Democrat-Gazette to Launch Hispanic Paper
by January 16, 2006 12:00 am 76 views
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette plans to start a weekly Spanish-language newspaper this spring, said Paul Smith, the D-G’s vice president and general manager.
“There’s such an influence in that market, we need to,” Smith said. “You’re up to 50,000 Hispanics in that market now … We probably should have done it sooner.”
The newspaper will be called Noticias Hoy Del Noroeste de Arkansas, which means “today’s news of Northwest Arkansas,” said Jeff Jeffus, a vice president with the D-G and publisher of Fayetteville’s Northwest Arkansas Times, which is also owned by the D-G.
Smith said two full-time staffers will be hired (a bilingual editor/reporter and an advertising sales person) in addition to part-time employees. The employees will work out of the D-G’s existing facilities in Northwest Arkansas.
At least 10,000 copies of the newspaper will be printed initially. It will be distributed for free at various locations in Northwest Arkansas.
Smith said the new publication will compete directly with two weekly Spanish-language newspapers in the area that are owned by Stephens Media Group of Little Rock — La Prensa in Springdale and El Tiempo in McDonald County, Mo.