The next feature from September’s Florida Trend:

English-to-Spanish takes a look at the growth of Florida’s Spanish-language media outlets outside of traditional stronghold Miami, particularly in radio. In the last five years, the number of Spanish radio stations has gone from 22 to 50:

That boom mirrors Hispanic media habits. Arbitron research shows that Hispanics spend more time with radio than the general market — approximately 3.5 hours more per week — and are bigger consumers of radio than of newspapers and television.

“Radio is the most accessible free source of advertisement that the Hispanic person can get, be it radio and music or other formats,” says Pedro Perez, co-owner and a vice president of Nuevo Advertising Group in Sarasota, which specializes in marketing to Hispanics.

Lots more Hispanic consumer data accompanies the article.

Most telling is the rapid conversion of many traditional-format radio stations to Spanish. Stations with weak ratings in overcrowded markets now have the option of going after Hispanics (albiet at more expense for conversion, with having to hire Spanish-language talent, etc.).

As far as print goes, Central Florida has proven to be fertile ground, and a launching pad to these parts:

Thanks to an aggressive marketing campaign that included the posting of billboards, television ads, radio ads and a kickoff festival, the Orlando paper has achieved a circulation of about 27,000. [General Manager Jaime] Segura says El Nuevo Dia also is building a steady stream of regular advertising revenue, mostly from car dealers, real estate companies, lawyers and healthcare companies like Humana.

Segura hints that a Tampa edition could be down the road. The newpaper’s main office is in Orlando, but with printing operations in Lakeland, “Tampa is a natural for us,” and although the Tampa [Hispanic] market is not as big as Orlando’s just yet, it is growing.

Gaining mainstream mass media exposure is a sure sign of validation. It all comes down to where the audience wants to go; and where the audience goes, the money will follow. Miami’s multinational experience served as an example that the rest of the state is now emulating.