A marketing puzzle in any language – Media companies use English, with a Spanish accent, to reach a growing bilingual audience.

This cultural fusion is becoming an increasingly typical demographic. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 1 in 5 U.S. adults ages 18 to 34 is Latino. Garcia and Rodriguez are now among the top 10 most common surnames in the nation. At least 50,000 Latinos in the U.S. turn 18 each month, UCLA demographer Leo Estrada estimates.

Despite the economic clout such figures represent, media companies and advertisers are grappling with whether to reach this growing audience in Spanish or English. Most efforts to date have been focused on Spanish. Six years ago, NBC Universal spent nearly $2 billion to buy Telemundo; Time Warner’s HBO created HBO Latino, where it airs Spanish-language movies; Walt Disney Co. created ESPN Deportes and Fox initiated Fox Sports en Español for Latino sports lovers. Comcast Corp. launched CableLatino, which offers a package of Spanish-language channels, on its local cable systems.

Traditionally, television advertisers and networks have believed that if they were not reaching Latinos through the two major Spanish-language networks, Telemundo and Univision, then they would connect with them through mainstream shows that have proved popular with young bilingual audiences such as “Ugly Betty,” World Wrestling Entertainment’s “Raw,” and “American Idol.”"*

• Spanish-Language Service Now Available To Distributor’s Subs In Boston, Chicago, New York and Philadelphia – RCN to carry V-me
• An Inside Look at Over-the-top Quinceañeras – Latina coming-of-age parties on MTV Tr3s show “Quiero Mis Quinces” include celeb-filled guest lists
• ESPN Deportes Winter Baseball Push Takes Flight
• Multiple Grammy Winner Alejandro Sanz in Concert Tonight Exclusively On DIRECTV’s The 101 Network
• The Quinceanera on MTV TR3s: Time for Lace and Taffeta
• Lou Dobbs Calls Himself Latinos’ ‘Greatest Friend,’ Denies Tying Leprosy To Undocumented Immigrants – Interviewed by Maria Celeste on Telemundo’s Al Rojo Vivo
• Bilingual ballots may be coming to Hall – Growing Latino population could require voting material be available in Spanish – Gainesville, Georgia
• Univision Communications Inc. Honors Ray Rodriguez by Dedicating Network Building
• Chola Girl, aka ‘Baby Smiley,’ needs her own reality show
• Lourdes Duarte has been promoted to 5 pm weekday anchor at WGN-TV, the Tribune-owned CW affiliate in Chicago.
• Johanna Guerra, Sr VP of Network News at Telemundo has left the company – Ramón Escobar, who last held the title of Sr VP of Network Entertainment at Telemundo, is back… as a full time consultant
• A week after abruptly quitting his longtime job as a CNN television news host and commentator, Lou Dobbs said on Thursday he is considering career options including possible runs for the White House or U.S. Senate.
• Ricardo Bomba: New “Simpsons” Character Contest Winner Chosen!
• Lou Dobbs On “Daily Show”: Mariachi Band, CNN’s “Flavorless Gruel Of Journalism” (VIDEO)
• TOP Ten reasons you should watch Lopez tonight not Conan
• Univision/YouTube Partnership Is A Bigger Deal Than You Think
• Sofia Vergara Makes Rape “Joke” on The View
• Critican a Sofía Vergara por broma sobre violación
• Time Warner Cable Launches in Los Angeles VeneMovies, New 24 Hour Commercial Free Film Channel
• After a 3 year trial of producing regionalized news for several top 10 Hispanic market stations via the Telemundo Production Center in Dallas, the network is reverting to producing local news. Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Phoenix and San Jose will once again have locally produced news.