When Will TV Reflect Latino Audience?

I was delighted to read “David Who?” (Morning Report, Calendar, Nov. 17) regarding Jimmy Smits and the “NYPD Blue” ratings.

The fact is that the night of Smits’ debut on “NYPD Blue,” the show scored the highest ratings of any network--28%--opposite “Scarlett.” This was not a surprise to me. Good for Smits! He was also very popular on “L.A. Law.” Smits and many other talented Latino actors, when given the opportunity, have shown TV executives that they can be as “bankable” as anyone else and not the financial risk some claim. “Fantasy Island,” starring Ricardo Montalban (now in “Heaven Help Us”), “Chips” with Eric Estrada and “Chico and the Man” with the late Freddie Prinze could also testify to this fact.

Spanish-language radio station KLAX-FM has topped the Southern California ratings for more than a year, and there’s considerable evidence that KMEX-TV might lead the television ratings if the A.C. Nielsen Co. would use the same methodology for measuring all stations that it does for Spanish-language stations.

As for Latinos as consumers, DRI/McGraw Hill’s Consumer Expenditure Report showed that Latinos’ U.S. annual purchasing power increased from $242.1 billion in 1992 to $292 billion in 1994, the fastest-growing market for almost all consumer goods. When it comes to entertainment, 2,128,100 Latinos went to see movies and 2,090,300 rented videos in 1993.

What’s taking place in Los Angeles is a microcosm of what’s taking place nationwide; mass media such as Prime Ticket’s “La Cadena Deportiva,” NBC News’ “Canal de Noticias,” “HBO en Espanol” and “MTV Latino” are discovering the profitable Latino market. I hope that Smits’ “NYPD Blue” ratings success, as well as the recent research, make more producers take notice and open more doors for Latino actors in the entertainment world.

I’m looking forward to the day when Latinos, the invisible “minority” of millions, are represented closer to their true population (at least 10% in the United States), rather than their present 1% tokenism on prime-time TV--as measured by the Washington-based Center for Media and Public Affairs--and they’re depicted in a balanced manner.

The entertainment industry has failed to show America’s true diversity and the contributions we all have made to its greatness. When these truths become realistic reflections on our TV tubes and movie screens, then perhaps we may observe a drop in suicide rates among our young people and a decrease in crime and illiteracy.

Our media has enormous power and influence on a lot of people. There is a responsibility that goes with that power. We need to encourage more positive stories and a greater balance of values, not only to Latinos but to all Americans. In our young population are the precious jewels of America’s and the world’s future.

Godspeed to all those who have made and are trying to make a significant difference in our media. Congratulations to Jimmy Smits and to the “NYPD Blue” production.