Just days after Univision Puerto Rico shut down its news operations, WAPA Televisión announced it’s launching a new Spanish-language primetime newscast produced specifically for the U.S. market.
“Noticentro América,” debuts next Monday, October 27. The one-hour newscast will air live on WAPA’s U.S. sister cable network, WAPA América, Monday-Friday at 8pm ET/5pm PT.
Puerto Rican journalists Pedro Rosa Nales and Monika Candelaria, currently on-air news personalities for WAPA Televisión’s newscasts, will co-anchor the newscast, which will feature reporting from Guillermo José Torres Jr. and sports updates from Kefren Velázquez. Meteorologist Deborah Martorell will present weather updates for key U.S. cities.
A company spokeswoman says that in addition to making use of the current WAPA Televisión staff, they’ve hired new production resources to work on the show.
Enrique Cruz, Vice President and News Director of WAPA Televisión, will oversee the show’s production. Renato Rivera will serve as Executive Producer and Griselle Sierra as Producer.
“Puerto Ricans are the second-largest Hispanic group in the U.S., and this is the first news program produced in Puerto Rico tailored for U.S. viewers,” said Alan J. Sokol, President of Hemisphere Media Group, WAPA’s parent company.
Launched in the U.S. in 2004, WAPA América is the U.S. cable network affiliated with Puerto Rico’s WAPA Television and is a subsidiary of Hemisphere Media Group, Inc. It’s distributed nationwide by all major cable, satellite and telco providers.