NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke mentioned in the Comcast quarterly conference call that NBCU has been adding news personnel at its owned and operated TV stations. Now Telemundo has spelled out plans to increase local news and information programming by 25% at its O&Os.
Telemundo said the initiative will involve the launch of morning news programs in Los Angeles and Houston; local weekend news programs in New York, Dallas, and Puerto Rico; weekday news programs in Denver; and local public affairs programs in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix and Puerto Rico. “These programs, all of which will be launched by the end of January 2012, will contribute more than 1,000 hours of additional news and public affairs offerings at the stations,” the NBCU-owned Spanish network said.
In addition to the programming expansion, the Telemundo Station Group said it is making a multi-million dollar investment in upgrading local technical infrastructure at its stations to give them local high-definition news production capability.
“This expansion of local news and public affairs programming at the Telemundo owned stations reinforces our commitment to the communities we serve,” said Ronald J. Gordon, President, Telemundo Station Group. “A focus on local service has been an ongoing priority at Telemundo, and we have made significant investments to enhance our local news programming, resulting in substantial ratings growth in our markets. The launch of more than one thousand additional hours of news and public affairs programming, coupled with an upgrade of the stations’ technical infrastructure, demonstrate our commitment to localism,” he added.
