• by October 8, 2002

Primedia, publisher of Healthy Kids en Espanol, launched in 2000, will increase the annual frequency from two to four issues, it announced yesterday.

The move is emblematic of the growing trend in Hispanic media, which stems from census figures that denote the increasing Hispanic population in the U.S. It is strongest in eight states--California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Arizona, New Jersey and Colorado, according to Jeff Christian, group associate publisher of Primedia's American Baby Group. Healthy Kids is distributed primarily in those states, although the distribution is national, he says.

In a study released Tuesday, Nielsen Media Research said U.S. Hispanics, who accounted for 84% of growth in the Total U.S. Adult 18-34 and Adult 18-49 demographics, Hispanic populations that grew by 40% and 24%, respectively, compared to 2001.

Hispanics now account for 18% of the U.S. Adult 18-34 television population and 15% of the U.S. Adult 18-49 television population. Nielsen's 2003 Universe Estimates of television households are the first estimates to utilize detailed age population information from the 2000 Census.

The magazine has a 500,000 rate base, but no subscribers. It is distributed in pediatrician offices. It is the only Hispanic publication distributed this way, Christian says.

There have been four issues so far, with a fall issue set for distribution. There will be quarterly magazines next year. The company has sold ads to major package goods companies, including Colgate, General Mills and Procter & Gamble, among others. Gerber, Dell Labs, Tyson Chicken, Wal-Mart and Zapf Creation are new this issue, Christian says. Twenty-five ad pages were sold for the issue at a rate of $34,400 for a four-color page.

"Our goal is to double the advertising, although we may not achieve it," Christian says. "The fact we can have seasonal issues for some of the food companies with seasonal campaigns around the holidays, that's where we can pick up some additional advertising."

"Building brand loyalty among Hispanics is very appealing to companies who see the growing Hispanic community as an untapped market. Advertisers are becoming more focused on investing in Hispanic magazines to grow their businesses," said Ahu Terzi, advertising director for Healthy Kids en Espanol.