Mundo Hispánico has new owners. Cox Media Group sold the Atlanta-based Spanish language weekly paper and its online property to Mundo Hispano Digital Network (MHDN) for an undisclosed amount.
The tech-focused media company is headed by former Georgia state Sen. Sam Zamarripa as its Chairman. Zamarripa partnered with Marcos González, founder of Vamos Ventures and Rene Alegría, digital publisher and recent CEO of health and wellness portal SaludMovil.com for the purchase.
González, based in California, will serve as Vice Chair. Alegría, who relocated to Atlanta from Miami, will lead Mundo Hispánico as President and CEO of the company.
The publication started operating under the new ownership effective today.
According to Alegría, more than 33 Mundo Hispánico staff members will continue to work for the platform under the new ownership.
However, there have been several departures and layoffs from the publication since Cox announced the sale in April.
Daniel Viotto left his role as Video Content Manager in June to become anchor for the recently launched “Noticias Charlotte” at the Cox-owned Telemundo affiliate.
Several correspondents, including Sylvia Obén and Tamara Mino, moved on to new jobs in television last week.
Director of Content Alejandro Manrique is also no longer with the company. Key staff roles and new appointments will be announced in coming weeks.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution bought Mundo Hispánico in 2004 from Lino Domínguez, who founded the weekly in 1979. Cox expanded the publication’s digital reach with the launch of MundoHispanico.com in 2015.
Cox’s ambitious expansion plans for the Spanish-language online property led to establishing and staffing bureaus in other parts of the country. The new owners opted to shut down some bureaus, including Orlando, Houston and San Antonio.
“As it has for nearly 40 years, Mundo Hispánico will continue to serve Atlanta through its legacy weekly print product. MundoHispanico.com became a national player at the end of 2015 and will continue its national expansion,” states Alegría.
No longer part of CMG, Mundo Hispánico is moving its headquarters in Atlanta and will “rebrand digital operations.”
“As with any transition in leadership, there are exciting product changes on the horizon. For example, there are plans to freshen up MundoHispanico.com and diversify content offerings. Specifically, our audience and advertisers can expect to see richer content added soon in the categories of women, health, home, sports, and food.”
According to company data, MundoHispanico.com attracts 5 to 6 million unique visitors each month and has more than 4.5 million Facebook followers.
The print weekly has a metro Atlanta circulation of 71,000 to 75,000.