As US media markets shrink, ethnic ones grow

By now you've read stories about how American newspapers are dying, and how even viewership among cable news channels is down, but there is one sector of the media that is seeing strong and steady growth - ethnically-themed outlets.

Publications, radio and cable TV stations aimed at specific ethnic groups in America, usually in their native language, are nothing new, but a poll released this week finds that nearly 60 million Americans - basically one in five - are regular consumers of ethnic media, a jump of 16% from a poll conducted just four years ago in 2005. The strongest growth was seen among African-American newspapers and magazines, which grew by 42% since 2005, and Spanish-language radio, which is becoming a fixture in markets - like North Carolina and Washington - places not usually noted for their large Hispanic populations.

And the number of Americans tuned into ethnic media could even be higher. The poll, released at the annual Ethnic Media Expo and Awards, was conducted only in eight languages - Cantonese, English, Hindi, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese, which left many ethnic groups out of the poll.

Officials at the Expo said that the poll's results should be a message to advertisers and politicians alike not to ignore this vibrant sector of the media.