Media Moves

Martinez back at Vogue

2009-11-20T09:33:00.000-08:00

Raúl Martinez, founder and chief creative officer of ad agency AR New York, has been brought on as creative consultant to Vogue after the departure of the magazine's design director. According to Women's Wear Daily, editor-in-chief Anna Wintour called Raúl back in to work with the magazine and vogue.com in the art, design, overall image and brand of Vogue.

Raúl started his career at Rolling Stone and helped relaunch House and Garden. He previously worked at American Vogue, as creative director. He left the magazine in 1996 to start his own ad agency. He has also been design consultant for Harper's Bazaar.

“I will still have the agency and undoubtedly, the two can coexist. I can’t begin to explain how excited I am to be joining forces with Anna once again,” he told WWD.

Raúl returns to Vogue the week of Dec. 1. His work will begin to appear in the pages of the magazine in the spring.

Univision renames its headquarters

2009-11-20T09:03:00.000-08:00

Univision yesterday gave its former president and CEO, Ray Rodriguez, a blast off. In a big ceremony, the company presented him with a commemorative plaque and named the Miami building that is home to its network operations "The Ray Rodriguez Broadcasting Center."

Dobbs interview on Telemundo

2009-11-19T15:22:00.000-08:00

Lou Dobbs is really making the rounds. He was on Fox with O'Reilly on Monday. Comedian Jon Stewart welcomed him with a Mariachi band on "The Daily Show" last night and tomorrow, the anti-illegal immigration critic is sitting down with María Celeste Arrarás on "Al Rojo Vivo." It's supposed to be the first time the former CNN anchor speaks on Spanish-language TV.

Will he speak some español? The one-on-one is scheduled to air during ARV at 5 pm EST.

Guerra out, Escobar in at Telemundo

2009-11-19T13:43:00.000-08:00

Johanna Guerra, Sr VP of Network News at Telemundo has left the company. She had been with the company in supervisory capacities since 2002. She was previously Executive Producer for Al Rojo Vivo.

Here's a portion of the email Joanna sent to Noticiero Telemundo and Al Rojo Vivo staff announcing her resignation, shortly after 7 pm yesterday:

"Standing before you today to tell you of my decision to leave the company was not an easy one. But I have been comforted by your kind words and gestures. I want to reassure you that I came to this decision after weighing my career and family considerations. And I am excited about what the future holds for me in that aspect.

I want to thank you all, once again, for the many years of growth that you have been part of. As I said earlier, there are many more successes for you to accomplish. Stay focused!"

Meanwhile, Ramón Escobar, who last held the title of Sr VP of Network Entertainment at Telemundo, is back... as a full time consultant to "work with us on several fronts," says a network spokesman. "In particular, he has been focusing on ARV for the last couple of weeks."

Could his return have anything to do with her departure?

Duarte promoted to weekday anchor

2009-11-19T10:33:00.001-08:00

Lourdes Duarte has been promoted to 5 pm weekday anchor at WGN-TV, the Tribune-owned CW affiliate in Chicago. Lourdes is also the host of "Adelante Chicago," a Hispanic public affairs show that airs every other Saturday from 6:30 to 7 am.

Lourdes joined WGN as a general assignment reporter in Sept. 2007. She previously worked as a reporter and fill-in anchor at WJBK-2 (Fox) in Detroit. Before that, she worked as a reporter at WXIN-59 (Fox) in Indianapolis. She got her start in her hometown of Chicago, working as a freelance reporter for Telemundo.

Margarita leaves news for non-profit

2009-11-19T10:15:00.000-08:00

Gloria Margarita, anchor at KMIR-6, the NBC affiliate in Palm Springs, leaves her job to become the executive director of the Reynaldo J. Carreon foundation. The non-profit benefits minority high school students.

According to The Desert Sun, Gloria herself is a recipient of the Carreon scholarship. She told the paper she wants to help send more students to college.

Gloria has been with KMIR since January of 2006, anchoring weekends for the last 2 years. She was previously a reporter for KNWA-51, the NBC affiliate in Fayetteville, Ark.

