Hispanic TV station premieres

A need is being filled in Indianapolis. \nThe Hispanic population is almost 4 percent of the total population in Indiana -- the nationwide numbers rose 4.7 percent in the last year -- yet there is no all-Spanish television station.\nThis is about to change.\nWIIH-Univision for Indiana, a Spanish-language television station in Indianapolis, will debut Feb. 3.\nThe station is scheduled to broadcast programs such as "Privilego de Amar" ("The Privilege of Love"), "Sabado Gigante" ("Giant Saturday") and other syndicated, local, educational and community affairs programming from Univision. \nIt will also air WIIH-Noticias a las 11, a half-hour local news broadcast, beginning March 3.\nUnivision is the host of the top-20 Spanish-speaking programs in the United States. They are also the fifth-largest network in the country, said Ray Rodriguez, president of Univision.\nWISH-TV (Channel 8) and the LIN Television Corporation are teaming up to produce the all-Spanish-speaking station. WIIH and WISH-TV will share production and reporting resources for both newscasts.\nLee Giles, vice president and news director of WISH-TV and WIIH, said his company is committed to this new project for the community.\n"It's an exciting, pioneering concept to share the talent and resources of News 8 to produce a daily, local newscast that will uniquely serve our Spanish-speaking viewers," Giles said in a prepared statement.\nScott Blumenthal, regional vice president for LIN, announced the station launch last Thursday in Indianapolis. He said the popularity of the network will be a big draw for the Indiana market, which has never had a Univision channel.\n"We are very excited about this station's potential and what it will have to offer our viewers," he said in a prepared statement.\nEileen Díaz McConnell, associate professor in the IU Latino Studies Program, said the Latino community will welcome the station given their large population in Indiana.\nThere are particular needs that aren't being met by the current English-language stations and programs, she said.\n"Obviously there is a need for this kind of programming," she said. "This is a good way for people to see the current culture."\nThe station will be broadcast via antenna, but the signal will not reach the Bloomington area.\nInsight Communications, a local cable provider, said they have not been contacted by LIN about adding the station to cable programming choices, but Tom Boscher, community representative for Insight, said some customers have asked for it.\nIf Univision asks the company to carry the station, Boscher said he thinks Insight would be required to do it.\nIU campus cable already carries the station on channel 28.\nMcConnell said she hopes Insight picks up the station, but she doubts they will if it costs too much for cable.\n"If it costs extra, I doubt people will add that to their choices," McConnell said.