Veteran national correspondents Luis Megid and Blanca Rosa Vilchez, whose storied careers span more than four decades at Univision, have taken retirement buyouts.
Their last day at the company was today.
Megid started at Univision as a reporter for KDTV-14, where he was part of the San Francisco station’s news team that won a Peabody Award for its coverage of the 1985 Mexico earthquake. His talent as a storyteller led to his promotion as a national correspondent, which contributed to the establishment of Univision’s San Francisco bureau, where he remained throughout his tenure. Over the years, he has reported on a wide range of stories, including natural disasters, immigration, politics, elections, and human interest pieces.
Vilchez began her journey at Univision as a reporter for its local New York station WXTV 41, before becoming a network correspondent. She has covered some of the most relevant stories of the past several decades, including the economic and human toll of Hurricane Sandy. But it was her real-time reporting on the September 11, 2001 attacks that she’s most recognized for. Near the World Trade Center early that morning to cover the NYC mayoral primary election, she was among the first to arrive on scene at the World Trade Center to witness the Twin Towers collapse, forcing her and her cameraman to run for their lives.
Megid and Vilchez were not the only journalists to take retirement buyouts. Longtime Univision network news writers Daniel Morcate, Jorge Mota and Susana Mikle also exited the company today.
Univision also officially shut down the network’s San Francisco bureau.
Over the past two weeks, rumors circulated about impending cuts and program cancellations. Staffers say they were told to expect “massive layoffs” across the board. A source described the tension and anxiety in the newsroom, noting that employees feel “absolute terror” due to the uncertainty created by waiting to find out who will lose their jobs and who will remain with the company. Meanwhile, some employees who have spent decades with the organization are rushing to polish their résumés.
Sources tell Media Moves that cuts originally scheduled for this week have now been postponed until the first week of December.
Among the strongest rumors is the potential cancellation of the weekly news magazine “Aquí y Ahora,” which has been on the air since 2000, and Sunday public affairs program “Al Punto,” hosted by anchor Jorge Ramos since its inception in 2007. Ramos is leaving Univision at the end of the year. Additionally, sources suggest that the daytime gossip and entertainment show “El Gordo y la Flaca” may be reduced to a weekly format.
Media Moves reached out to Univision for confirmation and clarification regarding these cuts. The company did not issue an official statement.
However, a senior Univision executive confirmed the closure of the San Francisco bureau and the departures mentioned in this story. The executive noted that, aside from “Al Punto,” discussions about program cancellations may be somewhat exaggerated and conceded that more “news” about upcoming changes within the company – without further elaboration – are expected in early December.
Like the title of Gabriel García Márquez’s “Crónica de una muerte anunciada”, this outcome was inevitable when Televisa took majority ownership of Univision. Bit by bit, the network is being dismantled, with most—if not all—production shifted to Mexico, where labor costs are significantly lower. To put it into perspective, you can hire nearly 10 producers in Mexico for the cost of one in the U.S.
Univision is a shadow of its former self, and legacy media as a whole is struggling to adapt. Now, Comcast is following a similar path with layoffs. And, as always, Univision’s major layoffs conveniently happen in December. What a heartwarming way to spend Christmas (yes, I’m being sarcastic).
Blanca Rosa Vílchez and Jorge Ramos are major losses for TV. I hope other entities will take up their dear and trustworthy images and voices.
Televisa is killing company, step by ste whole operation will be at Mexico. Recently the let go Wade Davis and imposed a mexican guy.
Telemundo is kicking them.
They finished off Univision, they got rid of the most credible journalists to hire inexperienced ones with very low salaries, it is understandable why the world of television is dead but Univision deserved a more dignified end.
R.I.P
Can someone please just admit that a Mexican company now ILLEGALLY WHOLLY owns an American media outlet??? What a dump of a company…
Illegally? How?
At Miami they change conference room names from latin america cities to just mexico cities. They let go Wade Davis and Pierluigi Gazzolo to bring in mexican. TELEVISA wake up and smell coffee, isn’t just mexicans at USA
Last town hall was at Mexico and spanish without translation. WTF