Telefutura Launches National Newscast

Univision’s second broadcast network, Telefutura, will debut its inaugural network newscast on Oct. 17. The program, TeleFutura En Vivo y Directo, will air nightly at 7 p.m. and will be anchored by Univision news veterans Carmen Dominicci and Rolando Nichols.

In the Spanish-language TV industry, prime time runs from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Univision is touting the new program as the only prime time Spanish-language news on broadcast TV. However, in some markets, Spanish-language broadcast stations do offer newscasts in prime. NBC-owned independent KWHY Los Angeles, for example, programs a 7 p.m. news.

The new TeleFutura En Vivo y Directo news will air on the network’s affiliates around the country, including 17 stations that are owned by Univision. The hour-long broadcast will cover international news, entertainment, sports, finance, technology and consumer issues.

"This program marks an exciting new era in Spanish-language television," Bert Medina, TeleFutura senior VP and operating manager, said in a statement. "By offering a full hour of prime time network news and information, the U.S. Hispanic television viewer will now have unprecedented access to the events and people that make up their world during a whole new time period."