Hola, Miami Viewers

Servicing a multicultural audience is highly profitable for Miami/Fort Lauderdale stations. A growing and diverse Hispanic population, coupled with stylish South Beachers, African-Americans and retirees, help boost the 17th-largest DMA's bottom line. This eclectic audience has also been a boon to local news. To meet such distinct viewer demands, nine stations in South Florida, an impressive number in any TV market, air late local news: the Big Four, three Spanish-language broadcasters, and the younger-skewing UPN and WB stations.

“Miami is a melting pot,” says WFOR President and GM Michael Colleran. It takes 19 stations to program to the 4.1 million inhabitants from Fort Lauderdale to the Keys. Univision-owned WLTV is the market heavyweight, with the highest ratings across dayparts. NBC's O&O Telemundo station WSCV is a strong competitor.

Among English-language broadcasters, CBS' WFOR is surging in news and prime time. NBC's WTVJ has been wounded by the network's prime time softness, but it still ranked second behind WFOR in late news during November sweeps. Sunbeam Broadcasting's Fox affiliate WSVN and Post-Newsweek's ABC affiliate WPLG are both strong. One programming twist: WFOR carries Oprah and, in 2006, will relinquish Dr. Phil to WPLG, which will then eliminate its 5 p.m. news to accommodate the popular talk show.

Miami's TV revenues outperform its market size. This year, stations will take in $534 million in revenues, making the market No. 10 in research firm BIA's national revenue rankings. But station fortunes remain tied to the Hispanic population. WLTV, its sister Telefutura station WAMI and WSCV all cater to sizable immigrant communities; English-language stations are courting second- and third-generations. WSVN's EVP Bob Leider says young Hispanics are “very contemporary” and prefer entertainment shows like local Deco Drive and national favorite American Idol.

WFOR offers news closed-captioned in Spanish. NBC's WSCV and WTVJ duopoly also taps into the Anglo and Hispanic communities; the stations sell joint ads and pool news resources along with some bilingual reporters. Global stories play well here; Cuba is a hot topic. “A lot of people are from New York or Havana,” says WPLG VP and GM David Boylan. Adelphia and Comcast are the area's major cable operators.

Immigration and tourism also fuel a growing local economy, and Miami's ad scene is booming. The 2004 political season pumped $50 million into the market. For 2005, station execs predict 4%-8% growth over 2004, excluding political monies. Says WTVJ President and GM Ardyth Diercks, “The ethnic diversity makes this an exciting market.”