• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, October 23, 2007

The Chicago and Los Angeles editions of Hoy, a free Spanish-language daily published by the Tribune Company, are signing up for Google's Print Ad program. The AdWords extension allows advertisers using an online interface to buy and place ads in the print editions of newspapers, including column and full-page display formats. The program already counts more than 600 English-language newspapers as partners, including other Tribune properties such as the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times and the Baltimore Sun.

As it moves into ad sales in traditional media like newspapers and radio, Google has said it hopes to tap the same "long tail" of small, local advertisers that use its online service. The company says they have been largely ignored by TV and radio to date. Currently, most of the inventory available through its print and radio ad services is "remaindered"--meaning leftover ad space that publishers and broadcasters are eager to sell at any price.

In the case of Hoy, the ease of an online interface could succeed in luring smaller Hispanic businesses that cater to very concentrated local markets. Anne Kelly, vice president of advertising for Hoy, remarked: "This is a great way for us to help more advertisers reach an important segment of the Hispanic marketplace."

Hoy recently expanded into Chicago's suburban markets, which are seeing major increases in their Hispanic populations. In February, the publication's New York edition was sold to ImpreMedia, LLC, publisher of El Diario, Vista and other national Spanish-language newspapers.

Meanwhile, Google Print Ads recently introduced a new component called Creation Marketplace, which gives advertisers tools to create print ads online for upload to Google's system.