Homan Machuca speaks with President-Elect Obama

WTMO Orlando Introduces Telenoticias Xtra

WTMO Orlando’s new roundtable debate show, Telenoticias Xtra, hosted by Homan Machuca began airing in September. Leading up to the 2008 election the program focused on the issues and the candidates and included exclusive interviews with both presidential candidates. Moving forward, the show will continue to provide a forum to discuss issues that are of interest to the Hispanic community. Important topics are discussed and both sides of each argument are presented in a non-partisan manner. This show complements Telenoticias Orlando and provides the opportunity for more in-depth reporting.

Winner David Murphy Pineda accepts his award

WZDC Washington Honors Local Students

WZDC Washington and NBC 4 hosted their annual reception to honor the finalists of this year’s Hispanic Heritage Essay Contest on October 1. Created in 1998 as a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Essay Contest invites high school students in the area to reflect on the unique Hispanic-American experience while emphasizing the importance of a good education for all Americans. Drawing upon the theme “Why is Hispanic Heritage Month Important,” students submitted an original 1000-word essay, which was judged by a panel of community leaders, journalists and notable personalities for content and originality. The judges selected ten finalists, and winners were announced at the reception held at NBC4 headquarters in Washington DC. This year’s keynote speaker was Manny Acta, Manager of the Washington Nationals and founder of impACTA Kids Foundation. The top finalists of the Essay Contest were awarded scholarships and other educational supplies such as laptop computers thanks to the sponsorship of GEICO and Freddie Mac. In addition, the grand-prize winner’s essay is published in the weekly Spanish newspaper, El Tiempo Latino. This year’s winner was David Murphy Pineda.

Weekdays are More Entertaining in Ft. Myers with New Local Show

WWDT Ft. Myers launched new local program En Casa Con Martín Ycaza on November 10. Host Martin Ycaza brings viewers of Southwest Florida live entertainment, celebrity interviews and informative segments highlighting issues of local importance to the Hispanic community. A native of Guayaquil, Ecuador, Martín Ycaza is a respected and recognized entertainer and has interviewed some of the biggest names in Spanish television including Gloria Trevi and Paulina Rubio. The 30-minute show will feature local news segments, as well as a variety of other topics including but not limited to finance, travel, cooking tips, healthcare, and family life. The program airs weekdays at 11:30 am.

The Telemundo Philadelphia team at the auditions

WWSI Philadelphia Taps Local Singles for 12 Corazones

WWSI Philadelphia held auditions for single men and women in the area looking for a chance to meet their soul mates on 12 Corazones, Telemundo’s hottest dating show. Sponsored by Bud Light, the auditions were held August 14-16 at III Elements, Isla Verde and North Philly Rhythms and attracted some of Philadelphia’s most eligible Latino guys and gals. Judges were impressed by all of the participant’s positive energy and the creativity displayed to best portray their romanticism. Songs, poems, dances… anything to give judges a glimpse of their lonely hearts and win a trip to Los Angeles for a taping of the prime time show featuring Penélope Menchaca and famed astrologist Edward O’.

Rafael Carderera and Gaby Calderón with Mrs. Medina’s first grade class

WTMO Orlando Reads To Succeed

WTMO Orlando kicked off its signature literacy event Leer Para Vencer at Kissimmee Elementary School. Telenoticias Orlando's dynamic sports duo, Rafael Carderera and Gaby Calderón, visited Mrs. Denise Medina's first grade dual language class on October 14. During the visit, the El Poder Deportivo talent read stories to the children and discussed the importance of learning to read. Leer Para Vencer was created to encourage reading in the Hispanic family and especially among children. The program emphasizes that reading is not only educational but also fun, and continues at local schools throughout the year, as part of WTMO Orlando’s commitment to empower the Hispanic community of Central Florida.

WWSI Philadelphia Showcases Programming

WWSI participated in the Philly Ad Club’s Annual TV Showcase Luncheon in September. This mega-event featured personalities and previews of shows from all the regional stations. Ronald Gordon, President of ZGS Communications, received a warm welcome as he introduced WWSI Telemundo to the Philadelphia market and presented an exciting 5-minute video highlighting the stations fall programming. The luncheon took place in downtown Philadelphia at the Loews Hotel in the Millennium Ballroom, where hundreds of leaders from the advertising industry, including the biggest local agencies gathered to hear the stations present their fall programming line-ups.

The Telecam interviewing Telemundo’s own Candela Ferro

New England Telecam Hits the Streets

WNEU Boston, WRDM/WDMR Hartford/Springfield, and WRIW Providence have been extremely successful with their local Telecam. The idea behind the Telecam is for businesses to connect to their audience in an unconventional and creative way. Each station has a local host that visits clients at their place of business and interviews them about their services and products to share on the air. Telecam is a powerful local marketing tool that is extremely popular with both clients and the audience. Local businesses have a unique opportunity to highlight their companies and the audience enjoys the spontaneity of the local spots. Recent Telecam’s have included McDonald’s in Boston, Medrano Express in Providence and Bob’s Discount Furniture in Hartford.

