“We want to be the new alternative Spanish-speaking station,” said Oscar Ibarra, marketing director for Ketchikan TV LLC. Ketchikan TV operates as KDMD Channel 33, and also operates channels 41 and 45 UHF in the Anchorage area, and as digital TV channels 32.1, and 32.2.

Telemundo, all-Spanish television programming with studios in Hialeah, Fla., is owned by NBC Universal, a division of General Electric. Telemundo is the second largest Spanish language network in the nation behind Univision.

Telemundo programming is broadcast on Channel 45 analog with a 1000-watt signal that covers the Anchorage, Eagle River, Chugiak, Peters Creek, Palmer, Wasilla and Houston communities.

Andy Tierney, general manager of Ketchikan TV in Anchorage, is optimistic about the station.

“We want everyone who can't afford cable TV to continue to get our signal using an inexpensive UHF antenna,” Tierney said. “In fact, I am gong over to Mexico Lindo and installing an antenna for their TV that is right behind the sales counter.”

While the station has been broadcasting all-Spanish Telemundo programming since January, it hopes to attract more local viewers by offering a community calendar and coverage of important cultural events like Cinco de Mayo, Colombian Independence Day, and will follow the Mexican Consulate's mobile van when it is in Alaska.

“We are talking about some cross marketing efforts with Eivar Gutierrez, to do stories and put some of the Telemundo programming in his newspaper,” Ibarra said. Gutierrez is the publisher of La Nueva Frontera, the only all-Spanish newspaper in Alaska.

Gutierrez confirmed the arrangement and thinks that this will be a good opportunity for public information to be dispersed.

“There is much confusion about immigration issues, medical and legal issues, and there is little information in Spanish about where or who offers this type of help,” said Gutierrez, a 10-year resident of Alaska originally from Colombia.

The plan in Alaska is to keep the network programming and add community interest material, Ibarra said.

“We are not going to have talking heads for news or anything like that, but someday it might be a possibility, when this catches on,” he said.

Telemundo has three daily slots for local news at 11:30 a.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Telemundo also hopes to attract local advertising to intersperse into its national advertising lineup.

“We can offer cheap, cheap advertising from $200 to $300 tops for a produced commercial, and some ads could even be cheaper than that,” Ibarra said.

Telemundo Alaska, also offers half-hour and full-hour paid programming for special shows or advertising on air.

“Unlike Caucasian viewers who flip from channel to channel, Hispanics are more likely to view the Spanish-speaking channel everyday, and in some cases, where there are businesses, all day and all evening on the same channel,” Ibarra said. “This really makes us a higher value for the money spent on advertising.”

While the Hispanic population in Anchorage represents 7 percent of possible viewers out of the city's population of 275,043, the odds on more viewers going to all-Spanish programming are pretty good.

Ibarra cites two factors, the Hispanic population since 1990 has grown 19.7 percent with a statewide total of 37,548 known Hispanics as of July 1, 2006.

The second factor is that Channel 45 and Digital 32.2 Telemundo is soon to be picked up on the Dish Network starting June 7 in Alaska and Hawaii.

Ibarra and Tierney were hesitant to talk about GCI cable, but said they will be negotiating with the cable provider in the near future.

GCI subscribers represent 70 percent of all TV viewers in the Anchorage bowl area.

Starting in 2008 the U.S. government will offer digital boxes to households with up to two TVs. In the United States, all U.S. television broadcasts will be exclusively digital as of Feb. 17, 2009, by order of the Federal Communications Commission.

Tierney says that the UHF version of Telemundo won't go away just because of the new programming venues.

“We will keep it on the air for those who can't afford cable, until the feds come and pry our transmitters out of our studio,” Tierney said.