New Era of “Despierta América” Takes Morning Television to a Whole New Level Starting Today

Univision’s Top-rated Morning Show Enters a New Phase in Its Near 22-year History with a New Cutting-edge Studio, a More Informative Approach, Exciting New Content, a More Dynamic Format, and Increased Viewer Interactivity

MIAMI--()--Viewers tuning in to Univision’s “Despierta América” today will see an upgraded version of their favorite morning show where MORE is the operative word: more useful news and information, more technology and interactivity, more practical help for the Hispanic community, a more dynamic format, and more top-notch entertainment than ever.

A new era of “Despierta América,” the No. 1 morning show on Spanish-language television for more than two decades, begins this morning when hosts, Karla Martínez, Alan Tacher, Carlos Calderón, Satcha Pretto, Ana Patricia Gámez, and Francisca Lachapel go live from a newly-designed, more functional and ultra-modern studio equipped with today’s most advanced technology. Featuring interactive screens at every turn, this state-of-the-art set will keep the “Despierta América” team constantly connected to the web and social media, bringing viewers a highly dynamic experience every day.

The format and content of the show have also been revamped, now providing a wider variety of useful information aimed at helping and empowering the Hispanic community in their everyday lives. Aside from expanding the in-depth coverage of breaking news to keep the audience fully informed about major developments in the U.S. and abroad throughout the broadcast, the “Despierta América” hosts will provide a wealth of practical tips to help viewers make informed decisions and get better deals when buying a house or car, shopping for school supplies or groceries, as well as to navigate more complicated tasks like filing an income tax return. Additionally, the show’s new chief meteorologist, Albert Martínez, will keep audiences up to speed on weather forecasts across the nation with the help of cutting-edge tools.

While many of the program’s best-loved segments are continuing in its new era –such as “La Vida en Vivo” (Real Life Stories), “Quinceañeras” and “Revoltillo Digital” (Digital Mash) –new segments will broaden the scope of the show’s content to reflect a more informative and community service-oriented approach. Some of these are:

  • “Lo Nuestro” (Our Own) – Highlights Hispanics who are making a difference in their communities.
  • “Despierta Denuncia” (Despierta Consumer Help Line) – Allows viewers to file complaints through the show’s consumer protection reporters.
  • “¿Y Tú Qué Harías?” (What Would You Do?) – A social experiment using hidden cameras to discover what people will do under compromising circumstances.
  • “Aquí lo Vio Primero” (You Saw It Here First) – A first look at the day’s most viral videos.
  • “Volverte a Ver” (Seeing You Again) – With the help of a specialist, the show reunites people who haven’t seen each other in a long time and tells their poignant stories.
  • “Que el Mundo lo Sepa” (Let the World Know) – “Despierta América” reporter Paola Gutiérrez surprises viewers with important announcements (such as a pregnancy, promotion or marriage proposal).

“We’re tremendously excited about launching this new phase of ‘Despierta América,’ which brings our millions of loyal viewers a fresher, more informative and interactive show to enjoy every weekday morning,” said Patsy Loris, EVP and Executive News Director of Univision News. “All the changes have been carefully planned around the concept of ‘news you can use,’ in the spirit of delivering more original content that not only entertains, but also makes life easier for our audience by providing more of the practical information they want and need. Our core mission to inform, entertain and empower has just been taken up a notch—we’re very proud of the new ‘Despierta América’.”

“Despierta América’s” position as the early morning ratings leader on Spanish-language television has been a constant for more than two decades. In the full year 2018, the show held a double-digit advantage over the closest competitor, Telemundo’s “Un Nuevo Día,” during the four consecutive hours. February 2019 marked “Despierta’s” highest-rated month since May 2018 across all key demographic groups and the third consecutive month of audience growth among Adults 18-49, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-34.

“Despierta América” premiered on the Univision Network in April of 1997. In 2018 it was honored with a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Morning Program in Spanish. The show joined the Univision News division last fall, thus gaining access to the resources of the company’s award-wining news organization. It airs live Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. ET.

For more information, please visit Despierta America. Viewers can join the conversation via Facebook.com/DespiertaAmerica and on Twitter and Instagram. Viewers can also watch the show live via Univision NOW.

Source: Nielsen, NPM & NPM-H (04/30/2018-02/10/2019, Live+7) and (02/11/2019-02/24/2019, Live+SD) Mon-Fri 7:00am-11:00am. 7:00am-8:00am hour sustained and excluded from average. 2018/2019 season start date was 09/24/2018. Median age based on Persons 2+.

About Univision News

Univision’s award-winning News division is committed to informing the country’s fastest growing segment across all media platforms, including TV, Radio, and Interactive. Hispanics count on the latest and most relevant content that impacts the community through: “Noticiero Univision,” the Network’s evening, late evening and weekend national newscast; Sunday public affairs program “Al Punto” (To The Point); newsmagazine shows “Aquí y Ahora” (Here and Now) and “Primer Impacto” (First Impact); as well as morning news segments on “Despierta América” (Wake Up America). Univision has strengthened its news team and expanded its news operations by adding Investigative and Documentary Units.

About Univision Communications Inc.

Univision is the leading media company serving Hispanic America. The company’s broadcast assets include Univision Network, one of the top television networks in the U.S. regardless of language and the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast network in the country; UniMás, a leading Spanish-language broadcast television network; and Univision Local Media, which owns and/or operates 65 television stations and 58 radio stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico. Univision Cable Networks consists of Univision Deportes Network (UDN), the most-watched Spanish-language sports cable network in the U.S.; Galavisión, the most-watched U.S. Spanish-language entertainment cable network; Univision tlnovelas, a 24-hour Spanish-language cable network dedicated to telenovelas; ForoTV, a 24-hour Spanish-language cable network dedicated to international news; and an additional suite of cable offerings – De Película, De Película Clásico, Bandamax, Ritmoson and Telehit. Univision’s cable portfolio also includes FUSION TV, an English-language news and lifestyle cable network; an investment in El Rey Network, a general entertainment English-language cable network. The company also owns and operates several premier digital destinations including Univision Now, a direct-to-consumer, on-demand and live streaming subscription service; Univision.com, the most-visited Spanish-language website among U.S. Hispanics; and Uforia, a digital music application featuring multimedia music content. The company’s assets also include the digital brands associated with the Gizmodo Media Group and The Onion. For more information, please visit corporate.univision.com.

Contacts

Jose Zamora
305.925.8835
josezamora@univision.net

Candice Georgi
305.471.4057
cgeorgi@univision.net

Release Summary

Viewers tuning in to Univision’s “Despierta América” today will see an upgraded version of their favorite morning show.

Contacts

Jose Zamora
305.925.8835
josezamora@univision.net

Candice Georgi
305.471.4057
cgeorgi@univision.net