Falco Named COO at Univision

Former NBCU bigwig says growth of Hispanic population lured him

By John Eggerton & Michael Malone -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/18/2011 9:39:23 AM

Randy Falco, former chairman of AOL has joined Univision as EVP and chief operating officer, based in New York.

Ray Rodriguez had been Univision president and COO. He retired at the end of 2009, but his had been more of a programming and operations role as COO, while Falco will focus on revenue generation, according to a source.

He reports to Univision President and CEO Joe Uva.

"We are thrilled to have attracted such a proven, highly skilled and well-respected senior executive as Randy Falco to Univision," said Uva. "Randy brings more than 30 years of experience across traditional and digital media that will help us build on the significant existing and untapped opportunities for revenue growth across our organization."

Falco said he's had his eye on the Spanish-language media giant for some time. "I have long admired Univision--a pioneer in the industry--and recognized the tremendous potential and influence of the burgeoning U.S. Hispanic population," he said. "The 2010 Census will clearly shed additional light on the coming of age story for both the company and Hispanic population. I'm excited to be joining Univision at such a pivotal moment in its history, as it continues to build momentum as a leading multi-platform media company in America regardless of language."

Before AOL, Falco spent more than 30 years at NBC, including a long stint as network president from 1998-2004 and president of broadcast and network operations from 1993-1998.

AOL announced in March 2009 that Falco would be exiting that company after what was described as transitioning it from a subscription business to an audience business, which had included some major costcutting.