Impremedia outsources to Mexico

2009-11-18T13:11:00.000-08:00

Impremedia announced it will outsource the design, formatting and production of its editorial and ad pages to Business News Group (BNG), a company based in Monterrey, Mexico.

The company says BNG will produce ads and editorial pages for La Opinión in Los Angeles and for its weeklies La Raza of Chicago, La Prensa of Orlando, El Mensajero of San Francisco and Rumbo of Houston.

What it doesn't say in its press release is this means job cuts. A source tells me 15 designers at La Opinión will lose their jobs, but they were informed they will stay on long enough to train their "replacements" from Mexico. Three editors were also recently laid off.

Kevin Roderick, from L.A. Observed writes in his blog that recent cuts have brought the newsroom staff from over 100 not too long ago, to under 40.

Local news back to Telemundo

2009-11-18T10:40:00.000-08:00

After a 3 year trial of producing regionalized news for several top 10 Hispanic market stations via the Telemundo Production Center in Dallas, the network is reverting to producing local news. Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Phoenix and San Jose will once again have locally produced news.

TPC staffers were notified they would be out of a job in a little over 60 days during a meeting last Friday. All reporters and videographers will have to reapply for VJ positions for the local newscasts. They were told they will receive training as an option to reapply. Some of the positions were eliminated. The "new" hires will be in place by January.

February 1st is the target date for the launch of the local newscasts, according to what TPC employees were told. There will be no local news directors. Instead, José Flores, currently TPC news director, will stay on in that role, supervising all local newscasts from Dallas. Each market will have an executive producer.

Telemundo network officials will not admit failure of their TPC project, but that's what it was for some of the markets where local news was eliminated.

Laredo station mourns news director's death

2009-11-17T12:30:00.000-08:00

Ray Gomez, news director for Pro 8 News (NBC affiliate), the CW and Telemundo in Laredo, passed away last night. He apparently became ill over a week ago. He was 45.

Ray is survived by his wife Diana "Deedee" Fuentes, the editor of the Laredo Morning Times. Employees at his station bid him farewell during their noon newscast.

LBI reports multi-million losses

2009-11-17T11:05:00.000-08:00

Liberman Broadcasting, Inc (LBI) has touted its expansion in the midst of a dire economy with the recent launch of Estrella TV, but the media company is not exempt from losses.

LBI reported yesterday that its revenues have gone down $3 million to $27.5 million in the third quarter of this year, compared to $30.5 million in the same period in 2008. Net revenues in the 9 months ending Sept. 30 saw a bigger drop - $13.1 million, to $77.1, from the same period in 2008. The largest revenue losses stemmed from the company's TV properties. The changes are attributed to a drop in advertising revenue.

Univision partners with YouTube

2009-11-16T12:28:00.000-08:00

Univision, Telefutura and Galavision programs will be available on YouTube, thanks to a partnership deal announced today. Users will not only be able to see Univision's top shows, but as content gets updated, they will also have access to the network's archive of library programs.

Since Univision triumphed in court over internet rights, it was only a matter of time before the network would make a move to promote their programming online - on their own terms. Users have been previously posting clips of pirated Univision shows on YouTubes for a long time.

Earlier this year, Televisa said it would appeal the judge's ruling that prevents the Mexican broadcaster from plugging its shows on the internet in the U.S.

Cano named publisher of El Latino

2009-11-13T13:34:00.001-08:00

Mike Cano is the new publisher of El Latino newspaper in San Diego. He was most recently VP of Regional Advertising at La Opinión in Los Angeles.

Mike was previously president of Impacto USA. Before that, he was general manager of Al Dia, the Spanish-language daily published by the Dallas Morning News. Prior to that, he was general manager of the Orange County Register's weekly Excelsior.

Lamadrid promoted to VP

2009-11-12T15:51:00.000-08:00

Telemundo Network has named Pilar Lamadrid Vice President of Specials. She will report to Derek Bond, Senior Executive VP, Studios, Production & Broadcast Operations.

In her new role, Pilar will oversee original productions and acquired entertainment specials. She will also focus on the growth of the department and seek ways to develop more "creative sponsorship integrations." She will continue to oversee Telemundo's simulcast of Miss Universe and other awards specials.

