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ARKANSAS
Ar kansas
PRESS
Publisher Weekly
Vol. 13 | No. 39 | Thursday, September 27, 2018
ASSOCIATION
Serving Press and State Since 1873
El Latino’s Garcia-Rossi meets challenges with tenacity If Luis Garcia-Rossi fails to land an advertiser for one of Arkansas’s few Spanish-langage publications, it’s not for lack of trying.
Garcia-Rossi, director of advertising and sales manager for Little Rock-based El Latino, said he’s called on potential advertisers for months and sometimes years in order to convince them to place ads in the weekly newspaper that serves the Hispanic community in central Arkansas. He faces challenges that he says other newspapers do not face, but those challenges don’t deter him. “In my mind, sooner or later, everybody will do business with us,” said GarciaRossi, who added that it had taken him three years to convince a local bank to spend money on advertising in El Latino. “It’s about trying to educate them.” As the United States recognizes National Hispanic Heritage Month, observed each
year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, GarciRossi said it’s misconceptions about the Latino community that make businesses reluctant to advertise in Spanish-language publications. He believes it’s his duty to combat those misconceptions. “I don’t want to be negative, but it is a big challenge trying to educate the AngloSaxon community,” he said. “Customers are afraid to do business with Latinos because they believe they will not understand the language, or there may be personal reasons for the customer, they don’t want to do business with Latinos.” Garcia-Rossi said the reluctance for some advertisers to seek out business from the Latino community may be because they incorrectly believe many Hispanic immigrants are here illegally. He said the percentage of illegal immigrants is low, but that advertisers should recognize that even that segment of the community must interact in the marketplace.
Garcia-Rossi with his wife, Karla Contreras.
“There’s a percentage that does not have documents, but they do business like everybody else and are willing to spend,” he said. Continued on Page 2
Foundation offers grants for ArkLaMiss Conference With the annual ArkLaMiss Hotel and Casino in Vicksburg, Circulation, Marketing and Miss. The $200 grants will be Audience Development awarded to eligible Conference just six weeks attendees, with away, newspapers may apply priority given to firstfor grants from the Arkansas time participants. Newspaper Foundation (ANF) An organization is to help cover registration and Circulation & Marketing Conference eligible for only one hotel costs for the conference. grant. If all grants have not been awarded This year, ANF is offering four based on those criteria, Continuing Education Grants for awards will be offered the annual event scheduled for based on the order Nov. 8 and 9 at the Ameristar
ArkLaMiss
the applications were received. To apply, visit ArkansasPress.org. Applications should be emailed to Terri Cobb at terri@ arkansaspress.org no later than Oct. 25. For more information about the grant application, email Terri or call her at (501) 374-1500. The annual ArkLaMiss conference will feature noted speaker and expert on newspaper and promotions Peter Wagner of Creative House Print Consultants. He is the publisher and founder of the N’West Continued on Page 2