The AzA Gazette

The AzA Gazette
AzA Gazette
1 The Azteca America Newsletter
N o v e m b e r- D e c e m b e r 2 0 11 • E d i t i o n 1 0
The Azteca America Bimonthly Newsletter for Clients, Friends and Associates
Ricardo Salinas Hosts Group of
Network Clients in NY
Content
Creating a Path to Success 2
Azteca San Diego AZSD
Walks for Autism 2
UVM Clients and Executives
Visit Azteca Headquarters in
Mexico City
3
Names & Faces:
Rocío Gómez Junco T.
3
Marlene Braga Joins the Team
as VP of Programming
4
Martin Breidsprecher on
CEOs Summit Panel
in NYC
4
Al Extremo and Ventaneando
Hit the Pavement for
November
5
E.W. Scripps Joins Azteca
America Affiliate Group 5
Boxeo Azteca Airs With Star
Boxing
5
Azteca Reach Is at an
All-Time High
6
Una Vez Mas Acquires
Full-Power Station in San
Francisco DMA
6
Stations Across the Country
Show Off Their Mexican
Heritage Pride
7
Three US Contestants
Advance in La Academia 8
Azteca America Advances in
FLM Soccer Playoffs
9
Contacts9
Ricardo Salinas Pliego, founder
and chairman of Grupo Salinas
and Azteca, addressed a group
of network clients during a
recent visit to New York.
The event was geared toward a
few dozen clients, representing
accounts such as AT&T, Miller
Coors, Macy’s, JC Penney,
Lowe’s, Nissan, Crown Imports,
Unilever, Denny’s and Colgate.
The working lunch was part of
a series of events in New York
that included an immigration Ricardo Salinas (center) and Bob Turner (left) engage clients during lunch
forum with Mayor Michael
Bloomberg that was moderated by New York Times columnist Thomas Freidman, a talk at the Council
on Foreign Relations, a dialog with The Economist correspondent Matthew Bishop at the Paley Center
for Media; and a presentation of a Fomento Cultural Grupo Salinas catalogue at the Hispanic Society
of America.
Ricardo Salinas’ message for
Azteca America was of a strong
commitment to meet current and
future challenges of the network.
With important reach gains
through full-power acquisitions in
Houston, Dallas and San Francisco,
he detailed current programming
and ratings improvements as a
next step.
The talk was followed by a lively
Q&A session, where clients
shared views on Azteca America,
highlighting the multiplatform
options of the network and the
creative support of the sales staff.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg with Ricardo Salinas
AzA Gazette
The Azteca America Newsletter
2
Creating a Path to Success
As we begin to review the year, we can see solid advances in terms of increasing our reach, with
the addition of full power stations in Houston, Dallas and San Francisco, and extending cable reach,
specifically with Comcast in New York and Philadelphia.
Better coverage was one of the achievements that our founder and Chairman of Grupo Salinas and
Azteca, Ricardo Salinas Pliego, highlighted during a meeting with clients earlier in the month. Perhaps
most importantly, he reiterated the importance of Azteca America for Grupo Salinas as a whole, as well
as his personal commitment to make sure that we are reaching our full potential.
The hiring of Marlene Braga as vice president of programming is an important step to making sure that
we have the right people in the right positions. I look forward to working closely with Marlene and am
confident that her experience and skill set will be an important addition to our team.
It is with Marlene and Alberto Santini Lara, our executive vice president of production, programming
and marketing, that we will make our next big push, which is tweaking our production and lineup to the
next level and promoting everything we do.
I thank all of our affiliates, clients and partners for your support and look forward to continued excellence.
Saludos,
Martin Breidsprecher • CEO, Azteca America
Azteca San Diego AZSD Walks for Autism
From left to right: Walk Participant; Kimberly Hunt, 10News
anchor; Geoffrey the Girraffe,
Toys “R” Us mascot; Billy
Ray Smith, former San Diego
Chargers NFL player (Kimberly
Hunt’s husband); Walk Participant; Note: Kimberly Hunt and
Billy Ray Smith were Honorary
Chairs for the Walk
Azteca San Diego AZSD and ABC10 anchors and
reporters Rachel Bianco, Luis Cruz, Steve Fiorina, Bill
Griffith, Kimberly Hunt, Bob Lawrence, Itica Milanes,
Kaushal Patel and Robert Santos connected with
viewers at the Walk Now for Autism held this fall.
AZSD and ABC10 were the television media sponsors.
In addition to the community outreach efforts through
the Walk, stations also received cross-promotion
mentions on KYXY 96.5 FM.
