Penélope Menchaca and Edward’O in El Paso

Thousands Attend KTDO El Paso’s 12 Corazones Event

On Saturday, February 10 thousands of fans from El Paso, Las Cruces and Juárez turned out at Cielo Vista Mall to spend the afternoon with Penélope Menchaca and Edward’O, hosts of Telemundo’s 12 Corazones. The two charismatic television stars were in El Paso to help 12 lucky contestants find the loves of their lives during a mock version of the popular game show. Interviewing contestants, interacting with fans and dancing across the Zodiac stage, Menchaca captivated the large crowd for hours. Edward’O brought his usual astrological intellect, flair and zeal to the event, providing each contestant’s astrological reading, aiding in the attempt to match two lucky contestants. Although the local 12 Corazones contestants ultimately failed to make a love connection, it was Menchaca and Edward’O who proved most endearing to the throngs of fans, many of whom waited in line for several hours for their chance to meet the stars for pictures and autographs.

Gustavo Cherquis reporting live from beautiful El Salvador

UNCAF Live from El Salvador

Gustavo Cherquis, WZDC Washington DC’s Sports Anchor traveled to El Salvador to cover the UNCAF Copa de Naciones de Centro América soccer tournament. For two weeks in February, special news coverage of the tournament was featured nightly during WZDC’s evening newscast, Telenoticias. Cherquis reported the latest news on the games, highlighted the best goals and offered in-depth coverage about teams and players. Coverage of the event was especially popular with Washington DC’s large Central American population. WZDC and Bill Page Toyota sponsored a local promotion in conjunction with Cherquis trip to the UNCAF tournament. Washingtonian, William Elvin Castellon and his wife enjoyed an all expense paid trip to San Salvador, Castellon’s hometown, to watch the final game between Costa Rica and Guatemala.

Telemundo Fort Myers Crew and Cada Dia’s Maria Antonieta

WWDT and Telemundo Star Participate in Reading Festival

WWDT Fort Myers sponsored the Lee County Library Systems Reading Festival, encouraging literacy for all ages and celebrating reading. Maria Antonieta Collins, of Telemundo’s Cada Día, spoke about bi-lingual education and the benefits of reading in Spanish to children at home. Guests of honor, Maria Antonieta Collins and Laura Esquival, spoke with heartfelt sincerity, proudly representing their Latin heritage.

Washington, DC and Orlando Live La Buena Vida

La Buena Vida is an interactive, educational program, designed to provide viewers with information and activities which foster “La Buena Vida,” with regards to Health, Home,Community and Finances.

WZDC Washington DC announced the start of their 2007 La Buena Vida campaign with a Health-screening Day, hosted by sponsor Gold’s Gym. Program partners, The American Diabetes Association and Inova Health Source, were on hand, providing information about diabetes and cholesterol, and conducting blood pressure screenings for all who participated. WZDC also provided health tips, information, and prizes. One lucky viewer won tickets to see Maná in concert! The selected La Buena Vida Ambassadors are participating in a 12-week La Buena Vida program, which includes exercise, nutritional counseling, and health guidance from trained professionals. WZDC viewers will witness their progress through special reports and weekly health vignettes.

WTMO Orlando also debuted La Buena Vida, presented by sponsor Blue Cross Blue Shield. Orlando’s program features 4 contestants, willing to better their lives through La Buena Vida. The contestants’ progress will be chronicled on air every Friday as a part of WTMO Telenoticias Orlando.

Zorro, our hero, in El Paso

Telemundo’s Masked Avenger Sighted in El Paso, Hartford, Tampa, Orlando

Marking the arrival of Telemundo’s highly anticipated telenovela, ZGS stations orchestrated a variety of promotional events surrounding the premier of Zorro: La Espada y La Rosa. KTDO El Paso, WRDM/WDMR Hartford/ Springfield, WRMD Tampa and WTMO Orlando joined the fun, hosting sneak previews, and ultimately attracting thousands of Telemundo fans. The highly promoted events featured mega screens, popcorn, prize-giveaways, and appearances by Zorro himself. In El Paso, several actors, dressed in full costume, were posted at busy street corners, handing out roses, charming the ladies and avenging the oppressed.

