Noticias Univision Costa Central, Santa Maria’s only Spanish-language local television newscast, is scheduled to go off the air December 15th.
The station serves 230,000 Latino households in the Central Coast.
Even though in 2010 it had the highest ratings of any news program on the Central Coast, beating perennial winner KEYT, it has been losing money for three years.
Blanca Figueroa, news director, anchor and reporter for KPMR-38, an Entravision-owned station, sent out an email to community leaders this week informing them that the station’s general manager, Gabe Quiroz, intended on shutting down the newscast due to financial problems.
According to the Santa Barbara Independent, Blanca has asked the GM for a 15-day extension, hoping she can find sponsors to keep the 6 pm weekday newscast on the air, save the jobs of her 5 member staff and “preserve the primary source of information for many of the region’s Spanish speakers.”
KPMR’s newscast launched in 2003.
12/12 UPDATE: An Entravision PR rep now says the newscast’s last day is Dec. 30.