Mr. and Mrs. Barrios, one of the couples that participated in La Edad de Oro

La Edad de Oro Launches in DC for the Young at Heart

WZDC Washington, DC launched La Buena Vida La Edad de Oro. This health and wellness campaign features promotional vignettes, news segments and sponsor-related messages directed at viewers ages 50 and older. La Edad de Oro provides the audience with tools and ideas necessary to prepare and inspire a healthier mind, spirit and body. The goal is to provide the community with critical information, to help close the gaps that exist in the health care industry and to better align resources and services to meet the needs of this growing Hispanic population in the metro area. Twice a year participants are selected from WZDC’s audience to embark on a 10-week regimen that includes exercise, nutritional counseling, basic medical attention and guidance from trained professionals. Each week viewers track the progress of participants via Telenoticias Washington, WZDC’s local newscast. Viewers are continuously encouraged to identify poor life choices and incorporate better ones into their daily regimen to ultimately lead a healthier and more balanced life.

VIVA 900 AM Celebrates Seventh Anniversary with New Website

WILC VIVA 900 AM unveiled their new website www.radioviva900.com in celebration of their seventh anniversary. The launch of the new and improved website allows listeners to live stream the radio station, interact with DJs, find out about the latest entertainment news including area concerts, and to stay connected to the Hispanic community through event listings and a community resource link. Since 2001, VIVA 900 has been an integral part of the Washington, DC’s Hispanic community providing entertainment, information and support to its listeners. In the past seven years VIVA 900 has partnered with organizations such as AYUDA, Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), Centro Católico, Children’s Hospital, the Consulate of El Salvador, Prince George’s County Police Department, the Ricky Martin Foundation, and the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. With its premier annual event, the Promesa y Esperanza radiothon, VIVA 900 has raised over one million dollars for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. VIVA 900 has also brought the DC metro area some of Spanish music’s biggest stars including Chayanne, Alejandro Fernandez, El Buqui, Enrique Iglesias, Juanes, Maná, Ricky Martin, and Laura Pausini.

José Díaz Balart with the Telemundo Tampa team

Telemundo’s José Díaz Balart Hosts MOSI Annual Hispanic Scientist of the Year Gala in Tampa

José Díaz Balart from Telemundo’s news program, Noticiero Telemundo hosted the Museum of Science and Industry’s (MOSI) annual Hispanic Scientist of the Year Gala on October 11. For the third year WRMD Tampa sponsored the Gala. The Gala recognizes nationally distinguished Hispanics in the field of science and engineering who are leaders and mentors to Hispanic youth. This year’s recipient is Dr. Lydia Villa-Komaroff, a molecular biologist and founding member of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS). The Gala took place at MOSI. Proceeds from the event help fund scholarships for the Youth Enriched by Science (YES!Team). This program is a career development program designed to help at-risk youth develop and progress in a supportive peer-group environment and encourages youth to pursue an interest in science.

WZDC Washington Airs Literacy Campaign

Leer Para Vencer is WZDC’s literacy campaign that promotes reading in the Hispanic family. This year, Verizon sponsored on-air vignettes that feature Telemundo celebrities encouraging children and their families to read together. The campaign reaches approximately 200,000 Hispanic households in the DC metro area and consists of 30-second vignettes that run daily between 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. through December. The vignettes emphasize the important role parents play in the education of their children. In one of the vignettes Jesse Losada of Telemundo's sports stresses that, "Reading is the best exercise for the mind! Just like playing a sport, the more you practice, the better you play."

The Toyota stuffed with beach balls

WNEU Boston Hosts Summer Sales Event

WNEU Boston hosted the Latin Day Summer Sales event on August 23 in partnership with the Nashua Toyota dealership. Telemundo star Candela Ferro participated in the celebration, which included food, music, prizes and entertainment for the entire family. Event attendees were able to take advantage of special sales offered by Toyota. The Telechicas were onsite and viewers had the opportunity to win Telemundo giveaways. One of the main attractions was the opportunity to win an all expense paid trip to the Caribbean by guessing how many beach balls were in a Toyota SUV. The winner was Ignacio Arboleda from Lowell, Massachusetts.

WWSI Philadelphia Partners for Voter Registration Campaign

WWSI Philadelphia and Congreso de Latinos Unidos partnered in a Get-Out-The-Vote voter registration campaign. As part of Telemundo’s Vota Por Tu Futuro initiative WWSI and Congreso worked together to increase civic participation in the Hispanic community and encourage the Philadelphia Latino community to make their voices heard. “Telemundo has been a valuable media partner and has shown commitment to community efforts around voting and voter’s rights,” commented Lisa Kricun, Vice President of External Affairs at Congreso. The partnership created an extraordinary opportunity for mobilizing the local Latino vote.

Mark Warner Visits WZDC Washington

Mark Warner, former Governor and newly elected Democratic Senator from Virginia, met with the editorial board of WZDC Washington, DC on October 16, just weeks before the election. The editorial board asked questions about issues of particular concern to Latinos in the election including immigration, education, health care and the economy. Warner began the meeting with a short introduction in Spanish and highlighted his record on issues important to Virginia Latinos. He reminded those in attendance that he was the first Governor in Virginia to create a Latino Advisory Committee and he spoke candidly about the need for the U.S. to draw on its diverse populations to create a national competitive strategy to compete globally. Warner concluded the meeting by encouraging the Latino community to be more involved in the political process and said he hoped more Latinos would consider running for public office.

WWSI Philadelphia Expands Coverage

WRMD Tampa Moves to New Office

WRMD Tampa recently moved to a new and improved office space. The space allows for the station to expand and includes studio space for the launch of the highly anticipated local news Telenoticias Tampa. Additionally, the move allows WRMD to work alongside sister radio stations WGES La Genesis 680 AM and WAMA La Invasora 1550 AM and better serve the Hispanic community in Tampa.

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

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