Since 1981, News & Information Outreach in Spanish (NOS) has served as a bridge between UC ANR research and statewide programs and California’s Spanish-speaking communities. For more than four decades, NOS has evolved alongside an increasingly diverse Latino population, adapting its communication strategies to meet the needs and preferences of new generations of Californians.
As a strategic communications unit, NOS develops culturally relevant content and utilizes multiple platforms—including articles, blogs, podcasts, videos, digital newsletters, and digital campaigns—to connect UC ANR science and programs with multigenerational Latino audiences within and beyond California.
Understanding the audience is key. Our analytics show that 55% of our audience is male and 45% female, with the majority aged 35-65 and with high school-level education. At the same time, nearly 30% of our social media followers are between 18 and 35 years old and primarily engage with us on Instagram and TikTok. Hispanic audiences tend to engage with content at significantly higher rates than general audiences, underscoring the value of providing trusted, culturally relevant information in Spanish.
With nearly 16 million residents of Hispanic origin, California is home to the nation's largest Latino population. This diversity represents a strategic opportunity to expand the reach and impact of UC ANR programs among one of the state’s most dynamic and highly engaged audiences.
Reaching Latino communities requires understanding cultures, communication preferences, trusted messengers, and the issues that matter most to the families and communities we serve—and in which we have grown up. Drawing upon decades of experience in journalism, multimedia storytelling, and community engagement in the United States, the NOS team works closely with academics and statewide programs to make science-based information accessible, relevant, useful, and trustworthy.
Whether through a podcast episode, a feature story, a video, a social media campaign, or connections with Spanish-language media outlets, NOS offers multiple avenues to increase the visibility and impact of UC ANR programs. Through longstanding relationships with Spanish-language media partners and community organizations, NOS can reach more than 5 million Spanish-speaking families in California each month.
As California continues to grow and diversify, partnering with NOS represents an opportunity not only to translate information but also to build trust, strengthen relationships, and ensure that knowledge generated by UC ANR reaches all Californians effectively. According to Census data, approximately half of California residents under 25 are Latino, and nearly 28% of the state's population speaks Spanish at home.
The question we should be asking is not whether Latino communities need UC ANR information and programs. Rather, it is how we can work together to ensure that research findings and knowledge reach Hispanic families and communities in California in a way that is relevant, trustworthy, useful, and delivered in their language of comfort.
At NOS, our commitment is to transform knowledge into trust and information into community impact. Because we know our community—because we are our community.
For more information about NOS or future outreach projects with Hispanic communities, please contact:
Ricardo Vela
Manager, News & Information Outreach in Spanish
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
rvela@ucanr.edu
(951) 660-9887