Daily News from New York, New York • 95

7 By PHYLLIS FURMAN DAILY NEWS BUSINESS WRITER Antonio Banderas. Gloria Estefan. Marc Anthony. Plac ido Domingo. Ricky Martin.

Those were just some of the prominent Hispanic faces featured Deportwo." Hoping to lock in male viewers, Telemundo offers frequent sports news updates throughout the day and will be the Spanish-language home of World Cup soccer this summer. By launching TeleFutura, Univision is looking to capitalize on the explosive expansion of the Hispanic community in the U.S. The Hispanic population has reached 35 million, according to the 2000 census, making it nearly equal in size to the African-American communi- High-profile ads Those rising numbers have raised the interest of blue-chip advertisers such as MCI and Pepsi-Cola, which have signed on with TeleFutura. "It's a very, very attractive market," said Tim Wallace, media analyst at Bank of America Securities. But rival Telemundo, which was just acquired by NBC, is gearing up to do battle with the new Spanish-language network.

"We know for a fact our programs are better," said Telemundo chief Jim McNamara. during the opening minutes of a Spanish-language TV network called TeleFutura that launched yesterday on New York's Channels 67 and 68. TeleFutura is the first new Spanish TV network to come on the scene in 15 years and don't count on it being anything like long-established Hispanic incumbents Univision, seen on Channel 41, or Telemundo, carried on Channel 47. While those lean on steamy tele-novelas, TeleFutura has a different audience in mind: younger Hispanic viewers who watch mostly English-language TV TeleFutura is being launched by Univision, by far the dominant force in Spanish TV, with a lock on 80 of the country's Spanish-language audience. Instead of prime-time soaps, TeleFutura's evening lineup will be heavy on sports and movies.

The network will offer flicks like "The Mambo Kings" and "Dog Day Afternoon" dubbed in Spanish, followed at 1 1 p.m. by a daily sports highlights show called "Contacto MICHAEL SCHWARTZ Fireflghters wet down ruins of vacant house hi Harding Park yesterday. Blaze, which broke out In this house, spread to two occupied houses, which were also destroyed. FDNY video may ignite love life attacks on Sept. 11, and a portion of the profits will be donated to the Uniformed Firefighters Association's Widows' and Children's Fund.

Okay, so about half the women in America are now in love with firemen. XI -Fine, you wanna quibble, make that didn't have any machines or big equipment," he says. "So a bunch of us started devising ways of getting into the kind of shape we needed to be in to do our jobs properly, to save other people's lives, and also to protect our own. Lost in the post-Sept. 11 coverage is that the biggest killer of firefighters about 60 is cardiac arrest.

This often hap And so if this workout is good enough for guys who climb into towering infernos, you can bet your fat-bottom dollar it's good enough for us guys who race out of burning buildings. Actually, the video has two workouts, one for "probies," or beginners, and one for "salty dogs," a more intense regimen. Both take just a half- V' i DENIS IIAT.IIIl' pens because the men are not in the kind of shape they need to be when they rush up multiple flights of smoky stairs." Stefano says the risk of heart attack is worse today than when he start hour and can be done at home. Those who want updated tips can log on to Stefano's Web site (firefightersworkout. com).

Kick it off with a walk Okay, for the non-ax-swinging guys out there who caiTt eet a date these two-thirds. The female mantra for the new century is, "All's fair in love and war. And Times are tough out there in the dating world if you're a poor slob who doesn't run into burning buildings for a living. But trudge into a singles bar in rubber boots, a turnout coat, a sooty, face and clutching a nozzle and 10 'women will plead to be rescued. But don't despair, guys.

If you've already made a New Year's resolution to lose weight, exercise more and get in shape, you can run out and buy a copy of FDNY Capt. Michael Ste-fano's "The Firefighter's Workout" video from Koch The video is based on Stefano's popular book of the same name that came out in hardcover last year and is now available in paperback. "This whole regimen came into being when I was working in Coney Island as a young firefighter," says Stefano, who was born and raised in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and who serves as a roaming captain in Corona, Queens. "Back then I worked for Engine 318Lad-der 166, and most of our runs were in the Coney Island projects. Eight out of 10 times the elevators weren't working and we'd have to run up 23 stories for a fire.

Sometimes eight and 10 times a night for rubbish fires, Christmas tree fires, kitchen fires, false alarms 2 (A Capt Mchael Stefano's 30-tninute workout video ed on the job 19 years ago because of the additional protective bunker gear firefighters must wear. "The new gear protects us from fire," he says, "but the added weight puts an enormous strain on the heart So you have to be in great shape to survive, nevermind save other people's lives." 'ProWes and SaKy dogs' From the beginning, the regimen he devised concentrated on lots of walking, pushups and squats. "Exercises that make you lift your own body weight," he says. "As you would on the job. This eliminates the need for bulky equipment or a gym." days within 3 miles of a firehouse, what's the best way to start at least looking like a fireman? "The secret is to start a walking regimen," Stefano says, laughing.

"And drink lots and lots of water. Walk at least a mile three times a week. And do the probie workout with light dumbbells twice a week for muscle tone because all fat is burned in the muscle. In a few weeks, you'll start to see a major difference. Then, after a few months, you can move on to the salty dog, and pretty soon you'll be in the kind of shape of a working firefighter." Email: dhamiUediLnydaitynews.com International.

The video, selling for about $12, promises to get you into the kind of shape that will set off sirens on the beach this summer. It is dedicated to the 343 firefighters and real blazes." Stefano soon learned that a lot of his fellow firefighters were not in proper shape for this kind of rugged endurance duty. CD 3 l- en to 8 who perished ia the World Trade Center "Our firehouse had a tiny gym, and we -7 1 I A. I lit.