CNN Latino expands into New York, Phoenix, Orlando, Tampa

CNN’s Spanish-language programming service, CNN Latino, has increased its reach. Television stations in New York, Phoenix, Orlando and Tampa have agreed to carry the eight-hour-a-day syndicated block.

CNN Latino launched in January on KBEH-DT Channel 63 in Los Angeles. Until now, its distribution had been limited to L.A., the nation’s largest Latino market.

With the addition of the four new markets, CNN Latino is available in about a quarter of Latino homes nationwide. The estimated 50 million Latinos in the United States have increasing clout in the market, and media companies and advertisers are looking to increase their exposure.

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The service is a departure for CNN, pioneer of the cable news genre. Time Warner Inc.’s venture was designed to provide a range of programming -- not just news -- as a syndicated block that would run from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. a day, on broadcast stations rather than cable channels.

The company’s strategy is to offer an alternative for Spanish speakers to the existing go-to broadcast networks -- Univision and Telemundo.

Beginning Monday, CNN Latino was to be carried on the low-powered WBQM-LD Channel 3 in New York, WATV-TV Channel 47 in Orlando, and WTAM-TV Channel 30 in Tampa. Phoenix’s TV44 KPHE-LP Channel 44, a low-power station owned by Lotus Communications Corp., also has switched to the service.

CNN Latino eventually will provide a regionally themed program for East Coast stations. For now, the four new stations will receive a Los Angeles-produced local issues program called “Sin Limites con Elizabeth Espinosa.” Other programs include celebrity news show “Showbiz Latino,” lifestyle show “Magazine CNN,” sports show “Deportes USA,” and “Cruzando Fronteras,” which highlights stories from Mexico.

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