WTMO’s new on-air id

WTMO Orlando Expands Coverage

WMO Orlando expanded its coverage which now reaches a large portion of central Florida including Orange, Osceola, Volusia, and Brevard counties. Quickly becoming the super station of Central Florida, the station now consists of WTMO channel 31 in Orlando and repeaters WKME channel 15 in Kissimmee, WDYB channel 28 in Daytona Beach and WMVJ channel 29 in Melbourne.

WZDC Channel Migration

At the beginning of March WZDC Washington, DC successfully completed the over the air channel migration and can now be seen locally on channel 25. Channel 25 will provide enhanced coverage for those who view the station over the air. This migration did not affect cable channel locations.

Maná’s front man, Fher Olvera. Photo by Meisu Marcano

Maná Rocks Washington, DC

WZDC and VIVA 900 AM sponsored Maná in concert at George Mason’s Patriot Center. 8,000 devoted fans of the Mexican band enjoyed the show on March 16. The concert was a part of the band’s Amar es Combatir World Tour. The 21/2 hour show by one of the most beloved Latino bands in history was full of shout-outs to the local community, as well as a call to action to make the world a better place. It was one of the best Spanish language concerts the Washington DC market has ever seen. Thanks to VIVA 900 and WZDC for orchestrating this special event.

KTDO’s Que no Ves Somos Tres! The Best of El Paso, Las Cruces and Juárez

This spring, KTDO will launch Que no Ves Somos Tres!, a local variety program, which highlights the best of El Paso, Las Cruces and Juárez. The station plans to kick off the program in style, with a highly publicized launch party at the renowned El Paso Museum of Art. KTDO anticipates an enthusiastic community response to the program, a dynamic community news magazine, which highlights issues, activities, and opportunities, relevant to the tri-city local Hispanic community.

Ramon Ojeda, Marco Rubio, Roberto Vizcon and Carlos McDonald

Lunch with Marco Rubio

Marco Rubio, the youngest and first-ever Cuban Speaker of the US House of Representatives was invited to WTMO Orlando’s Community Ascertainment Lunch at the Habana Grill on February 23. The Speaker discussed a number of issues affecting Florida Hispanics, highlighting in particular his Sales Tax and Property Tax Initiative. Other community leaders in attendance included, Ramon Ojeda, of the Hispanic Chamber of Metro Orlando, Mercedes Mc Call, from Banco Popular, and various media organizations, including La Prensa, El Nuevo Dia and Univision Orlando. The event was a tremendous success.

Dame Chocolate Bars!

WZDC promoted Telemundo’s hot new telenovela Dame Chocolate by handing out chocolate bars to DC commuters. WZDC representatives were posted outside Metro stations in DC, Virginia and Maryland, to promote the new program. Metro riders were happy to end their morning commute with something sweet.

WNEU Boston in the Limelight with Proyecto Fama

Building on last year’s success, WNEU Telemundo Boston brings viewers Proyecto Fama 2007. Soliciting viewers to perform and compete, Proyecto Fama will discover the most talented Hispanic singer in the Boston area. The star will win a trip to Miami to appear in one of Telemundo's hottest shows. This year’s Proyecto Fama will take place on May 19 at The Roxy, a premier Boston nightclub. Comcast, McDonald’s and Rumba 1200 AM are sponsoring the event.

Tara Ballesteros and Pedro Sevcec

Making the Connection

Several members of the ZGS marketing team, including Phillip Cortez, Cristina Moreno de los Rios, Omar Morales, Cynthia Martinez and Tara Ballesteros attended the Telemundo Marketing Summit in Miami. The summit theme was “make the connection.” It was a busy two days packed with information and guest speakers. It provided the opportunity for all Telemundo stations to get together and build relationships, engage in productive dialogue, and share ideas and success stories. Pedro Sevcec, anchor of Noticiero Telemundo, addressed the marketing group. His candid, inspirational and witty talk was one of the highlights of the event. The ZGS team had the opportunity to share several of our local initiatives including Feria de la Familia, Buena Vida, Salu2 and El Paso’s 12 Corazones event with the summit participants.