Viewers were able to visit booths,
meet with Azteca San Diego and ABC10 anchors
and connect on a grass-roots level with the station.
The Walk included more than 2,500 participants
and $101,000 was raised for Autism research and
programs.
Congratulations to ASZD and the event organizers
for their participation in the Walk Now for Autism!
From left to right: 10News anchors/reporters - Kaushal Patel,
Rachel Bianco, Robert Santos,
Itica Milanes, Bob Lawrence,
Walk Participant, Luis Cruz, Bill
Griffith, Steve Fiorina; Conductora de Azteca San Diego 15 –
Paola Hernández-Jiao
AzA Gazette
3 The Azteca America Newsletter
UVM Clients and Executives Visit
Azteca Headquarters in Mexico City
Una Vez Mas, our largest affiliate group, brought a group of top
clients and managers from stations in Phoenix, Las Vegas, San
Francisco, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio to visit our
parent group Azteca’s headquarters and studios. The group was led
by UVM Chairman and CEO Terry Crosby and UVM President and
COO Randy Nonberg.
The visit included tours of the Azteca Novela studios, the La
Academia sound stage, news, sports and entertainment studios, as
well as briefings by Alberto Santini Lara, executive vice president
of production, programming and marketing; Vice President of
Programming Marlene Braga and a welcome by Azteca America
Chairman Luis J. Echarte.
UVM President and COO Randy Nonberg; Azteca America Chairman Luis J.
Echarte and Chairman and CEO of UVM Terry Crosby
The group got a sneak peek at the new telenovela sound stages,
which are slated to be inaugurated next year and will be the mosttechnologically advanced studios in Latin America.
Following a visit of cultural attractions of Mexico City, and a
breathtaking Cruz Azul vs. América soccer match, the group watched
the exhilarating concert number 12 of La Academia, which featured
the international sensation Martha Sánchez as a special guest.
Names
& Faces
Rocío Gómez Junco T.
Production Director of Azteca
America and Special Programs
for Azteca 13
As Production Director since 2005, Rocío Gómez
Junco is responsable for such hits as Al Extremo,
Ventaneando America, Deporte Caliente and
Antesala Deportiva. She’s also a member of the
production committee of La Academia.
Newscasters Roberto Ruiz and Christian Lara with Las Vegas client Eric Palacios
and Account Executive Blanca Williams
She got her start in television at Televisa, where
she started out in the Video Homes division and
then went on to telenovelas.
She arrived at Azteca in 1995 as producer of the
first telenovelas produced for Azteca, El Peñón
del Amaranto and A flor de Piel.
She then went on to executive producer roles
in the news division with programs such as A
Primera Hora and Hola Mexico, as well as special
programs for Fuerza Informativa Azteca. Later
she took on challenges in the entertainment
division, with programs such as Sorpréndete,
Con Sello de Mujer, Cada Mañana, Taxi Libre,
Azteca Music and Laura de Todos, to name a few.
Rocio’s number one passion is television.
However, she also enjoys reading, traveling and
sports, especially water skiing and diving.
AzA Gazette
The Azteca America Newsletter
4
Marlene Braga Joins the Team
as VP of Programming
A warm welcome to Marlene Braga, who has been appointed to Vice President of Programming, where
she will be responsible for day-to-day programming and also collaborate on long-term strategy with the
SVP of Programming, Production and Marketing.
Ms. Braga was previously VP of Programming for nuvo TV (formerly SíTV). Prior to the position, she
founded Woman on the Verge Productions, a company specializing in high-end content creation, from
live events to reality series and feature films. She has also held the position of Director of Programming
and Production for the The History Channel en Español.
Her television experience also includes field production work at ABC and story development and
production for PBS. Prior to moving into television journalism, she was print producer for major
companies such as Condé Nast Publications, Donna Karan, Pixar Animation Studios and the Gap.
“We’re excited to have Marlene on board at Azteca America and are confident that her experience,
creativity and dedication will help push us to the next level,” said Azteca America CEO Martin
Breidsprecher.
“I look forward to working closely with Marlene as we program the best that Azteca has to offer and
combine it with the most relevant programming produced for our audiences,” said Alberto Santini Lara,
SVP of Programming, Production and Marketing, as well as being Director of Azteca 13 and Azteca
Novelas.
Ms. Braga was born in Miami to a Cuban family and was raised in the United States. She holds a master’s
degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a BA in political science from
The George Washington University.
Martin Breidsprecher
on CEOs Summit
Panel in NYC
Our CEO Martin Breidsprecher took advantage of a busy agenda
in New York to participate in the CEOs Summit, organized by Latin
Vision for the Latin Media and Entertainment Commission of New
York City in conjunction with the Interactive Advertising Bureau and
Advertising Week.
