Letters.

Reaching an Audience

It's only natural that emphasis is placed on obtaining high ratings during sweeps. However, "Mexican Mainstay Hits Airwaves for Sweeps," (May 6) did not address just how many people are reached by stations that yield high ratings. While KMEX may achieve strong ratings for a particular program, its overall reach of unique viewers is quite low in comparison to stations like KTLA. According to Los Angeles Nielsen February reports, the six English-language network stations reached an average 70 percent of Los Angeles television households over a week from sign-on to sign-off. Over the same period, KMEX reached 20 percent of television households, which is on par with the reach of cable stations such as HBO and E! KTLA's reach with Latino viewers is also favorable in comparison to any Hispanic station.

English stations such as KTLA do place a priority on attracting Latino audiences, and we do not dismiss our competition. KTLA recognizes the growth of various population segments, including Latinos and Asians in Los Angeles. We also acknowledge that despite an increased Latino presence, Latinos are not dependent upon Spanish-language entertainment. The fact that many programs carried on English stations earn high ratings with Latino audiences illustrates they embrace more than one culture. Further, we are not surprised that in May 2002 sweep to date results, English station programming occupies the top primetime ranks among Los Angeles households.

Gretchen Dible

KTLA Research Director

Los Angeles