El Vocero Hispano
Michigan's Hispanic Newspaper
TypeWeekly newspaper
Founder(s)Andres Abreu
FoundedFebruary 24, 1993 (1993-02-24)
LanguageSpanish
CityGrand Rapids, Michigan
Circulation5,000 (as of 2022)
Websiteelvocero.net

El Vocero Hispano is the largest Spanish language weekly newspaper in West Michigan that presents local and international news to its readers.[1] The newspaper is edited by its founder, Andres Abreu.[2]

History

Andrés Abreu, founder of El Vocero Hispano

Dominican journalist Andres Abreu moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1991.[2] Seeing the growing number of Hispanic and Latino Americans in West Michigan, with the demographic tripling between 1990 and 2000, he sought to create a Spanish language newspaper to serve the community.[3] When interviewed by Instituto Cervantes at Harvard University, Abreu said that he chose to publish only in Spanish "because it is the Spanish-speaking community that is interested in the Latino world; Hispanics who speak English are more integrated in the Anglo than in the Hispanic community."[4] While he was working at a factory full-time, Abreu and his wife published the first edition of El Vocero Hispano on February 24, 1993, using an old Apple Inc. computer.[2][3][5] The newspaper was originally in a tabloid format with a circulation of 3,000 papers weekly.[3]

In 1999, the paper launched its news website.[1] By 2008, the newspaper had grown to a weekly circulation of 20,000.[2] The Great Recession affected the paper's funding and circulation due to the lack of revenue from advertisements, selling its pre-printing press and moving to smaller offices.[6] El Vocero Hispano previously collaborated with The Grand Rapids Press, though as the Press was restructured, contacts between the papers diminished by 2009.[6][7] By 2016, the paper saw a rebound in revenue since the recession.[6] It then expanded its presence on social media and created a studio for guests and interviews.[1]

El Vocero Hispano has collaborated with Grand Rapids television station WOOD-TV, with the news station allowing the publication of its weather forecasts in exchange for assistance with some news segments.[6] During the COVID-19 pandemic, the paper and WOOD-TV reported on the effects that the pandemic had on the Latino community.[8]

Editorial opinion

Founder and editor Abreu has voiced support for media pluralism and competition as a way to promote professional journalism.[4] Abreu helped organize demonstrations in Grand Rapids during the 2006 United States immigration reform protests.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "El Vocero newspaper serves Spanish speakers for decades". WOODTV. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Overmyer-Velázquez, Mark (30 October 2008). Latino America: A State-by-State Encyclopedia. ABC-Clio. pp. 421–422. ISBN 9781573569804.
  3. 1 2 3 Roelofs, Ted (9 November 2014). "Growth potential: As West Michigan's Hispanic population rises, so do opportunities". Crain Communications.
  4. 1 2 Covarrubias, Jorge Ignacio (17 February 2016). "Spanish-language Journalism in the United States". Informes del Observatorio / Observatorio Reports. Harvard University. doi:10.15427/OR019-03/2016EN.
  5. ↑ "El Vocero Hispano (Grand Rapids, Mi.) 1993-Current". Library of Congress. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Kent, Steven Thomas (7 April 2016). "As diversity stagnates in mainstream press, ethnic news finds strong foothold in West Michigan". Rapid Growth. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  7. ↑ "Black, Hispanic, Native Press Fill Gaps in Michigan". Journal-isms. 2016-04-08. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  8. ↑ "Kent Co. Latinos with COVID-19 die younger and more often". WOODTV. 2020-05-30. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
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