• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, November 18, 2013

A new industry organization, The National Hispanic Media Alliance, has launched with a mission to promote Hispanic print media as a key channel for reaching the growing U.S. Hispanic market.
 
The NHMA will focus on highlighting the “hyper-local” and cultural relevance of community-based Hispanic publications, while also encouraging standard measurement and verification procedures to demonstrate accountability and attract advertisers, as well as adoption of new technology to reach an audience with evolving media consumption patterns.

As part of this mission, the NHMA will provide members with tutorials, templates and guidebooks on industry standards, sales, and technology.
 
At launch the NHMA’s board of directors includes chair Fanny Miller, publisher of El Latino newspaper in San Diego; vice-chair Roaldo Moran, publisher of Hoy in Los Angeles; board secretary Penni Barton, publisher of Al Día in Dallas; and executive board member Anthony Ibarria, publisher of El Especialito in New York City and Miami. Trevor Hansen, CEO of EPMG, a multicultural media-buying and planning agency based in San Diego, is chairman of the org’s advisory board.
 
The NHMA isn’t the first industry organization formed to advocate for Hispanic print media; it joins the National Association of Hispanic Publications, founded in 1982.
 
While not entirely immune to the secular downturn affecting the broader print media business, Hispanic print media has fared better than its mainstream peers in recent years.

According to Kantar Media, total spending on Spanish-language newspapers increased 8% in the second quarter of 2013 over the same period last year, while spending on Spanish language magazines was up 14%; that compares to a 3.6% decrease in overall newspaper advertising, and a 1.6% increase in overall magazine advertising .