Telemundo

Telemundo has long been like a remote Caribbean island, cut off from its sprawling media homeland. NBCUniversal acquired the Spanish-language television network a decade ago for $2 billion but became discouraged by its seemingly limited prospects. But Comcast Corp.’s takeover of NBCUniversal last year may be building Telemundo a bridge to the mainland.

The platform, called Telemundo Plus, will allow advertisers to promote products in Spanish or English on NBCUniversal, Comcast and Telemundo networks.

NBC moves Chris McDonnell from sales/marketing VP at KXAS Dallas to lead its Spanish-language outlet in Chicago.

Boosted by Mexico’s run in men’s soccer, NBCUniversal’s Spanish-language network, Telemundo, scored viewership records for Olympics coverage. Telemundo said Monday that 22.5 million viewers watched a portion of its coverage of the London Olympics over the 17 days.

Vicky Gutierrez filed suit against the Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo and parent NBCUniversal alleging she was replaced with a younger woman.

Telemundo completed its upfront sales for the 2012-13 season last Tuesday, according to Dan Lovinger, EVP of ad sales and integrated marketing, and categories flat or down in the general market — such as consumer packaged goods and movies — are up at the Spanish-language broadcaster. Telemundo saw CPM increases in the 7% range, with sister cable network Mun2 about a point below that.

The Spanish-language network will also launch a rebranding campaign with new logo, tagline and on-air look this fall.

In its first partnership with a Spanish-language broadcaster, Shazam said it will be enabling viewers of Thursday night’s Billboard Latino Music Awards on Telemundo to tag the event for expanded content.

Univision long ago passed the CW to become the No. 5 broadcast network. It looks as though Telemundo, the No. 2 Spanish-language network behind Univision, expects to do the same some day. Telemundo has positioned itself as a rival to the young-skewing CW as its ratings grow, and it’s occasionally even beating its English-language competitor.

The former Univision news executive will oversee the journalism operations at the NBC-owned Hispanic network.

ZGS Communications’ Spanish-language news site Holaciudad partners with TV network Telemundo and mixes local news with national content in its effort to serve Spanish speakers from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds.

Telemundo and iVillage team on iVillage Mujer De Hoy. Editor Jessica Serrano will regularly appear on Telemundo’s morning show Levantate, highlighting stories from a Latina perspective.

Telemundo chief Emilio Romano spent part of a NATPE appearance touting Comcast’s commitment to the Spanish-language broadcaster. Comcast has invested heavily to grab rights to the World Cup away from Univision after 2014.

Former Univision account exec Michael McAlone is tapped to lead sales efforts at Telemundo’s Houston O&O.

The former Univision news exec becomes senior executive vice president of news and alternative programming, overseeing news efforts at both the network and its O&Os.

Changes are afoot at the NBC Universal Telemundo station in New York. A new local public affairs show, Enfoque Nueva York (Focus on New York) will launch Nov. 6 at 11 p.m. A news studio is under construction and, in January, the station will return weekend newscasts to the lineup.

The network is planning to show English-language subtitles in an effort to attract viewers among the skyrocketing number of second- and third-generation Hispanic-Americans.

A FIFA official says Fox has won the U.S. English-language television rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, with the Spanish-language rights going to Telemundo.

The Republican primary debate will be held in Las Vegas in December and comes weeks before the early primaries begin. Top Telemundo news anchor Jose Diaz-Balart will host the debate, which will be broadcast in Spanish.

Univision and Telemundo outlets are the recipients of Chrysler’s just announced campaign for the Ram truck brand — its largest commitment to Hispanic media. The campaing will include TV, radio, print (including newspapers) and digital media and will take hold in 15 markets with large Hispanic populations, with versions in both English and Spanish.

Telemundo today promoted Suzette Millo to vice president, publicity and talent strategy. Millo, who has been senior director, publicity and talent strategy, will continue to lead the publicity efforts for the […]

Coming off a strong upfront season — when advertisers buy commercial time before the season — the two major Spanish language television networks, Telemundo and Univision, are lining up more opportunities for advertisers wanting to incorporate their products into their telenovelas.

The addition of 1,000 hours-plus of local programming in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix and Puerto Rico is targeted to be complete by January. It’s also introducing HD news production.

Few in television have been as focused on the rise of the Hispanic demographic and its implications for the industry as NBCU’s Lauren Zalaznick. NBCU has a broad strategy to integrate Hispanic and non-Hispanic programming into a broader NBCU programming approach. Hispanics are “the only large-scale growing network audience on television,” Zalaznick says. “We all know [the] general-market is shrinking … but Hispanic broadcast is growing.”

After racking up the highest ratings in Telemundo history with its most recent telenovela, the Spanish language network is launching its first Emmy campaign for La Reina del Sur (Queen of the South) and its star Kate del Castillo.

Telemundo confirmed at its upfront presentation on Tuesday what had been rumored for several months, that it has signed Cristina Saralegui, known as the Hispanic Oprah Winfrey, to do a prime time talk show beginning later this year. Saralegui for 21 years had hosted The Cristina Show on rival Hispanic broadcast network Univision, until the show was abruptly cancelled last November.

As Telemundo and Univision prepare to give their upfront presentations to advertisers, they expect to rake in about 20% more ad dollars than they did in 2010.

Julio Cisneros has been hired as news director of KTAZ Phonix, Telemundo’s O&O in Phoenix. He replaces Juan Villa, who left the station in January to become News Director at Univision’s KTVW in same market.

The president of NBCUniversal’s Telemundo Communications Group is retiring effective June 3. The company says a successor will be named “in the coming months.”

Foes Univision and Telemundo are stealing TV’s most desired demographic with very different strategies.

Univision and Telemundo have been preaching it. Now the challenge is to profit from it. The two networks — and other Spanish-language media — have said results from the 2010 Census will validate a surge in the Hispanic population and bring more ad dollars their way. And in some cases, census results are even outpacing estimates.

Telemundo Communications Group announced today that the network will hold its upfront presentation on May 17  at 6 p.m. in New York at the American Museum of Natural History, in […]

Telemundo Networks ad sales veteran Craig Geller has moved to rival Hispanic programmer Sí TV, becoming SVP, advertising sales. Based in New York, he reports to Sí TV CEO Michael Schwimmer.

The former executive news producer at Phoenix Telemundo affiliate KTAZ moves across town to head up news at the Univision O&O.

NBC Universal’s Spanish-language television network Telemundo is about to get a jolt as Lauren Zalaznick — the company’s high priestess of marketing who has demonstrated a knack for turning tawdry reality shows into high culture — will be tapped to take over the network. Zalaznick currently shepherds Bravo  as well as the younger-skewing Oxygen channel and website iVillage.

The NBC-owned group of Spanish-language stations has reversed course from a 2006 decision to reduce its locally produced news programming and is actively beefing up its local news and programming both on the air and online as well as in the growing mobile space. Ronald Gordon, president of the Telemundo Television Station Group, explains the strategy behind the change and describes the progress made so far.

José Valle, president-GM of Telemundo’s Los Angeles duo of KVEA and KWH, resigned Tuesday. He was named to the post in December 2007.