Univision reporter and anchor Francisco Ugalde (second from left) and CSUF President Mildred García (third from left) at the grand opening of the university’s Univision News Bureau on the lower level of the Pollak Library. Photo by CSUF News.

Cal State Fullerton and Univision, the world’s largest Spanish language television network, have partnered to create a Cal State Fullerton Univision bureau, which opened on Dec. 15. The Spanish-language media market is transforming the communications industry, with related impacts on the business world.

Cal State Fullerton grants more bachelor’s degrees to Latinos than any other school in California, making the Hispanic media market an attractive growth area for the university. The CSUF Univision Bureau, featuring Univision reporter and anchor Francisco Ugalde, will give students the opportunity for internships, mentoring and broadcast experiences in a bilingual environment. The partnership will also increase the university’s outreach to Southern California’s diverse population by providing a forum for professors, guest speakers and others to reach out to the Orange County and Inland Empire Hispanic communities.

Facts on the Hispanic Media Market

With 55 million Hispanics making up 17% of the nation’s population and as the fastest-growing ethnic group in many communities, the opportunities for Hispanic media growth are evident. This translates into opportunities for marketers, advertisers and public relations practitioners to share their message with a bilingual audience.

The Hispanic market is changing as it grows. U.S. Hispanics are increasingly American born, and 62% speak only English or are bilingual. While readership and viewership of traditional media, such as print, radio and broadcast television, is stable or declining in the Spanish language market, the decline is not as steep as for the overall media market, and digital media presents a new field for Hispanic media expansion.

In 2015, U.S. Hispanic major-media spending was $7.83 billion, while the top 50 Hispanic marketers increased measured-media spending by 2.6% to $3.8 billion.

Careers in Hispanic Media

Thinking a job in media may be right for you? There are plenty of opportunities for business majors, as marketing is a key part of most for-profit media endeavors, and every organization needs accounting, finance and ISDS professionals.

Increasingly, ethnic media may be the best path for journalism professionals, because the field is outperforming the mainstream media. Communications professionals will need to have knowledge of Hispanic culture and the Spanish language, while also having the ability to communicate with both Hispanics and non-Hispanics in the business, government and nonprofit sectors.

The Los Angeles area is one of the foremost Hispanic media markets in the U.S. with major offices of the domestic Spanish television networks Telemundo and Univision as well as branches of international outlets like TV Azteca. Large Spanish-language advertising and PR firms, such as Havas Formulatin, have major offices in the region.

For More Information

For more on media career opportunities in the Hispanic market, visit Cal State Fullerton’s College of Communications Latino Communications Initiative’s Facebook page or reach out to Director Inez González at 657- 278-2826 or [email protected]. The College of Communications offers several minors that match well with business degree programs such as marketing.