In a move anticipated for weeks, Daniel Alegre, TelevisaUnivsion’s CEO since September, today told staff via email that the company would undergo major restructuring, changes and layoffs to “reinforce the four key priorities” essential to strengthening its position.
His message included the announcement that Jesús Lara, President of Local Media, who led local TV and radio operations and sales across the U.S., would be leaving TelevisaUnivision. He had been with the company since 2017.
Lara’s departure prompted a series of senior leadership changes. Donna Speciale will now be in charge of all U.S. ad sales, and Ignacio Meyer will oversee U.S. Audio and Local Programming, in addition to his current role managing U.S. Linear Programming.
As part of the overhaul, Alegre tasked José Luis Fabila, currently VP of Networks, Programming and Marketing of TelevisaUnivision Mexico, with creating and leading a new Global Content Organization that will distribute content across all of the company’s platforms.
ViX COO Rafael Urbina will oversee all digital and streaming operations.
Hours after his email indicating “significant and necessary changes to the company this week” that would impact colleagues, the cuts began.
According to sources, during an afternoon meeting, employees of Univision’s longtime Mexico City bureau, which produced news and content for various shows and newscasts, were informed that it was being shut down and that all employees would be laid off.
Among those let go today was Juan Carlos Gutiérrez, news director of Univision’s KDTV-14 station in the San Francisco Bay Area. It’s expected more news managers and other staff cuts will take place in the coming days.
Below is the full text of Alegre’s email.
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Hello Team,
I am writing to inform you that we are implementing significant and necessary changes to the company this week, all aimed at strengthening our position for 2025 and beyond. Today, I am announcing a new organizational structure, which will have important implications for many of our colleagues.
These changes are designed to reinforce the four key priorities I have outlined for us going forward:
Integration and Collaboration: Working as one company in everything we do.
Content First: Everything starts with great content, and we must align our teams and strategies to continue connecting, informing, and entertaining our communities.
Solution Selling: Our partners’ needs are evolving, and we must serve them in ways no one else can in the market.
Culture: We must rebuild a growth mindset, grounded in innovation, across the entire company.
The changes include leadership adjustments in some areas and a reorganization of functions to help us achieve greater alignment, focus, and impact.
First, I want to share that Jesús Lara, our head of Local in the U.S., has decided to leave the company. In response, I have decided to reorganize the U.S. local teams. I will centralize U.S. advertising sales under the leadership of Donna Speciale, covering local and national, linear, digital, streaming, audio, and multiplatform video. This structure will ensure a single, solutions-oriented point of entry for all our U.S. advertising partners to activate and grow with our audience.
Additionally, Ignacio Meyer will now oversee U.S. Audio and Local Programming, in addition to his current role managing U.S. Linear Programming. Donna and Ignacio will communicate separately with the U.S. local teams to outline how the new structure will operate.
I want to express my deepest gratitude to Jesús Lara for his dedication, vision, and contributions to TelevisaUnivision over the past eight years. He will work closely with Donna and Ignacio to ensure a smooth transition for the teams joining their organizations.
From a content strategy perspective, I have asked José Luis Fabila to lead all our content efforts and create a newly formed Global Content Organization. José Luis will ensure that our content investments align with our company’s reach, engagement, and monetization goals, and are distributed efficiently across all platforms worldwide with the right windowing strategy. This is an exciting opportunity to elevate how we deliver world-class content to our global audiences.
Our talented Business Unit Leaders will work closely with José Luis:
Ignacio Meyer will lead our U.S. Core Business, as well as our music and audio content teams, reporting to José Luis. In addition, current U.S. Networks Programming and Marketing Teams will also be rolled into roles in the Global Content Organization. Jose Luis and Ignacio will provide further detail to these teams.
Rafael Urbina will oversee digital and streaming operations, performance marketing and CRM, focusing on driving adoption, increasing consumption, and optimizing the global user experience. Jose Luis’ content and brand marketing organization will provide ViX with content acquisition, development and production services as well as planning and creative services to support ViX marketing. Rafa and José Luis will provide further details to their respective teams.
Olek Loewenstein will continue to lead the sports business unit, collaborating with José Luis’ Global Content Organization.
These leaders will remain key members of my broader leadership team.
Finally, I want to acknowledge that workforce changes will also take place across the company this week. While these decisions are never easy, we are committed to supporting everyone through their transition.
I understand that this will be a challenging week, but I ask for your focus and resilience as we take these important steps toward a stronger and more connected future. Together, we are building a company positioned for sustained growth, innovation, and leadership.
Thank you for your trust, contributions, and commitment to our mission and goals.
Daniel