Media Moves

Correspondent Nick Valencia has again renewed his contract with CNN, keeping him on board for another two years.

Valencia has been with the cable news network for 11 years, starting out as teleprompter operator and working his way up as producer, before getting his big break as a national news reporter in 2013.

He got a title change to correspondent in 2015, when CNN renewed his contract.

“I’m a kid from Northeast LA living his dream. I feel like I’m a normal person who made it, and now has a seat at the table,” Valencia tells Media Moves. “I feel like it’s my job to standup for my community and represent…to make the most of this opportunity that I have been given. To be real, authentic and genuine. That’s what viewers want, that’s what they deserve.”

Miguel Marquez, Rosa Flores and Polo Sandoval.

CNN is moving three of its Latino correspondents to different bureaus.

Miguel Marquez is leaving New York to return for a third time to CNN’s Los Angeles bureau.

Polo Sandoval will replace Marquez in New York. He leaves the network’s Atlanta headquarters, where he covered stories for CNN, CNNI, HLN and CNN Español.

Rosa Flores is also relocating. She’s leaving Chicago to join the Miami Bureau as a correspondent. Before Chicago, she was based in New York.

Starting this Saturday, Ana Cabrera is the new anchor for the weekend editions of prime time program CNN Newsroom, based in New York.

The weekend show airs Saturdays from 3 to 6pm ET and 7 to 9pm ET, and Sundays from 5 to 8pm ET.

She succeeds Poppy Harlow, who now co-hosts CNN Newsroom weekdays.

Since joining CNN as Denver-based correspondent in 2013, Cabrera has covered high-profile stories, including the unrest in Ferguson following the shooting of Michael Brown, reported extensively on the marijuana legalization movement, and worked with the CNN Investigative team.

Before CNN, she spent four years as morning anchor for KMGH-TV 7 News, the ABC affiliate in Denver.

Ramón Escobar gets expanded duties at CNN. He has been promoted to Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for CNN Worldwide. He remains based in New York.

He replaces Geraldine Moriba, who left the post in December.

In addition to his diversity and inclusion role, Escobar will continue to oversee the recruitment and development of on-air talent as VP of Talent Recruitment and Development.

He will also chair CNN’s Diversity Council, as well as offer strategic guidance on issues of diversity to the CNN management team.

Escobar joined CNN as VP of Talent Recruitment and Development in 2012. He previously worked at Telemundo Network as EVP of News from February 2010 to September 2011 and as Sr EVP of Entertainment from 2003 to 2006.

Some of Escobar’s past positions include VP at Sucherman Consulting Group, EP at MSNBC, and VP and News Director of WTVJ, the NBC O&O in Miami.

CNN has hired Emmy-award winning Leyla Santiago as a correspondent based in Mexico City. She joins the cable network from Raleigh NBC affiliate WRAL, where she was an anchor and reporter since 2012.

In her new role, Leyla will contribute across CNN’s television and digital platforms, highlighting the relationship between Mexico and the United States.

Before WRAL, Leyla spent three years as a morning anchor at KBAK/KBFX in Bakersfield. She previously worked as a reporter for KTUU in Anchorage, Alaska.

She started her broadcast career as a reporter for NBC29 in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2006.

Alina Machado and Boris Sanchez.

Miami-based CNN correspondent Alina Machado is leaving the network. Boris Sánchez will replace her, starting in Miami on April 11. He’ll be covering Florida and the Southeast, but will also continue to deploy on major national stories.

In an email to staff this morning, Terence Burke, VP of Newsgathering, CNN/U.S announced the changes.

“I want to thank Alina Machado for her excellent work and her outstanding professionalism during her tenure at CNN. A few weeks ago Alina informed us that she would be leaving CNN at the end of her contract. We wish her all the best in her future pursuits,” he wrote.

Alina joined CNN in March of 2013 as an Atlanta-based correspondent and moved to Miami in February of 2014. Before CNN, she was a reporter for WSB-TV2 in Atlanta and WTVD ABC 11 in Raleigh.

Boris, hired in June of last year, moves from New York. He’ll be replaced there by WCBS’ Jessica Schneider.

Prior to CNN, Boris was an anchor at KDVR, the Fox affiliate in Denver and an anchor/reporter at ABC affiliate KRCR-TV in Redding, CA.

After a 25-year career with CNN in multiple executive roles, Rolando Santos, currently CEO of CNN Chile, is retiring from the company.

His last day is this Friday, April 1. He has decided to return to the United States after spending 9 years in Chile.

“It was time to come home and focus more on family,” he tells Media Moves. “One of my daughters is getting married this year and another is graduating from college and I want to spend time with them.”

He’ll be returning to Atlanta, where he still owns a home.

“For the next year, I’ll be dedicated to doing speaking engagements, consulting and coaching, until I find the right job,” he says. If that doesn’t happen within a year, Santos plans to move to San Antonio.

While he looks forward to the next phase in his professional journey, he says leaving his news team in Chile will be hard.

“I’ve been blessed with a 40-year career in the United States, working in English and Spanish-language, in front and behind the camera and internationally. Some of the most satisfying times in my career occurred in Chile, because I was able to change the news culture in the country and train the next generation of journalists that is now in charge of the news product.”

Before moving to Santiago, Santos was SVP for Affiliate Relations for CNN International, EVP and General Manager of HLN, and President of CNN en Español and CNN en Español Radio.

He joined CNN in 1993, starting out as Executive Producer and later News Director for CNN en Español, a division that produced international news in Spanish, before the launch of the 24-hour cable news network in 1997.

He has also held roles as News Director of KVEA Telemundo 52 and Assistant News Director at KTTV-FOX 11 News in Los Angeles, as well as jobs as news anchor, reporter, and producer at KPIX-TV in San Francisco, KSL-TV in Salt Lake City and KMOL-TV in San Antonio.

News Director Alejandro Repenning will lead CNN Chile upon Santos’ departure from the news channel.

Nick Valencia is staying with CNN for another two years. His new contract includes a title change from reporter/producer to correspondent. He’ll continue to be based in Atlanta.

Nick has always been very vocal about how excited he is to have been able to fulfill his dream of being a correspondent and grateful of the opportunity to grown within CNN.

He joined the cable network in March of 2006 as a teleprompter operator, later taking on the roles of associate producer for CNNI’s “Inside Africa,” and national and international desk editor.

He was promoted to national news reporter in 2013.

About his past 9 years at cable news network, Nick recently said: “The top brass at CNN saw something in me and gave me a chance to prove myself. It’s worked out for the both of us.”

Nick has been getting significant air time this year, covering top news stories, such as the Baltimore riots, the Charleston church shooting and the escape of Mexican drug lord El Chapo from prison.