Media Moves

Covering Latinos in the Media Industry

Noticias_Nuevo_Mexico
Anchors Alejandro Contreras and Laura Holguín were among the layoffs at KLUZ.

Entravision cancels KLUZ local newscast production, lays off staff

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The studio at Entravision-owned KLUZ in New Mexico will no longer seat news anchors at the desk. Entravision has opted to cancel local production of its 5 and 10 pm newscasts in Albuquerque. Instead, it will “hub” the news from its Denver station.

In doing so, it has laid off staff at KLUZ, just like it did at WVEA in Tampa.

Anchors Alejandro Contreras and Laura Holguín were among the layoffs, as well as a producer, editor and a technical director. The company hired Yuniesky Ramirez and Garna Mejia as anchor replacements for Noticias Univision Albuquerque, based out of Denver.

Two MMJs and longtime cameraman Jim Morrison will remain in Albuquerque. The KLUZ newscast will be pre-recorded to air as live-on-tape. And just like at the Florida station, the changes went into effect yesterday.

A source says Juan Carlos Gutierrez, News Director at KCEC, the Entravision-owned Univision affiliate in Denver, will oversee the newscasts for both cities.

Yuniesky Ramirez and Garna Mejia
Yuniesky Ramirez and Garna Mejia are the new Denver-based anchors for Noticias Univision Albuquerque.

After requests for comment, the company sent Media Moves a press release where it spins the downsizing and the production of local news in another city as the launch of “enhanced television broadcasts.”

The “enhancements” are listed as an upgrade to HD for Albuquerque and an on-air graphic package upgrade for Tampa.

The company would not address the layoffs or the reason for hubbing local news out of other cities.

The release includes the following updated talent roster for Tampa and Albuquerque:

In Tampa: Paola Varela Rossi, Samuel Rivera, Stephanie Becerra and Carolina Cruz. But as Media Moves reported yesterday, Samuel will be based in Orlando, where Paola has been working as a sports anchor since last year. There was no mention of Sarykarmen Rivera, who currently continues to work at the station. After Media Moves inquired about Sarykarmen, the company sent a revised release a day later, including her in the Tampa talent roster.*

In Albuquerque: Yuniesky Ramirez, Garna Mejia, Karina Moreno, Yesmani Gómez Cervantes, Rocío Irún, and Rudy Acosta. The company lists Luis Armando Canela, but he is actually a sports anchor at the Entravision station in Las Vegas.

Earlier this year, Entravision also shipped production of its Univision Midland/Odessa newscast to El Paso.

* The updated release was emailed on Wednesday, Nov. 4.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. This is getting extremely out of control I’m comparing Entravision to NBCU 2.6 (Rememeber NBCU 2.6 cancelled a bunch of newscast for Telemundo and had them hub in 2006) This year they cancelled the newscast for Midland/Odessa and shipped it to El-Paso with the El-Paso news anchors over there. Then it cancels newscast for WFDC Univsion washington on the weekends. And then later cancels and ships production of local news Tampa to Orlando. And now this. Entravision you’re messed up if you want a graphic upgrades for your stations or HD newscast then upgrade your technology instead of cancel local newscast. The Hispanic community now has low news choices and options for them to be informed not cool.

  2. This comunity has always rely in our LOCAL reporters and news. I worked with four hundred spanish speaking people.It’s a shame that Entravision maded such bad decision. Our people will follow the other local station No More Entravision!!!!

    • It really bad for KLUZ the other Spanish station is Telemundo Nuevo Mexico and that newscast is also a ”hub” newscast out of Lubbock. This was the only Spanish newscast in this market. For Tampa it isn’t that bad because they have another Spanish station Telemundo Tampa there newscast Telenoticias Tampa and there newscast isn’t ”hub” it’s live and local gratefully. I’ll be tuning in there but if there wasn’t no Telenoticias Tampa (which launched last year the day after labor day 2014) then there would have no other Spanish-Language newscast for the Tampa market. If this happened before labor day 2014. And this is WVEA Tampa second news department dismantling.

    • It’s really bad for KLUZ the other Spanish station is Telemundo Nuevo Mexico and that newscast is also a ”hub” newscast out of Lubbock. This was the only Spanish newscast in this market. For Tampa it isn’t that bad because they have another Spanish station Telemundo Tampa there newscast Telenoticias Tampa and there newscast isn’t ”hub” it’s live and local gratefully. I’ll be tuning in there but if there wasn’t no Telenoticias Tampa (which launched last year the day after labor day 2014) then there would have no other Spanish-Language newscast for the Tampa market. If this happened before labor day 2014. And this is WVEA Tampa second news department dismantling.

  3. So sad! And KLUZ just debuted a new set last evening?? This has been tried and failed before. Telemundo cancelled local newscasts, only to bring them back a couple of years later. People need local news–weather, traffic, community information. Hubbed news will never work.

    • Thank You LP this was Nuevo Mexico only Spanish-language newscast. Telemundo Nuevo Mexico also had a Spanish-language newscast but it was only at 10:00p.m. and it was ”hub” out of Lubbouck

  5. This is a very sad day for Albuquerque. This local news station brought so much to our community, in terms of information and education. Albuquerque is not a step-child of Denver, and our local concerns are just that – unique to us. I hope they re-think this bad decision for our community.

  6. Que pena. Though it was not the best newscast around–sorry, but monotonous reporting and the low light really turned me off–it was local and a part of the community. From a business perspective, are you kidding me?! You’re the ONLY Spanish news station in the ENTIRE state of Nuevo MEXICO and you couldn’t make it work? This, my friends, is called poor management. We bid you farewell and now one can only hope Azteca America makes its way to New Mexico and manages a successful newscast. This is my humble opinion.

    -A former journalist