The size and power of Milwaukee's Hispanic community was made visible last fall after an ethnic slur by WISN-AM (1130) talk show host Mark Belling spawned angry protests.

While those public demonstrations got lots of attention, it was the less public pressure from the economic and political leaders of the community that was perhaps more effective in getting Belling spanked with a one-week suspension.

Milwaukee Public TV offers a timely look at that community and its leadership in a new one-hour documentary, "Spanish Spoken Here," debuting tonight at 8 on Channel 10.

Hosted and narrated by experienced Milwaukee TV journalist Yamilet Virgin, the focus of the program isn't the Belling affair. Instead, it traces the story of how Latinos came to Wisconsin and how their numbers have grown in communities such as Green Bay and Madison, as well as Milwaukee.

The Belling case is touched upon well into the hour, as a sign of burgeoning Hispanic clout in Milwaukee.

"Spanish Spoken Here" is a sometimes dry hour of television. But it's also a straightforward and important look at some of the movers and shakers in a community that's certain to continue growing in importance in Milwaukee and the rest of the state.

THE NUMBERS ARE IN: If you add up all the folks who got up early to watch Pope John Paul II's funeral Friday morning, the total is in excess of 9 million, according to Nielsen Media Research numbers.

About 2 million of that total was divided among the cable news channels, with Fox News Channel averaging 858,000 viewers and CNN a close second with 836,000.

Almost 400,000 people watched Spanish-language broadcasts on three major Hispanic TV networks.