Telemundo, mun2 & Telemundo.com kick-off ‘Hazte Contar!’.

Telemundo kicks off on April 1st its public service campaign “Hazte Contar!” (Be Counted!). The multi-platform initiative is designed to educate and increase awareness of the 2010 Census among Hispanics and drive home the importance of being counted in order to obtain appropriate representation in the total U.S. population. The campaign will run across all Telemundo properties, including the network and affiliate stations; mun2, Telemundo’s cable channel aimed at bilingual Latinos; and digital platforms telemundo.com and holamun2.com.

Starting April 1, viewers can tune into primetime shows “Noticiero Telemundo” and “Al Rojo Vivo” to get information on everything related to the 2010 Census. Telemundo will feature special segments, investigative reporting and interviews with experts, all aimed at educating and raising awareness on the importance of the 2010 Census, its inner workings and its social, political and economic impact for Hispanics in the United States. “Noticiero Telemundo,” hosted by veteran journalists Pedro Sevcec and Jose Diaz-Balart, will offer exclusive breaking news stories related to this important topic for the Hispanic community.  “Al Rojo Vivo,” hosted by Maria Celeste Arras, will take a “how to” approach to its coverage, offering answers to basic questions regarding the Census, its process and potential legal issues.  Telemundo will supplement the campaign with a series of public service announcements at a local and national level.

Telemundo.com will launch a special site where visitors can find videos and information from the network’s shows, as well as user comments and links to the Census Bureau website and to Hispanic community organizations. This unique site will feature videos and will constantly update news and events related to the Census process as it advances.

Under the slogan “We Count,” Telemundo’s channel aimed at bicultural Latinos, mun2, will join the campaign to provide its viewers with valuable information about the 2010 Census. Beginning April 1, the channel will air public service announcements, and shows “The mun2 Shuffle” and “18 & Over” will include on-air mentions about Census facts and figures.  During the month of May, mun2 will air weekly segments about civic participation in the Census in its shows “Reventón Countdown,” “What Up PPL,” “One Nation,” “Crash & Yasmin Unsensored” and “The Chicas Project.”

In the digital front, Holamun2.com will develop a series of informational ads that will appear in all the site’s pages and will include data and links to the official 2010 Census site. The “Daily Dos” section will feature stories and videos with hosts Guadalupe and Pico chatting and explaining important information vital to 18-34 years old Latinos.

Leading community organizations like LULAC, MANA and the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI) have joined Telemundo to take the Census message directly to local communities. In addition, the network has joined with education experts Young Minds Inspired (YMI) to present the  “?Hazte Contar!” campaign in classrooms across the country via virtual lessons designed to raise awareness and motivate young people to participate in this national process.

Telemundo and its affiliates will promote this initiative in important events and massive festivals throughout promotional campaigns where they will distribute related and educational materials. This promotional effort will take place in leading Hispanic markets, including, Chicago, Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, Los Ángeles, Tucson, Phoenix, San José/San Francisco, Las Vegas, Denver and Fresno, among others.