TeleNoticias Launches.

Moving to meet a surge of interest in the Hispanic market among public relations and marketing professionals, two industry executives with extensive experience in broadcast production and distribution and Hispanic marketing announced the launch of TeleNoticias, the first company specializing in reaching newsrooms at Spanish-language electronic media outlets. TeleNoticias will provide broadcast production and distribution services targeting Spanish-language television and radio stations as well as Internet portals. TeleNoticias is being launched by David P. Henry, a 14-year veteran of the broadcast/electronic publicity field and Dan Durazo, the founder of NoticiasWire and a principal at Durazo Communications, Inc., a Los Angeles-based public relations and marketing agency specializing in the U.S. Hispanic market.

TeleNoticias recently produced and distributed its first assignment on behalf of a leading drug maker’s new medication for generalized anxiety disorder. The TeleNoticias video news release (VNR) and audio news release (ANR) has currently reached an audience of more than 4.8 million U.S. Hispanics and has aired on more than 100 stations including the Univision network news program Primer Impacto, CNN En Español, Univision Radio and elsewhere.

A recent survey of Spanish-language television stations found strong demand for video news releases and b-roll package that are produced in Spanish. When asked if VNRs should also be voiced in Spanish, 95% of the respondents replied ‘yes.’ Further, 88% of the respondents said that soundbites needed to be in Spanish. Queried on common mistakes seen in the VNRs/B-roll packages sent to those stations, the most common responses include: “the package is not in Spanish”; “proper Spanish was not used”; and “the packages lack cultural sensitivity.” Nearly 72 percent of the respondents also noted that they “were not likely” to use VNRs received only in English. The survey was conducted by TeleNoticias during December 2003 and January 2004.

A Better Approach To Reaching the Growing Hispanic Audience

TeleNoticias president David Henry explained that the company will provide better results for PR pros by meeting the unmet needs of Spanish-language media. “TeleNoticias is unique in that our primary focus is Spanish-language media. For most other companies in the field, Spanish-language media is an afterthought and the materials reflect this. It’s not as easy as simply translating from English to Spanish. We have assembled a highly specialized team of Spanish-speaking producers and media experts who not only understand the media, but understand the cultural differences between the Hispanic/Latino community and the general U.S. population. In doing so, we are able to meet the needs of the Spanish-language media and, in turn, are able to deliver better results.”

“The number one newscast in Los Angeles is a Spanish-language newscast,” said Dan Durazo. “In the 2003 November sweeps period, Spanish-language stations in New York, Miami and Phoenix outpaced their English-language competitors in news. Spanish-language radio networks are also growing rapidly. Communicators can no longer ignore Spanish-language media and its impact. TeleNoticias was created to help companies effectively reach this market segment.”

TeleNoticias produces and distributes Video News Releases, B-roll packages, Satellite Media Tours, Radio News Releases, and Public Service Announcements. The company also produces webcasts, corporate/marketing/sales videos and provides translation services. TeleNoticias is also affiliated with NoticiasWire, the first Internet newswire exclusively targeting Spanish-language media and opinion leaders.