PRESS
RELEASE from Univision
UNIVISION TO PROVIDE
HIGHLY ENGAGED HISPANIC ELECTORATE MOST EXTENSIVE AND TECHNOLOGICALLY
ADVANCED ELECTION DAY COVERAGE EVER
Massive Election Center
Complex Will Give Viewers Real-Time Results on National and State Races
of Special Interest to Hispanics As They Unfold Across the Nation
MIAMI,
FL, OCTOBER 27, 2008 –
Due to this year’s heightened interest and crucial role of Hispanic
voters, Univision Communications, the leading Spanish-language media
company, has announced plans to provide the most complete election
coverage in its history.
The
centerpiece of the network’s coverage will be the state-of-the-art
Election Center complex created especially for this year’s historic
presidential contest. Featuring a full array of electoral maps,
tote boards and an interactive U-touch electronic screen, network
anchors Jorge Ramos and María Elena Salinas will track the races
and issues from across the country as they are decided, and put them in
perspective for viewers.
Joining the network anchors to provide expert
analysis and commentary will be:
- Henry Cisneros – (Democrat) – Former
Secretary of HUD under the Clinton administration and an Obama campaign
spokesperson
- Emilio Gonzalez – (Republican) – Former
Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under the
Bush administration and a McCain campaign spokesperson.
- Sergio Bendixen – Democratic strategist and
pollster.
- Roberto de Posada – Republican strategist and
pollster.
- Maria Echaveste – (Democrat) – Former
presidential advisor and deputy chief of staff under the Clinton
administration.
- Alberto Cardenas – (Republican) – Former
Chairman of the Florida Republican party.
- Dan Restrepo – (Democrat) – Senior Policy
advisor - Western Hemisphere - to the Obama campaign
- Adolfo Franco – (Republican) – Latin American
policy advisor to the McCain campaign
- Arnoldo Torres – Univision analyst and expert
on Hispanic issues
Univision’s unprecedented coverage will begin
early on election morning as polls open across the country with special
reports during its “Despierta América” morning show and continue
with updates every hour throughout the day. Special coverage will
continue in daily newsmagazine “Primer Impacto,” local and national
news programs. Then the network will begin its non-stop election
night coverage at 7pm ET (6pm Central/4pm PT) and will continue
throughout the night.
All evening long, the Univision election news
team will be reporting live from both presidential campaign
headquarters and from across the country, especially from states with
heavy Hispanic constituencies. Close attention will also be paid to the
numerous special ballot propositions covering issues of particular
interest to Hispanics. Among the propositions are those concerning the
hiring of undocumented workers, parental notification for minors
seeking abortions and the establishment of English as the official
language. In addition, there will be live reports from the offices of
the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials
(NALEO) where a special voter hotline will be in operation to provide
Hispanic voters information about voting procedures and assistance in
case of any problems they may encounter at the polls.
Also on election night, Univision Network
anchor Enrique Gratas will unveil the results of a comprehensive
national Hispanic poll conducted jointly by Univision, Reuters and
Zogby International. This exclusive poll, conducted in the days leading
up to the election, will reveal the views of Hispanic voters on key
issues including the economy, health care, immigration, and the war in
Iraq.
Throughout the evening and for the very first
time, viewers will be able to play a real-time, interactive role in the
historic election coverage as they will be invited to participate in
online chats hosted by Univision.com, mobile texting via Univision
Movíl, as well as phone conferences using voice over IP
technology.
In addition, Univision.com's (keyword: Elecciones) extensive coverage of Election Day
will feature real-time
updates on the vote and live
video chats
for users to share opinions and predictions. Univision
Móvil will also offer the latest election coverage and updates
via its mobile portal.
“As Hispanic America’s most trusted
news source, Univision has dedicated more resources than ever in its
history to bring our viewers the most comprehensive and relevant
election coverage possible,” said Joe Uva, chief executive officer,
Univision Communications Inc. “On this historic election night,
Univision will provide not just the facts and figures, but also the
perspective and analysis of how the results will affect and empower
Hispanics in their daily lives.”
Univision Communications Inc. is the premier
Spanish-language media company in the United States. Its
operations include Univision Network, the most-watched Spanish-language
broadcast television network in the U.S. reaching 97% of U.S. Hispanic
Households; TeleFutura Network, a general-interest Spanish-language
broadcast television network, which was launched in 2002 and now
reaches 85% of U.S. Hispanic Households; Galavisión, the
country’s leading Spanish-language cable network; Univision Television
Group, which owns and operates 64 television stations in major U.S.
Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Radio, the leading
Spanish-language radio group which owns and/or operates 70 radio
stations in 16 of the top 25 U.S. Hispanic markets and 5 stations in
Puerto Rico; and Univision Online, the premier Spanish-language
Internet destination in the U.S. located at http://www.univision.com
Univision Communications also has a 50% interest in TuTv, a joint
venture formed to broadcast Televisa’s pay television channels in the
U.S. Univision Communications has television network operations in
Miami and television and radio stations and sales offices in major
cities throughout the United States.
For more information, please visit www.univision.net.
Contact:
Elizabeth Sanjenís