Telemundo Ramps Up News Coverage

MIAMI: Telemundo Communications Group is to enhance and expand its news content across key day parts and multiple platforms, featuring an increased investment in local newscasts. 

"The media business is going through enormous changes, we are in a technological revolution and our audiences are consuming news and information in dramatically different ways," said Don Browne, the president of Telemundo. "They are telling us what they want, when they want it and how they are going to get it, 24 hours a day. For 55 years Telemundo has been a pioneer and innovator in media and has been driven by our founder Angel Ramos’s original vision, to create content with quality and integrity that informs, empowers, inspires and entertains our Hispanic community. In that spirit, we are expanding our news platforms in order to reach all of our audiences at a time when news and information are important to our country and essential in serving our community."

The expanded news strategy will involve network shows Noticiero Telemundo, Al Rojo Vivo con Maria Celeste and Levantate. Telemundo will also launch a weekly public-affairs show featuring high-level newsmakers to address the issues that are important to Hispanics today. News veteran Jose Diaz-Balart, who is set to replace Pedro Sevcec on Noticiero Telemundo, will host the new public-affairs show, starting in the first quarter of 2010.

Browne commented: "I want to thank Pedro Sevcec for his years of service and for his commitment and dedication to journalism and Telemundo. As the baton of Noticiero Telemundo is passed to Jose Diaz-Balart, we can all feel confident that the quality, integrity and future of this most important news program is in very good hands. Over the past 25 years I have had the opportunity to observe Jose Diaz-Balart’s exceptional career in journalism and witness first hand his incredible passion and dedication to serving our Hispanic community."

Also as part of the new strategy, Telemundo recently announced that journalist Carmen Dominicci will join the network news team and will contribute to Noticiero Telemundo and Al Rojo Vivo con Maria Celeste. Vanessa Hauc will also be a key contributor to Noticiero Telemundo, coupled with her current work on Al Rojo Vivo con Maria Celeste.

Telemundo will allocate resources to strengthen its local newscast, supported by a change in formats, editorial strength and pacing. In addition, the station group is creating content centers across the country to improve news coverage and provide multimedia news content, including lifestyle segments, special series and help lines, supported by an enhanced digital strategy.

Telemundo has appointed Jose Marquez, architect of mun2 Digital, to focus on the multimedia elements of Noticiero. As the VP of interactive strategy, Marquez will be responsible for the creation and development of new interactive experiences for the main evening newscasts. He will report to Peter Blacker, the executive VP of digital media and emerging businesses.