic households, says Suzanne Zellner, vice president, corporate sponsorships at WGBH, who is currently pitching prospective sponsors.

The two-part PBS/BBC "Latin Music USA" series airs Oct. 12 and 19 in partnership with V-me, the Spanish-language network, which will broadcast the show to a national audience immediately following the PBS premiere.

Sponsors will receive on-air spots on both the PBS and V-me broadcasts, plus a robust package of off-air benefits, including Web exposure and recognition at events, from Capitol Hill to community-based tie-ins.

Zellner says an alliance attaches a corporate name to "one of the most significant series ever produced about the influence of Latin music on American culture."

The target is PBS' core audience--adults 35-64--as well as English-speaking Hispanic households. Because the series is music-based, "we hope to reach a larger-than-usual audience of younger viewers," adds Zellner. (The lead-in to "Latin Music" is "Antiques Roadshow," the most popular series on the network.)

"Our vision for this project has always been ambitious--to extend to multiple platforms in both English and Spanish and to invite as many people as possible to celebrate Latin music and the rise of Latino culture in the United States," says Elizabeth Deane, series executive producer.

"Latin Music USA" will also be featured in an editorial partnership with People en Español, the top-selling Hispanic magazine in the United States, and its Web site, PeopleEnEspanol.com.