Los Angeles Times
Today, April 1, is census day. Once every 10 years, the federal government counts the nation’s population to come up with “a portrait of America.” The results are crucial to local governments, schools and agencies — which rely on federal dollars — and also media companies that target ethnic audiences.
The 2000 census was a milestone. It revealed that Latinos made up a larger percentage of the population than people had previously thought. The number of Latinos had soared nearly 60% from 1990 to 2000 — to more than 35 million people, or 13% of the total U.S. population. The jump gave Spanish-language media companies sudden clout: Advertisers who had long ignored Spanish-language TV and radio now were buying commercial time to showcase their products en Espanol. More…