Until recently, she was Director for Specials at Telemundo, a job held since May 2001. From 1998 to 2001 she was a network Executive Producer. During that time she produced Edición Especial, a one-hour entertainment news program and developed and launched gossip show Cotorreando. Both of those shows were canceled.

Pilar joined Telemundo in 1993 as a freelance producer.

Dobbs quits CNN

2009-11-11T19:12:00.001-08:00

In a surprise move, Lou Dobbs announced at the top of his show tonight that it would be his last. Citing "winds of change" and a call for action from unnamed people, he said he would be exploring many options.

Hispanic activist groups, many of which accused Dobbs of pushing an anti-immigrant agenda on his show and were seeking his termination, are claiming victory. A network of organizations started a viral campaign called "Basta Dobbs." The group's Web site has more details on their activities and the list of supporters.

Guzmán sues News Corp

2009-11-10T11:58:00.001-08:00

Former New York Post editor Sandra Guzmán is suing the paper and its parent company, News Corp. In the lawsuit, Sandra claims she was fired in retaliation for complaints about alleged pervasive racism and sexism at the newspaper.

Reuters reports the lawsuit, filed yesterday in Manhattan federal court, details several alleged instances of racist or sexist conduct at the paper. Citing one example, a senior executive allegedly referred to Sandra as "Cha Cha #1."

Sandra worked for the NY Post for 6 years. She was terminated on Sept.29. She seeks compensatory and punitive damages, "including for emotional distress and harm to her career."

New bilingual magazine enters the market

2009-11-09T08:54:00.000-08:00

The first issue of Latin Star is out on the street. The new bilingual lifestyle magazine, targeting men and women ages 18-49 is hoping to gain footing in the national marketplace. Los Angeles-based Latin Star Corporation, which also promotes concerts, publishes the magazine.

Tatiana Bedoya, the founder of the short-lived Vixta magazine in Sacramento, is the co-publisher.

"My vision has always been to speak to Latinos through a publication that shows the respect I have towards our culture," she tells me. "I was unable to continue publishing Vixta magazine at a local level due to lack of financing, but it was thanks to my magazine that Latin Star Corporation found me."

The second issue is in the works and will be released shortly.

Entravision's revenues drop

2009-11-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

Entravision Communications reports its revenues are down 17% - from $61 million a year ago to $50.8 million in Q3 of this year. The company attributes its more than $10 million drop to a decrease in local and advertising rates in both its TV and radio properties, due to the weak economy.

On the other hand, the company decreased its operating expenses by more than $6 million, by eliminating jobs and salary reductions.

Telemundo station group management shuffle

2009-11-06T05:24:00.000-08:00

Celia Chávez was named President and General Manager for WSNS-44 in Chicago. Until recently, she was overseeing KBLR-40 in Las Vegas and KDEN-25 in Denver. Celia has been with Telemundo for 14 years.

After a 22-year run at KSTS-48 in San Jose, Erika Diaz has been promoted to Station Manager from Operations Manager.

Manuel Abud, President and GM of KXTX-39 in Dallas, will now also oversee the Telemundo Production Center (TPC). Prior to landing in Dallas, he was VP and GM of KVEA-52 and KWHY-22. He was removed from the job by Telemundo after the Mayor Villaraigosa-Mirthala Salinas scandal, for violating conflict of interest policies.

Efren Padilla was promoted to VP of Sales for Arizona KTAZ-39 and KHRR-40, reporting to recently promoted Araceli de León, who is now in charge of 4 Telemundo stations.

David Padilla was promoted to General Sales Manager, reporting to Erika Diaz at KSTS-48.

Regalado elected Miami mayor

2009-11-05T11:56:00.000-08:00

Journalist Tomás Regalado was elected mayor of the city of Miami with 72% of the vote. He replaces 2-term mayor Manny Diaz.

Tomás, who has been a city commissioner since 1996, is also the news director for Spanish Broadcasting Systems, a daily host and commentator on WWFE 670 AM, "La poderosa" and host of "El informativo," on cable network TeleMiami.

Born in Cuba, he arrived in Miami at age 14 in 1962. He is the son of Tomás Regalado Molina, the last president of the Cuban Association of Journalists and Reporters and a political prisoner for over 22 years.

