For Hispanics, it’s more than just news

By Court Stroud

This article is part of an ongoing Media Life series entitled “Catching the next big wave: Hispanic media.” You can read previous stories by clicking here.

Many Americans probably don’t know Jorge Ramos, but Hispanics surely do. He’s the guy who dared to stand up to Donald Trump. No one stands up to Donald Trump, no one.

Back last June, Trump shocked American TV audiences by slurring Hispanics coming across the border from Mexico, calling them murders and rapists, among other things, and vowed to build a wall to keep them out.

At a later news conference, Ramos, co-anchor of Univisión’s nightly news, argued with the Republican candidate, essentially saying the wall was a dumb idea and Trump was a race-baiting bigot. It was a heated exchange. Ramos did not back down.

That’s something no English-language news anchor would consider, and it speaks to just how different Hispanic TV news is and why it is such a key part of the lives of U.S. Hispanics.

Ramos, for three decades anchor of “Noticiero Univisión,” is just that sort of newsman. As the dean of U.S. Hispanic TV news, he’s openly campaigned for the interests of Latinos during election years, including the treatment of undocumented workers.

Call it advocacy journalism. It’s not enough just to report the news. You take the side of the viewer, defending his interests, affirming his—or her—status as just as good as anyone else, and maybe better. You celebrate Hispanic culture.

Hispanic news is different in other ways. There’s a greater emphasis on international current events, especially from Latin America and Spain.

It’s far less New York-centric. Univisión and Telemundo transmit their half-hour shows from Miami, Estrella TV from its studios in Burbank, Calif., and Azteca América from Mexico City. That puts them closer to their viewers and a greater distance from the me-tooism of so much TV journalism.

Here’s a brief look at the four Hispanic news operations:

Univisión

Univisión sets itself apart from the competition by the longevity of its anchors. In 1987, one year after Ramos began anchoring Univisión’s network newscast, María Elena Salinas joined him.

So many years in front of the camera have made their broadcasts the most trusted place for news among the Spanish-language networks. Salinas also co-hosts “Aquí y Ahora,” a newsmagazine much like ABC’s “20/20.”

In 2013, in a partnership with ABC, Univisión launched a cable news network aimed at Millennials, called Fusion. ABC’s parent company Disney is reportedly seeking to sell its stake in the cable network, likely to Univisión.

Telemundo

Telemundo’s chief distinguishing feature is its relationship with the news gathering organizations at parent company NBCU. Nightly new anchor José Díaz–Balart not only hosts “Noticiero Telemundo” but also “The Daily Rundown” on MSNBC. Due to its relationship with parent company NBCU, Telemundo news tends to have less explicit advocacy on its broadcasts than the competition.

Estrella

At Estrella TV, the news division had been known as the home of one of Hispanic America’s most trusted journalists, Enrique Gratas. The respected newsman, who helmed investigative news programs at Telemundo and Univisión for a combined two decades before moving to Estrella in 2010, died last October. Adriana Ruggiero, with experience in South America and at the helm of Estrella’s local L.A. newscast, has since moved to network news anchor duties.

Azteca América

Azteca América counts on its relationship with parent company TV Azteca in order to provide in-depth coverage of events happening in America’s southern neighbor. The network has correspondents in major U.S. cities, including Armando Guzmán, who has been covering the news from Washington, D.C., since the 1980s. Network news anchor Roberto Ruiz previously anchored “Azteca América West Coast.”

Court Stroud is a writer and a longtime media executive who has worked for companies such as Univisión, Telemundo and several digital startups. He most recently served as Azteca América’s EVP of network sales and digital. Stroud holds degrees from UT-Austin and the Harvard Business School. Follow him on Twitter: @CourtStroudNYC

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