January 11, 2007
By P.J. Tobia

For Spanish speakers in Nashville, the basic cable television programming choices are decidedly limited. Comcast?s basic package provides exactly one Spanish-language channel, the globally famous Univision. While those watching Univision can enjoy Cristina?an Oprah-inspired talk show?or the gauzily shot telenovela Mundo de Fieres (translation: World of Fire), what they can?t see is locally generated programming. No local news broadcasts, no local talk shows and no local deportes. Even the commercials on the Spanish-language station come directly from Univision headquarters. With few exceptions, you could watch Univision on a television in Nashville and never know where you were.

That?s about to change. Last June, Equity Broadcasting, one of the nation?s largest owners and operators of television stations, both Spanish- and English-language, acquired the rights to run the Univision network in Nashville. Later this year, it will begin creating original, locally generated content for the station. Gregg Fess, the Equity executive in charge of the station, says that there will be daily, local news shows created by staff reporters here in Nashville and that there also will be a weekly show, probably in a news-magazine format.

The station, WGAP, reaches over 900,000 households, according to Equity. The company is in the final stages of a merger and will not begin to hire staff or create local content until the federal Securities and Exchange Commission gives the final green light. According to Equity, the station is now broadcasting ?home shopping programming.?

For those without cable or a satellite dish?the rabbit ears set?there?s a local Spanish-language alternative. In 2004, Solo Nashville, which bills itself as Nashville?s first local Spanish-language television channel, went on the air. Affiliated with Telefutura?Univision?s sister station?Solo has teamed with Channel 5 news, which provides studio space to record short, locally focused news briefs that they call noticias. The noticias run about 90 seconds once an hour. The only other locally originated programming on the station comes in the form of public service announcements and messages from the public school system. Because it?s not on cable and because its broadcast area, in terms of square miles, just isn?t that big, Solo is struggling to gain traction. Unless you?ve got a tall antenna and live near its transmitter, you won?t be watching Solo Nashville anytime soon.

Jim Baumann, who runs Solo Nashville, says he isn?t concerned that a station with better access to Nashville?s Spanish-speaking viewers is coming to town. ?We?re not really worried because we were the first to come to the market,? he says. ?There?s plenty of room here, and it only reinforces the wisdom of our decision to be in the Spanish-language market.?

He?s right about that last part. Latinos are the fastest growing segment of Nashville?s population. Though hard numbers are difficult to ascertain, television industry experts put the demographic at over 150,000. That?s a lot of eyeballs with disposable income that advertisers are hungry to reach.

Source: Nashville Scene