The event attracts top media and advertising executives from across
the country and is currently in its fourth year.
Martin participated in the panel on Hispanic Television together
with representatives from Univision, CNN and Ve-me, where they
addressed habitual and technology challenges that face the industry.
AzA Gazette
5 The Azteca America Newsletter
Al Extremo and
Ventaneando Hit
the Pavement for
November
Al Extremo, our high-impact primetime news show, and Ventaneando
America, our celebrity news program led by Pati Chapoy, had a
series of special on location special broadcasts for the month of
November.
Al Extremo broadcast from special points of interest in Los Angeles
for the first programming week of November, including Universal
Studios,The Lakeside Amphitheater, MacArthur Park and the Queen
Mary’s Dark Harbour.
Ventaneando America broadcast during week two of November
from the cities of Leon, Guanajuato and Silao, in the state of
Guanajuato, the ancestral state of a large portion of the Mexican
residents in California.
E.W. Scripps Joins
Azteca America
Affiliate Group
Ventaneando
Boxeo Azteca Airs With
Star Boxing
Our sports programming, specifically boxing, was expanded this fall
through an agreement with Star Boxing.
The deal includes a series of high-level fights broadcast live from
Atlantic City on Saturdays. The final dates for the series are Dec. 3
and Dec. 10. Don’t miss the action at 10:00pm EST, 9:00pm CST,
and 7:00pm PST.
E.W. Scripps is now on board as the new owner of Azteca America
affiliated stations in Denver, San Diego, Bakersfield, Fort Collins and
Colorado Springs.The purchase was part of a $212 million deal with
McGraw Hill, which sold its television interests as part of a strategy
to focus on its education publishing and financial information
businesses.
Scripps will operate the stations alongside its ABC affiliates, where
the company operates in ten markets across the country. The deal
was still awaiting FCC approval at the time of publishing.
AzA Gazette
The Azteca America Newsletter
6
Azteca
Reach Is
at an
All-Time
High
According the latest Nielsen
measures, our network reaches
over 9 million Hispanic television
households and over 40 million
total U.S. television households.
As of September, reach had
increased coverage by over four
percentage points in the past
12 months, and coverage is up
more than eight percentage
points since June of last year,
according to Nielsen NPM data.
Important coverage events
during the period include the
migration to full-power stations
in Dallas and Houston, as well
as the addition of Comcast
coverage in New York and
Philadelphia.
“We are at a moment in
broadcast history with an
overwhelming
number
of
distribution options, and we’re
determined to take advantage
of the opportunities to make
our programming available
in more homes,” said Martin
Breidsprecher.
Una Vez Mas Acquires
Full-Power Station in San
Francisco DMA
Our largest station group, Una Vez Mas (UVM), acquired last month the full-power
station KEMO TV 50, which serves the San Francisco DMA.
The station, formerly named KFTY, serves the ninth-largest Hispanic DMA in the country, which also
includes Oakland and San Jose. The station is also carried on Comcast Channel 31, DirecTV and Dish
Channel 50.
“Azteca America continues its dynamic roll-out across the country,” said Martin Breidsprecher, CEO of
Azteca America. “The momentum is with us as we bring our original, quality Mexican programming to
Latinos throughout the country.”
The KEMO purchase is part of a string of important moves for UVM in recent months, adding to the
acquisition of full-power stations in Dallas and Houston earlier this year.
“With Azteca America affiliates in nine states, including six of the top 10 Spanish-language television
DMAs, including Dallas, Houston and Phoenix, we are ready to continue changing the Spanish-language TV
landscape,” said Randy Nonberg, President of UVM.
AzA Gazette
7 The Azteca America Newsletter
Stations Across
the Country Show
Off Their Mexican
Heritage Pride
During Latino Heritage Month, our stations were close to their
communities especially in the celebration of Mexican Independence
Day. Here’s a brief rundown of some of the activities:
CHICAGO
More than 300,000 people joined the celebration of a three-day
Mexican Independence Parade and Festival at Little Village. Nadia
and Victor Garcia, both finalists from La Academia, performed to
an enthusiastic crowd. Azteca America National News Anchor
Christian Lara also participated as the master of ceremony.
SAN FRANCISCO
Thousands of people turned out on Sept. 15 to the PAL Stadium
in San Jose, as well as the Sept. 18 Santa Rosa fair. Azteca America
was also present with the participation of Al Extremo host Juan
Barragan. who participated in the traditional El Grito Ceremony at
the Oakland Civic Center.
