Telemundo O&Os to Launch News at 5 P.M.

Further expanding local Spanish-language news offerings, the Telemundo Station Group Tuesday announced 14 of its O&Os are going to launch 5 p.m. newscasts in September.

The Sept. 26 launch comes less than two years after the group launched local half-hour newscasts at 5:30 p.m. ET on those stations. The new newscasts will replace the Telemundo network show The Best of Caso Cerrado.

Telemundo plans to hire at least 30 new newsroom employees across the group to support the growth, the company said. The group owns 17 TV stations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

“The Telemundo-owned stations have transformed local Spanish-language news and the way Hispanic communities receive the local information that matters to them,” said Manuel Martinez, the group’s president. “This local news investment serves as a testament to our deep-rooted commitment and our sense of responsibility as local broadcasters to ensure that our Spanish language viewers – who have been underserved for far too long – receive best-in-class local news, up-to-the-minute weather forecasts and have access to important consumer information they need to help them stay ahead and be empowered consumers.”