Freedom Communications to launch Spanish-language weekly newspaper, Unidos en el Sur de California, in Southern California on March 21; paper will incorporate 21-year-old Spanish weekly Excelsior and 15-year old La Prensa, running final editions March 14

Aimee Bellah

SANTA ANA, California , March 7, 2014 (press release) – To unite Hispanics in Southern California and better connect them to news and information of particular relevance to their lives, Freedom Communications is introducing a new and significantly expanded Spanish-language weekly newspaper called Unidos en el Sur de California beginning March 21.

Unidos en el Sur de California combines all of the talented journalists and useful information from 21 year-old Spanish-language weekly, Excelsior, in Orange County and La Prensa, which has published for 15 years and added a Coachella Valley edition last June, into one united newspaper. The final editions to publish under the Excelsior and La Prensa names run March 14.

Unidos en el Sur de California will publish four zoned editions every Friday serving Orange County, Inland Southern California, Coachella Valley, and Los Angeles. The fourth Los Angeles zone debuts March 28, and focuses on communities in Southeast Los Angeles and San Gabriel Valley. When compared to Excelsior and La Prensa’s existing circulation, total circulation for Unidos en el Sur de California will expand by more than 100,000 to 323,476, which includes copies distributed to Orange County Register and The Press-Enterprise subscribers who request it.

Distribution points will focus on Hispanic-dominant communities and locations where multigenerational Hispanics live, work, shop and play. They include Latin American-themed grocers, family and children-themed clothing stores, restaurants, toy stores, electronics retailers, beauty salons, entertainment venues and coffee shops. A new website, unidossc.com, will also launch soon with breaking news and related information from Unidos en el Sur de California.

“A local newspaper plays an incredibly important role in terms of uniting, connecting and building communities, and our Spanish-language newspapers have done a wonderful job going beyond standard news of the day to reflect the personality, culture, interests and achievements of Southern California’s Hispanics,” said Aaron Kushner, Freedom co-owner and CEO. “As Southern California’s Hispanic community grows in population and influence, Unidos en el Sur de California will build off our rich history in serving Southern California to become an even more robust community-building newspaper that fosters a strong sense of pride in community and speaks directly to multigenerational Hispanics.”

Unidos en el Sur de California will include news pages with a local countywide focus, while also dramatically expanding coverage of regional, state, national, and international news of particular interest and importance to Hispanics. Unidos en el Sur de California debuts with the following three sections:

•Noticias: Spotlights news, business developments and newsmakers on a local, regional, national and international level – with a special focus on Latin America where readers have deep roots and family connections;

•Deportes: From Mexican and European soccer, to up-coming boxing matches, to national and local sports important to Southern Californians, Deportes covers the teams and players for which this audience has a passion! The section delivers expanded national, regional, and local sports coverage, including the latest on local youth and adult leagues. Deportes will feature extensive World Cup coverage from June 12 to July 13, and reporter Scott M. Reid will cover United States and Mexico World Cup matches and event activities on location in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Auto ads, classifieds and personals will also run within the section.

•NEXT: To appeal to multigenerational and English-dominant Hispanics who love all things entertainment, a bilingual entertainment guide called NEXT will feature celebrity news, movie and music reviews, a gossip column, nightlife, fashion, trending topics on Twitter, top 10 lists and crossword puzzles. A robust list of events will also be included in the section, to offer suggestions on things to do and places to go throughout the weekend and coming week. Headlines and movie information will be in English, with the remainder of information in Spanish.

A significant development in the upcoming Unidos en el Sur de California launch is the promotion of Orlando Ramirez as Publisher. Ramirez has served in various editing roles since joining The Press-Enterprise in 1995, including the last 10 years as editor of La Prensa. Ramirez began his 32-year career as a journalist in Southern California as an editor for the San Diego Reader, then as a wire editor for the Copley News Service. He is a graduate of Yale University and California State University, San Bernardino.

“Whether we’re running a report addressing gaps in education, profiling an inspiring person from a local nonprofit or informing readers about a new restaurant, Unidos en el Sur de California will educate, entertain and empower readers to make informed decisions that enrich their lives,” Ramirez said. “Hispanics make up nearly half of the Los Angeles population with $160 billion in buying power. Unidos en el Sur de California gives a stronger voice to a diverse and fast-growing Hispanic community, and will document every achievement and challenge with greater reach, depth and passion than any other newspaper in Los Angeles.”

Unidos en el Sur de California is the latest initiative in an overall expansion plan by Freedom Communications, which includes adding more quality, depth and value to its newspaper portfolio. Since purchasing Freedom in 2012, co-owners Aaron Kushner and Eric Spitz have nearly doubled staff in the Register newsroom, launched the Long Beach Register as a new daily newspaper in August, purchased The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, Calif. in November, debuted an enhanced edition of The Press-Enterprise with original reporting and a new Inland SoCal Register section in January, and launched the Desert Enterprise as a new weekly newspaper as part of its expanded service within Riverside County in February.

About Freedom Communications, Inc.
Freedom Communications, headquartered in Santa Ana, Calif., is a privately-owned company that publishes three daily newspapers - Long Beach Register in Long Beach, Calif., The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, Calif. and the Orange County Register in Santa Ana, Calif. with a fourth daily newspaper soon to be launched, the Los Angeles Register. Freedom also publishes more than 25 community newspapers that serve specific cities, audiences and geographic areas, including the Desert Enterprise in Coachella Valley and the Easy Reader publications along the coast of Los Angeles. Freedom publishes highly designed glossy magazines and operates a custom publishing unit. The company's portfolio also includes news and entertainment websites and mobile applications. For information regarding advertising and business partnerships with Unidos en el Sur de California, contact General Manager Tiffany O’Hare at 714-796-3538. For media inquiries, contact Eric Morgan at 714-796-2460 or emorgan@freedom.com. 

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