Alex Sanchez, who last week was appointed as Publisher of Al Dia in Dallas/Ft. Worth, a Spanish-language daily published by Belo, first came to the U.S. from Mexico City in 1986.
Sanchez tells Portada that he has over 12 years of general management experience. He was local account executive at Univision TV and network account executive for Telemundo in Dallas. Asked how his broadcast experience is going to be of help in his new job, Sanchez notes that in many ways selling broadcast is similar to selling print. “We deal with the same types of clients. We all offer audience and impressions”. He adds, however, that “newspapers,particularly dailies, tend to have a deeper relationship with the community."
Another interesting question is whether there is space for a daily Hispanic newspaper in the Dallas/Ft. Worth market (Al Dia’s competitor La Estrella converted from a dailly to a weekly last year). Sanchez believes there is: “Dailies fill a void in the market. They report fresh news. Al Dia has been a daily for over 4 years. As the Hispanic market continues to grow, dailies have a place in the advertising community as a frequency medium.” Sanchez adds that in Dallas County Hispanics are the majority. ”Belo and Al Dia’s parent newspaper Dallas/Morning News are committed to the Hispanic market. Spanish-language media is very important to the Dallas/Ft. Worth market.”
Sanchez notes that Al Dia’s advertising revenues are 40% national (including big box retail) and 60% local. Automotive, Retail, Telcos and CPGs are strong national advertising categories.
21,000 households receive Al Dia at home Monday through Saturday, and an additional 13,000-14,000 copies are distributed at over 2,000 outlets and retail locations throughout the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex. Monday-Friday circulation lies at 35,000 copies, while Saturday it climbs to 44,000 (higher single copy distribution).
Online Strategy….
According to Sanchez, Al Dia’s website has 200,000 unique users/month (The Dallas Morning News’ s website has 2 million plus unique users/month. “This is an area with a lot of growth potential. “Dallas Morning News/Al Dia has a dedicated sales team to sell online advertising and other niche publications.”
Sanchez cites Dillard’s as one of the brands that has done combo deals with Al Dia, buying both print (FSI) and online advertising. Entertainment (e.g. concerts), automotive and real estate are other categories that lend themselves to online advertising, according to Sanchez.
…and Event Marketing
Al Dia organizes more than 200 events a year (e.g. Bodas y Quinceaneras). “Our signature event for this year is called Copa Al Dia," says Sanchez. Copa Al Dia is a soccer tournament in which 48 teams The competition is promoted via TV (Univision, Azteca), radio, print and online.