Univision realigns daytime and primetime programming

Univision is moving oversight of its morning show “Despierta América” and afternoon entertainment and gossip program “El Gordo y la Flaca” from the entertainment to the news division.

In an internal message to staff, President of News Daniel Coronell and President of Entertainment Lourdes Díaz said the move would “better align with best practices in the broadcast industry.”

The move means that the VP/Executive Producers for both shows – Luz María Doria (Despierta America) and Mariela Cardona (El Gordo y la Flaca) will report to Patsy Loris, EVP of News, under Coronell.

As part of the “realignment,” Adrián Santucho, EVP, Univision Studios, will focus on Univision non-scripted primetime and work closely with Televisa and other partners, while continuing to oversee production of Univision music specials in close collaboration with the Music Division under Jorge “Pepo” Ferradas.

“The change simply leverages the resources and strength of the News Division to make our daytime shows more in sync with breaking news,” says a company spokesperson. “The improvements will be gradual and more focused on programming content.”

Below is the full email sent to staff:

From: Corporate Communications
Sent: Thursday, October 26, 2017 12:52 PM
Subject: Daytime & Primetime Programming Realignment

Dear Colleagues,

Today we are pleased to announce that our two longest-running daytime shows, Despierta America and El Gordo y la Flaca will move from the Entertainment Division to the News Division to better align with best practices in the broadcast industry. Effective today, executive producers Luz Maria Doria (Despierta America) and Mariela Cardona (El Gordo y la Flaca) will report to Patsy Loris, EVP of News and executive news director; under Daniel Coronell, president of News.

For 20 years, Despierta America has informed, entertained, inspired and set the agenda each weekday morning and consistently earned its number-one ranking. Similarly, El Gordo y la Flaca has raised the bar on entertainment news for nearly 20 years with Raul de Molina and Lili Estefan at the helm. High-quality production, top talent and compelling content have earned these two shows multiple awards and industry recognition. Under the News Division, Despierta America and El Gordo y la Flaca will be better positioned to create synergies with our award-winning Noticias Univision team.

As part of these changes, Adrian Santucho, EVP, Univision Studios, will continue to report to Lourdes Diaz, president of Entertainment. Adrian will be focused on Univision non-scripted primetime and work closely with our partners at Televisa and others, while he continues to oversee the production of our marquee music specials and tentpoles in close collaboration with the Music Division under Jorge “Pepo” Ferradas, president of Music, as well as the 30 hours of specials we broadcast throughout the year.

We look forward to many more years of continued success for our daytime and primetime programming under this new structure.

Regards,

Daniel Coronell and Lourdes Diaz