LOS ANGELES
The Plaza del Mariachi in East L.A was the centerpiece of attraction
on September 18. Thousands of families were on hand to see the
performance of Nadia and the special presence of Ventaneando star
Daniel Bisogno and Al Extremo host Said Garcia. Other traditional
Mexican music groups also performed during the day, with Pedro
Rivera and Lina Santos taking the stage to complete the celebration.
DALLAS
Azteca Dallas and Pedro Sola celebrated Mexican independence
under the slogan “Soy Mexicano y lo celebro” at the Dallas
Convention Center.
The event attracted over 5,000 people and included popular
entertainers and representatives of major Hispanic media. The
Azteca Dallas booth was a major draw as viewers stopped by to say
hi, get a picture or even a kiss from Pedrito. Pedro also participated in
the closing ceremony together with the General Consul of Mexico
in Dallas, Juan Carlos Cue Vega, as they led the tradition “grito” of
independence.
AzA Gazette
The Azteca America Newsletter
8
Three US Contestants Advance in
La Academia
The three contestants who represent Azteca America in La Academia 2011 continue to perform
strongly and are even candidates to take home the big enchilada.
Ronald from Miami, Gustavo from Chicago and Carmen from San Francisco continue to gain popularity
and hold the banner high for Azteca America.
It hasn’t been easy for the contestants. They have faced challenging performances and often harsh
criticism from judges.
Ronald has shown steady improvement, receiving positive feedback from the judges and the
audience. However, after Concert 13, Carmen and Gustavo were on the brink of elimination.
It took a strong subsequent performance by Carmen and a victory in a duel by Gustavo to
keep them alive in the show.
The final concert is scheduled for Dec. 18.
AzA Gazette
9 The Azteca America Newsletter
Azteca America
Advances in FLM
Soccer Playoffs
The post season of FLM soccer is off and kicking. Playoff berths are
awarded to the top eight teams of regular season play.
This season, Azteca America had home broadcast rights to three of
the eight teams: Cruz Azul, Jaguares and Monarcas Morelia. Each team
plays a home game and an away game for the first round, with the
highest combined score advancing to the semi finals and then finals.
Azteca America had rights to both teams in the Cruz Azul-Monarcas
first round, thus guaranteeing a team in the semis.
Monarcas Morelia advanced to the semifinals with a combined
score of 4-2 over Cruz Azul. Monarcas face off against Santos of
Torreon in the semis. The other semifinal will be Queretaro vs.
Tigres of Monterrey.
Azteca America will transmit the first leg of the Monarcas-Santos
series on Wednesday evening.
Contacts:
EXECUTIVES:
Luis J. Echarte, Chairman
Martin Breidsprecher
CEO
(310) 432-7645
[email protected]
Alberto Santini Lara
Executive VP of Programming,
Production and Marketing
011 52 (55) 1720-1313
Ext. 30816
[email protected]
Marlene Braga
VP of Programming
Ph. (818) 241-5400
[email protected]
Bob Turner
President, Network/SpotTV
Sales
(646) 360-1758
[email protected]
John DeSimone
VP/General Manager
Azteca America TV Spot Sales
(646)360-1790 office
[email protected]
Jorge Jaidar
GM, Azteca Stations Group
(818) 844-1441
[email protected]
Distribution and Affiliate
Relations: Juan Pablo Álvarez
011 52 (55) 1720-1313
ext. 39803
[email protected]
Fundación Azteca America:
Nathalie Rayes
(203) 689-5127
[email protected]
Grupo Salinas Corporate
Communications:
Daniel McCosh
011 52 (55) 1720-0059
[email protected]
For further contacts see our website
A Grupo Salinas Company
www.gruposalinas.com
Editorial Committee
Daniel McCosh, Editor • Linda Garcidueñas • Abel Jimenez • Juan
Pablo Álvarez • Ricardo Becerra • Angélica Bengolea • Bruno Rangel
• Nathalie Rayes
About Azteca America
Azteca America is the alternative choice in broadcast television
for Spanish speaking families residing in the United States.
Azteca America operates in 75 markets nationwide, and can
also be seen on DIRECTV Mas Channel 441 (AZA 441) and
DISH Network Channel 825. Wholly owned by Mexican
broadcaster TV Azteca, S.A. de C.V., Azteca America has access
to the best programming from TV Azteca’s three national
networks, including a library with over 200,000 hours of original
programming and news from local bureaus in 32 Mexican
states. The network complements Mexican programming with
an innovative line-up of shows from international producers
and distributors to ensure the finest programming for Spanishspeaking viewers and unique advertising solutions for partners
seeking to reach the most dynamic market in the country.