Reader’s Digest ‘Selecciones’ To Relaunch.

The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc. announced a relaunch of the U.S. edition of “Selecciones,” the world’s leading Spanish-language magazine. The monthly, digest-sized “Selecciones” is distributed in 20 countries and looked upon as a family friend by millions of Hispanics in the United States. Beginning with the May issue, U.S. “Selecciones” readers will get their own edition with content that is dedicated to enriching life in their new homeland.

For Reader’s Digest, the relaunch marks a commitment to pre-eminence in U.S. Hispanic magazine publishing. In the past year, the company has built a dedicated business unit, hiring the first U.S.-based publisher, managing editor and full-time staff for “Selecciones.” The new team has already increased circulation and readership here by 25 percent (to 250,000 copies per month and an estimated 2 million readers) and advertising by 30 percent.

The revamped magazine coincides with two notable events: The 60th anniversary of “Selecciones'” first appearance; and the U.S. census 2000 figures, which revealed that 35.3 million Hispanics reside in the United States and account for 12.5 percent of the total population here.

“The U.S. ‘Selecciones’ will offer Latinos original articles on living a fulfilling life and dealing with everyday challenges here in the United States,” said publisher Luisa Fairborne, who joined the magazine from People en Espanol last year. “We will provide news reports on attitudes and behavior that shape the Hispanic community in this country, balanced with lively interviews with fascinating people. We’re going places, and a growing number of advertisers recognize and appreciate that.”

Carmen-Alicia Fernandez, the edition’s managing editor, brings a news perspective to the magazine. She came to “Selecciones” from The Wall Street Journal and the Reuters news agency. The May relaunch issue, on newsstands later this month, includes a provocative cover article about Hispanic trends and attitudes that is certain to stir debate, as well as a revealing profile of international music superstar Alejandro Sanz, which Ms. Fernandez herself penned.

“The ‘Selecciones’ that our mothers so loved and treasured is now an essential tool to enhance our lives in the United States,” Ms. Fernandez said. ” ‘Selecciones’ will now offer U.S. Hispanics, both in image and content, a much more contemporary and relevant package about all aspects and experiences of living in this country.”

Besides a new look and additional feature stories, the U.S. edition will include interviews with high-profile personalities who share unknown aspects of their lives as a source of information and motivation. “Selecciones” will incorporate culturally relevant information while still featuring popular segments like “Word Power,” “Laughter,” “Quotable Quotes,” “News of Medicine” and other favorites. The magazine continues its long tradition of offering true, inspirational stories and articles of interest to the whole family. It is distributed in 20 countries worldwide and has been published for 60 years. It has been published in the United States since 1971.

Skip to content