FIU School of Journalism and Mass Communication and Telemundo Communications Group Announce Groundbreaking Academic Partnership

Partnership to Establish Hispanic Media Futures, an Innovative Student Development Program to Train Future Hispanic Communicators

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Telemundo Communications Group, Inc., a leading producer of high-quality content for Hispanics in the U.S. and audiences around the world, together with the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) at Florida International University (FIU), today announced a groundbreaking partnership to establish Hispanic Media Futures, an innovative student development program to train future Hispanic journalists and communicators.

“Telemundo and FIU share a commitment to education and putting students first”

The program is part of a multi-level, multi-year commitment by Telemundo to advance the inclusion of Hispanic professionals in the communications industry. The innovative initiative will pair Telemundo executives with SJMC students in a special training and mentoring environment to foster growth and development of future communications leaders. The inaugural group of students will begin the intensive program at the start of the summer 2011 semester. In the first semester, the SJMC students will receive theoretical and practical learning through being immersed in the network and receiving mentoring from Telemundo executives in the areas of News, Digital, Research and Communications. Following a thorough understanding of the various components and interrelated departments that comprise a national network, students will then be assigned a specific job within Telemundo based on their area of study at the SJMC.

"Education is at the core of our mission and who we are. This partnership is an affirmation of what we believe and our commitment to igniting and empowering the dreams of young Hispanics," said Don Browne, President of Telemundo. "As reported by the recent Census, Hispanics are growing in political and economic power and changing the face of America. We are proud of partnering with FIU on this unique program that will open the doors to many young Hispanics who dream and aspire one day to be part of the media industry."

“Telemundo and FIU share a commitment to education and putting students first,” said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. “This program provides us with resources and the opportunity for our communication students to engage with professionals in a meaningful and unprecedented way.”

“We are pleased at the generous support we have received from Telemundo to provide not only the funding, but the professional expertise needed for this program,” said Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver, Dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at FIU. “Students will have the opportunity to play an active role in the network through this one-of-a-kind experience. Telemundo’s long term commitment through the Hispanic Media Futures program will help prepare our students for an exciting future in the news and entertainment industry.”

The SJMC and the program are housed at the university’s Biscayne Bay Campus with the internship experience solely conducted at Telemundo. For more information, including the selection of future student participants, visit the Hispanic Media Futures program online.

About Telemundo

Telemundo Communications Group, Inc. & Subsidiaries (“Telemundo”), a division of NBCUniversal, is a world-class media company, leading the industry in the production and distribution of high-quality Spanish-language content across its multiplatform portfolio to U.S. Hispanics and audiences around the world. Telemundo’s multiple platforms include Telemundo, a Spanish-language television network featuring original productions, theatrical motion pictures, news and first-class sports events, reaching 94% of U.S. Hispanic viewers in 210 markets; over 35 million U.S. TV households nationwide on digital and analog cable, satellite and free television; Telemundo Digital Media, which leverages Telemundo’s original content for distribution across digital and emerging platforms including mobile devices and www.telemundo.com and www.holamun2.com; and Telemundo International, the company’s international distribution arm which has positioned Telemundo as the second largest provider of Spanish-language content worldwide by syndicating content to more than 100 countries in over 35 languages.

About The School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Florida International University

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC) at Florida International University is at the forefront of global and strategic communications education. With more than 2,100 students, 82 percent minority, the school offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificate programs in advertising, broadcasting, journalism, and public relations – including its Spanish-language Journalism master’s program, the first of its kind in the United States. As one of only 25% of all communication schools in the country fully accredited by ACEJMC, the SJMC is rated in the Top 3 nationally for undergraduate communication degrees awarded to Hispanics. The School’s master’s program in Global Strategic Communications emphasizes global decision making and has rapidly become a model for other such graduate programs in the country, underscoring the importance of global learning initiatives and international citizenship.