Tomás started his journalism career at WFAB "La Fabulosa." He went on to work at WCKT, an NBC affiliate (which later became Fox affiliate WSVN-7) as Latin American news editor, returning to WFAB 2 years later. He also worked as an international news correspondent and later, as a reporter for WLTV-23 (then SIN). He eventually returned to radio. Tomás, who was a member of the White House press corp in the early '80's, also worked as a weekly columnist for the Miami Herald.

The new mayor legally takes office on November 11.

Limón leaves Telemundo for CBS

2009-11-05T05:08:00.000-08:00

Alexandra Limón is heading to Fresno to become nightside general assignment reporter for KGPE-47, the CBS affiliate. Her first day on the new job is next Monday, Nov. 9.

She leaves Tucson, where she has been a reporter for the Telemundo TPC regional newscast since April of 2008. Her last day there was yesterday.

Before joining Telemundo, she worked at then-owned Pappas stations KREN (CW) and KAZR (Azteca América) in Reno as a bilingual video journalist, doing camera, editing and reporting.

Telemundo L.A. talent update

2009-11-04T12:11:00.000-08:00

Dunia Elvir, whose 1 pm newscast on KWHY-22 got canceled last month, is now anchoring morning news briefs at KVEA-52.

When the morning newscast at KVEA got canceled, it was unknown where

its anchors would land. I'm told José Ronstadt is now doing special reports, while Azucena Gómez is field reporting for the 6 pm newscast.

El Sol de Alaska shuts down

2009-11-03T13:21:00.001-08:00

After more than 10 years providing information to Hispanics in Alaska, publisher Gil Sánchez was forced to shut down his Web site El Sol de Alaska.

Gil tells me that he had two main reasons for calling it quits: "The first reason was all the hate mail, malicious viruses and attacks on the Web site. Secondly, the demand of time in order to do a good job was ever increasing."

Gil points out there was also a cost issue involved in hosting the site and as he did it as community service, he wasn't even charging people to advertise on El Sol de Alaska.

Arizona paper to shut down

2009-11-03T08:55:00.000-08:00

The East Valley Tribune in Mesa, Arizona will stop publishing both its print and online editions on Dec. 31. About 140 people will lose their jobs.

E&P reports Freedom Communications, the paper's parent company had put the Tribune up for sale but failed to get decent offers. Facing a $770 million debt, the company filed for bankruptcy protection in August.

The Tribune this year won a Pulitzer for local reporting.

De León promoted to regional VP

2009-10-30T05:57:00.000-07:00

Araceli de León, who was named President and General Manager of Telemundo stations KTAZ-39 and KHRR-40 in Phoenix and Tucson in May of 2008, has been handed the reins of 2 more stations.

Promoted to Regional Vice President and General Manager, she will now also oversee sales, news, programming, marketing and operations of KBLR-40 in Las Vegas and KDEN-25 in Denver.

Araceli originally joined the Telemundo Arizona station as VP and GM from February 2003 to January 2005. She spent 2 years in Los Angeles, as VP and GM of KWHY-22, but returned to Phoenix in 2007.

Before joining Telemundo, she was GM of KORO-28, the Univision station in Corpus Christi. Prior to that she was Assistant News Director at KENS-5, the CBS affiliate in San Antonio.

Araceli began her career in 1978 at KENS in the Engineering department. She would later be recruited as Associate News Producer in NYC.

Morales named VP Content at WNJU

2009-10-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

José Morales has landed the newly created position of VP of Content, at Telemundo's O&O in New York. He will be in charge of the news department, creative services and all digital platforms.

It was just 2 weeks ago that Telemundo announced layoffs and restructuring of its news operations, which included the elimination of the news director position at WJNU-47, leaving Hugo Balta without a job.

José comes to WJNU after working a year as Director of Digital Content for Telemundo Local Media. He was previously Director of News Operations for the NBC Television Stations Division, where he managed the broadcast division and several internet operations for the O&O's. Before that, he was Director of News Operations for the Telemundo Television stations. Prior to joining Telemundo, he worked as News Director for Univision in Puerto Rico and as Assistant News Director for Univision NY.