DOES THE LATINO MARKET AGREE THEY HAVE RECEIVED SPECIAL TREATMENT

I've noticed over the past year or so (since the immigration debate became a big media topic) a SLIGHT increase in negative email directed at Latinos via Help! Change TV.

The emails range from people who don't bother to check out what Help! Change TV is really about (we don't hold a position in the immigration debate) to just plain ignorance about Latinos in general.

I am happy to say that some who've emailed negative comments but included legitimate email addresses, we were able to have a constructive dialogue with. In a couple of cases it was very refreshing to have an honest exchange of ideas that I THINK resulted in a better understanding of what Help! Change TV's goals are. Everyone, regardless of their ethnicity, at some point in their life, has felt marginalized, misunderstood or just plain left out, I promise you. And I think most people, especially in today's environment, can sense when a multi-billion dollar corporation is unwilling to "build a better mousetrap" when there is a lack of incentive (or in this case competition).

Alas, but there are others, who hide behind the anonymity of the Internet with fake email addresses and seem to be happy to spew their opinion, right or wrong without sticking around long enough to hear the other side or consider the consequences of their beliefs.

Irregardless, I am happy to say that 95% or more of the thousands of emails we've received have been positive, supportive and for that we thank you.

It really helps to hear the encouraging words and that is why we continue the fight for change. We hope to be releasing these comments very soon as we near our third year of no change from Nielsen Media Research in counting U.S. born Latinos fairly in their surveys.

In the meantime, in the interest of full disclosure and maybe to "out" those who have some very strong opinions about the subject of diversity in the U.S. but don't seem to want us to know who they are, I will be posting these "anonymous" emails, for everyone to see.

The following email was sent by someone this past weekend. I sent two email responses but got nothing back, so I'm assuming it was a fake email address.

Here for your viewing pleasure is an email from SOMEONE from SOMEWHERE who believes that because Latinos would simply like to be depicted honestly and accurately on TV, they are asking for special treatment. Life is not fair and yes, all immigrants had to put up with their fair amount of negativity in their day and age.

But that doesn't make it right... and that doesn't mean that Nielsen Media Research can ignore a better research method just because they don't have competition.

The email from this weekend is below:

Via Email
TO: Help! Change TV
FROM: Anonymous

DOES THE LATINO MARKET AGREE THEY HAVE RECEIVED SPECIAL TREATMENT?

compared to any other immigrant group to ever come to America?

Is it fair that just about everything in this country is written in Spanish as well as English? Why not the two languages of China, or Arabic, or any of the languages in Africa, or Japanese? Why not have everything in this country written in English and every other language on earth besides Spanish.

To disagree that Latinos receive special treatment is absolutely ignorant.

Help Change TV? You are joking right?

HELP! CHANGE TV SETS RECORD STRAIGHT ON

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HELP! CHANGE TV SETS RECORD STRAIGHT ON
NIELSEN’S HISPANIC RATINGS MOVE
Nielsen’s Much Touted Move Leaves U.S. Born Latinos Out of the Mix... Again!

New York, September 4th, 2007 – Help! Change TV responded to Nielsen Media
Research’s recent announcement that it will produce its Hispanic TV ratings through its National People Meter “general market” panel exclusively while abandoning the National Hispanic People it has used since 1992 to track Hispanic television viewing.

“This move still does not address the Nativity issue (Hispanic sampling represented by census data for U.S. born & non U.S. born) in Nielsen’s methodology which unfortunately remains the biggest obstacle to obtaining more accurate TV ratings for all U.S. Latinos,” stated Robert G. Rose, founder of the initiative Help! Change TV (formerly “Change the Sample”).

“With all the hype over Latinos being compared to ‘side by side’ next to the ‘general market,’ the fact remains that TV ratings for U.S. Hispanics will remain inaccurate until Nielsen adjusts their sample based on Nativity, the proven and single most important factor that determines whether Latinos watch TV in Spanish or English,” Rose continues.

Help! Change TV contends that the impact of Nielsen’s erroneous Hispanic ratings on the media and marketing industry is that many advertisers and marketers overspend media budgets on Spanish language television under the assumption they are reaching the majority of U.S. Latinos. In reality these marketers are missing the largest, youngest and fastest growing segment of the U.S. Latino population (U.S. born Latinos), who currently comprise over 65% of all U.S. Latinos and are projected to be over 75% of all U.S. Latinos by 2020 yet rarely if ever watch Spanish language TV.

The impact on viewers’ lives includes an under-representation of Latinos on English- language television resulting in skewed stereotypes that tend to mislead many non-Latinos that Latinos are either recent or “illegal” immigrants who do not speak English and are not a valuable part of mainstream society or are one dimensional stereotypes that have remained prevalent in the media for years (gang-bangers, Latin lovers, drug dealers, prostitutes, maids, gardeners, etc.).

Help! Change TV’s grassroots initiative for change includes www.HelpChangeTV.com
where concerned viewers and those in the industry can go for more information and sign
the petition for change.
# # #
CONTACT:
Margarita Cheng / Tel (212) 627-3192 x18
Email: HCTV@AIMtvgroup.com