Hartford Business Journal

11 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | June 6, 2022 The first issue of La Vision, a Hispanic newspaper (shown above) targeting central Connecticut, hit newsstands in April and published 6,500 copies. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED New Britain publisher's latest ethnic newspaper targets growing Hispanic population By Robert Storace rstorace@hartfordbusiness.com W hile many traditional media outlets in Connecticut continue to struggle with declining print circulation and adver- tising, Darek Barcikowski sees real opportunity in the space. But he's carving out his own unique niche. After seeing success with his popular Polish-language newspaper White Eagle, Barcikowski recently launched a Spanish-language newspaper — La Vision — targeting central Connecticut's growing Hispanic population. The New Britain-based paper's inaugural issue published 6,500 copies in April and covers topics ranging from community events to local and statewide news. Barcikowski said he launched the publication after several New Britain Latino community members asked him to consider the idea. He also saw a market for it. He hopes the new venture reaches an audience that once lived in somewhat of a news desert. "We need to know the community and community leaders enough to put this publication out. It's all about building relationships, which we continue to do," Barcikowski said. "One of the indicators of early success is that, after the first edition, we had people reach out to us with story ideas, content and photos from different community events. Folks are interacting with the publication and there has been a willingness to advertise and that's always been the biggest measure of success." With La Vision, Barcikowski is tapping into the U.S.' ever-expanding Hispanic news media market, which is growing faster than any other ethic media, according to the University of North Carolina Hussman School of Journalism and Media. In 2020 there were 224 Latino- Hispanic newspapers, 173 television stations and 27 radio stations in the United States. In Connecticut, CTLatinoNews. com launched years ago as an English language online-only news site that covers Latin and Latino issues. There are other local players in the mix. The sector's growth comes amid the country's changing demographics. The U.S. Hispanic population reached 62.1 million people in 2020, a 23% increase over the previous decade, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. In Connecticut, the state's Hispanic population increased 30% over the same time period (to 623,293) and now makes up 17.3% of the state's 3.6 million residents, Census data show. Diverse client pool Barcikowski launched his Polish paper nearly two decades ago in Boston, where he grew up. The 44-year-old has lived in New Britain for the past six years. Today, there are five separately- printed editions of the White Eagle, which is based in New Britain's Little Poland community. One covers Connecticut, generally New Britain and surrounding areas, while other editions exist in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania and Florida. The Polish paper has grown its advertising and circulation base even during the pandemic, Barcikowski said, with more ad revenue from government agencies regarding pandemic and vaccine information. He said he expects to generate $750,000 in revenue in 2022. While the New Britain area is overly saturated with Polish- American papers — there are about a half-dozen — Barcikowski and his business partner, Marcin Bolec, saw that wasn't the case for Hispanic newspapers. There are just a few in the region, primarily Hartford-based La Identidad, which publishes every two months and New Haven-based LaVoz Hispana, which has been around for decades and is distributed in central Connecticut. La Vision was launched with many of the same advertisers that support the White Eagle, which comes out twice a month. La Vision's inaugural 36-page issue had 25 advertisements and was available in more than 100 locations including town halls, travel agencies and supermarkets. The goal, Barcikowski said, is to reach between 25,000 and 30,000 homes. All of the Polish editions combined reach about 20,000 households. Advertisers for both paper's include local hospitals, real estate firms, mortgage brokers and even bakeries and delis. "We are seeing a much more diverse client pool than even a few years ago," Barcikowski said. "New Britain has such a large Polish and Spanish-speaking community that these businesses have had an interest to advertise in both papers." Both ethnic papers — which employ a combined 15 full- and part-time staffers, including reporters and salespeople — offer hyper- local news that readers won't find elsewhere, Barcikowski said.

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