Media Moves

Covering Latinos in the Media Industry

Interview with Univision’s Jorge Ramos to air on Telemundo

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Jose Diaz-Balart - Jorge Ramos March 2018
In an unprecedented move, Telemundo’s José Díaz-Balart interviews Univision’s Jorge Ramos. The segment is set to air during the March 12 “Noticias Telemundo” newscast.

For the first time ever in the history of Spanish-language television, an on-air personality from Univision will appear on Telemundo.

Telemundo news anchor José Díaz-Balart interviewed Univision’s Jorge Ramos about his new book “Stranger: The Challenge of a Latino Immigrant in the Trump Era” and had a discussion about the present and future of the Latino community, the impact of the Trump presidency, journalism and activism, among other topics.

That unprecedented conversation between the two rival anchors airs today, March 12 at 6:30 pm ET during the “Noticias Telemundo” newscast.

“It took us 30 years to achieve this. Networks often interview people from the competition. But this had never happened on Spanish television,” Ramos tells Media Moves. “This speaks of the maturity we have reached in the industry and the political moment we’re living in the United States. Talking about my book ‘Stranger’ was the excuse to do something really historic.”

And historic it is. Promoting rival network talent was unheard of until 2015, when Telemundo honored longtime Univision host Mario Kreutzberger, aka “Don Francisco” for his lifelong contributions to Spanish-language television.

In that instance, however, Univision had just canceled his long-running show “Sábado Gigante,” and eventually, the TV icon hopped over to Telemundo, where he signed a multi-year production deal.

So how did the Telemundo Ramos interview happen?

“Telemundo news president Luis Fernández came up with the idea, and the Univision news department immediately supported it,” says Ramos. “It was a simple agreement. They would film the interview and air it on Monday. We, at Univision, will release the digital version at the same time.”

A Univision spokesperson says they consider “the interview as something normal….Just in the last few days Jorge has appeared on CNN and Fox News, among many other cable and TV networks.”

About the unusual promotion of one of Univision’s most recognizable on-air personalities, a Telemundo spokesperson simply states: “it’s just us innovating, trying to redefine the media landscape with a broader more inclusive strategy.”

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. The definition of FakeNews: everybody knows in here that they detest each other. A meaningless show we won’t see, maybe another Washington Attack strategy to sell books and ratings. Remember, Georgie is in the current “I have never feel more despise as a minority as now” tour, says the spoiled little kid. And PepeDB is staying.
    As for El Español, always in close relation with his pal in Univision News, -a company he loves-, is not a surprise that he keeps pushing this friendly agenda.

    • Despise? Not at all. Many of Telemundo and Univision’s employees and talent have good friends on the other network. The idea that Univision and Telemundo hating each other is like saying Sox and Cubs players hate each other. It is an easy narrative to proliferate but couldn’t be further from the truth. I personally know of married couples who work for both stations and others who have gone from one to the other and still kept good relationships with former colleagues.

    • The article is about an interview with Jorge Ramos and JDB and how this is the first time ever that this has happened. All of those are LITERALLY facts. What is fake about that? Facts are unable to be fake –
      – because they’re facts (you obviously missed that class in 2nd grade). Remember, you’re either a Russian troll or an associate and at the end of the day – everyone will come to terms with the fact that you’re just here to perpetuate hate, discrimination and isolationism (none of which will benefit the US or the World). Unity works against your goal. We already know that though – so give it up.

  2. It’s about time that Latino Media, especially Univision stop being so silly about ignoring talent, productions and achievemts from other competing stations. Shouldn’t we all be “unidos”?… Not even third-world countries behave in such extreme illogical manner, except perhaps Mexico, where Televisa instituted el veto, but even them are opening-up more.
    As far as the Latino crisis in Trump era, (???) Yes, we feel the crisis…
    Historic unemployment among minorities (especially African American, Women and LATINOS OR HISPANICS), big tax Cuts for working families and especially for small business (which benefits the large number of latino entrepreneurs), deportation of MS-13 gang members that terrified , especially our Latino communities, and the top of the cherry… President Trump’s willingness to provide legal status (not funny provisional executive mandate) to 1.8 million “Dreamers” -not the 800k that Dems were supposedly fighting for… But Latino media only focuses on the wall, Dreamers as pawns, and now gun control. No profound talk on the booming economy, ISIS defeated, and not even the President’s High Approval ratings… I wonder why…

    Ramos is an activist, with socialist beliefs, he hates Trump, dislikes Republicans and opposes any conservative value. His daughter worked for Obama and Hillary. He’s so much in the tank for Dems, but he’s not alone. Telemundo in general -including ‘news’, openly oppose Trump and anything Republican/Conservative so much that they don’t even try to hide it. They’re all the best campaign messaging tools the Dems have for all their agenda and to cover-up their scandals.

    The Hispanic media in general have been terrorizing the Hispanic Community with their biased irreverent propagandist agenda just for their own benefit (they may get high ratings at times, since a lot of folds are now so scare due their biased coverage, but they’ve been also hurting themselves with the auto-deportation of their viewers, due to the fear they cause).

    Good thing Ramos book is going to make Dems happy and he and the Latino media will keep on contributing to make Latinos more and more unaware of all the news (that don’t fit the Dems agenda) and they will keep on making the US more intolerant of different Views and Free Speech, more divisive, and of course a happy Gun Free Zone and Immigrant Welcoming community like Mexico or Venezuela.

  3. Sorry for the typos!
    Here on this line, I meant to write: “they may get high ratings at times, since a lot of FOLKS are now so scare due their biased coverage, but they’ve been also hurting themselves with the auto-deportation of their viewers, due to the fear their ‘coverage’ has caused).

    Thanks!