WTMO, Eduardo Zavala and Carlos Arroyo bobbleheads

WTMO Station Retreat with Very Special Guest

All of WTMO gathered on a Saturday afternoon in January to celebrate their collective successes and to reinforce station goals for the coming year. Each department presented their goals for 2007. Everyone agreed that the highlight of the event was a guest appearance and presentation by Eduardo Zavala, Vice President, ZGS.

Enjoying DC

Station Managers Converge on the Capitol

The 2007 ZGS Managers Meeting went off without a hitch in January, in Washington DC, at the swank Hotel Monaco in Chinatown. The theme of this year’s meeting was “Back to Basics, Sales, Sales Sales.” The meeting took place over three full days of presentations, speakers, lobbying on Capitol Hill, working luncheons, award presentations, and to be sure, a lot of healthy competition. The highlights of the meeting included an inspirational presentation by guest speaker Rick Blangiardi, lobbying meeting with local representatives on Capitol Hill including an issues session for the group with Senator Robert Menendez, the Eddie Award Station Video Presentations and a ZGS Jingle competition. The Eddie Award went to El Paso, and most notably, the prestigious Ziggy Leadership Award went to the very deserving Daniel Navarrete, Station Manager in Fort Myers. Thanks to all who made this year’s meeting productive, inspiring and fun. Last but not least, thanks to our talented Graphic Designer, Yael Glancszpigel, who traveled all the way from Buenos Aires to participate in the meeting.

Volunteers help assemble the new playground

Kaboom! KTDO El Paso and Home Depot Build Park Playground Together

KTDO station members and Home Depot came together to build a state of the art playground for local Cougar Park. The project took all day and KTDO was there from start to finish, spreading dirt, hauling lumber, managing the construction, and thanking other volunteers with prizes and station premiums. The project was a rewarding experience for everyone involved. El Paso children will enjoy the playground, a happy addition to Cougar Park, for years to come.

Neo Lobo and Sergio Urriola in front of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

VIVA 900 Visits St. Jude Children’s Hospital

Several members of the VIVA 900 staff traveled to Memphis for a three-day seminar at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Every year VIVA 900 organizes the local Promesa y Esperanza radiothon to help support children suffering from catastrophic diseases. The seminar provided a unique opportunity for VIVA 900 to learn about St. Jude’s work and to meet the children at St. Jude’s. This year’s radiothon will be held April 19 – 20. VIVA plans to surpass the $261,375 that was pledged by last year’s listeners.

WZDC Employees Star in Read with the Community Day

Claremont Elementary School invited WZDC Washington DC to read stories to the school’s bilingual students as a part of their annual event. WZDC employees spent an enjoyable afternoon reading to a group of fourth graders en Español. Read with the Community Day was a rewarding experience for the volunteers as well as the students, many of whom, went home with autographs from WZDC’s stars news team.

Omar Morales, on the mike at Saint Mary’s

WRDM/ WDMR Visits School Spanish Department

WRDM/WDMR Hartford/ Springfield visited Saint Mary’s Spanish department in Newington, CT. Spanish students, Pre-K through 8th grade, learned about Telemundo and the importance of being bi-lingual in the U.S. Spanish teacher, Mrs. Perdomo, introduced Omar Morales and Joel Mercado, and encouraged students to take an interest in Hispanic culture and current events.

WZDC Honored at CUS Annual Gala

WZDC Washington, DC was pleased to take part in the Comunidades Unidas Salvadoreñas (CUS), annual Gala. CUS is a Washington DC-area non-profit that provides humanitarian aid to El Salvador as well as community development assistance to Salvadorans in the DC area. WZDC was honored to receive the Community Empowerment Award, as a result of their many years of support.

Comments, suggestions or ideas for the newsletter? E-mail Tara Ballesteros tballesteros@zgsgroup.com

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