Diario Las Americas launches online presence.

Diario Las Americas announced the first phase launch of its new Internet destination.

Diario Las Americas today unveiled www.diariolasamericas.com, a sleek and robust news and entertainment website. The site aims to serve Spanish-dominant, educated Hispanic and Latin American immigrants. They are professionals, entrepreneurs, arts enthusiasts, sports fans and politically conscious individuals with strong ties to both South Florida and their Latin American roots.

“We set out to create a new and unique interactive user experience, distinct from our print brand,” said Alejandro J. Aguirre, Deputy Editor and Publisher of Diario Las Americas. “We now offer visitors and advertisers powerful Internet resources. And this is only the beginning.”

During Phase One, visitors to Diario’s new website will enjoy new Internet-only content and features:

— Late-breaking national and local news reports with expandable photography –Photo Galleries
— Real-time weather reports with five-day forecasts, national and international satellite maps, and weather forecasts searchable by city and ZIP-code
— Online Polls
— Yahoo! Search Bar
— A wider cutting-edge, 1024-pixel website design for easier navigation
— IAB-standard display and Rich Media advertising formats with sophisticated geo-targeting capabilities

Phase Two will include stock reports, visitor blogs, paid searchable archives, a user registration system, online Classifieds with color photography and a new sister website for La Revista, Diario’s popular weekend entertainment guide.

Diario’s new website was designed and hosted by Hispanic Digital Network (HDN), a growing network of 74 Hispanic publication websites. All of HDN’s member sites utilize HDN’s robust turn-key interactive technology and allow HDN to represent their online ad sales efforts.

“Diario Las Americas is the beloved daily newspaper that continues to speak to the heart-felt concerns of South Florida’s Hispanic immigrants,” said Bill Gato, President of Miami-based HDN. “We are proud to help Diario leverage their brand legacy and develop new and unique Internet experiences and strategies that will benefit both visitors and advertisers.”

As a daily newspaper in the nation’s third-largest Hispanic market, Diario Las Americas.com is now HDN’s flagship member. “Diario’s online audience will be very strategic for both local and national online advertisers,” Gato said. “Online marketers will be pleased to know that they can now reach this audience with greater ease. We anticipate they will draw large numbers of loyal and highly engaged visitors.”