NEW YORK, April 2, 2008 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Univision Communications Inc., the leading Spanish-language media company in the United States, today announced it is the recipient of the coveted Peabody Award for “Ya es Hora,” a national citizenship and civic engagement campaign done in collaboration with hundreds of Hispanic serving organizations across the U.S.
“The Peabody Award is a great honor and recognition of Univision’s dedication to be the champion of the Hispanic community in the United States, and of our commitment to create initiatives that address issues of importance to our audiences,” said Joe Uva, chief executive officer, Univision Communications Inc. “I would like to thank our many partners on “Ya es Hora” who helped make the campaign the success it has been.”
“Ya es Hora” is an unprecedented national civic engagement campaign developed to inform, educate and motivate Hispanics to participate in the American political dialogue. The campaign has been an important driver of naturalization applications and to maximize reach and impact Univision has leveraged its television, online and its radio operations. Since January 2007, the campaign has mobilized more than one million eligible immigrants to apply for citizenship, secured more than 400 local community based organizations as partners, generated more than 40,000 calls to the 888-Ve-Y-Vota toll free number, driven more than 94,000 unique visits to http://www.yaeshora.info , distributed more than 110,000 brochures and conducted more than 200 citizenship workshops. Univision, National Council of la Raza (NCLR), National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), ImpreMedia and more than 400 organizations are partners in this effort.
“What began as an idea and local effort between Univision’s flagship Los Angeles station KMEX, La Opinion and the NALEO Educational Fund became a national movement,” according to Arturo Vargas, the NALEO Educational Fund’s executive director. “Eventually the effort encompassed national partners ImpreMedia, NCLR, SIEU and hundreds of local organizations. The power and impact of Spanish-language media made sure that “Ya es Hora” became a household term for millions of Latinos.”
In its more than 40 years of operation, as part of its public service, Univision Communications has created award-winning programs and initiatives that address the issues and challenges faced by Hispanics, including previous Peabody Award winner, “Salud es Vida … ¡Entérate!” (Lead a Healthy Life … Get the Facts) and the national engagement recognized today by Peabody, “Ya es Hora.” Univision is also committed to continue setting the bar in the amount of time dedicated to public service announcements, which according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study, is unmatched by English-language broadcast companies or cable networks.
The Peabody, the oldest award in broadcasting, is considered among the most prestigious and selective honors in the media industry today. The Peabody Award recognizes excellence and meritorious work by radio and television stations, networks, Webcasters, producing organizations and individuals.
Univision Communications Inc. is the premier Spanish-language media company in the United States. Its operations include Univision Network, the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the U.S. reaching 99% of U.S. Hispanic Households; TeleFutura Network, a general-interest Spanish-language broadcast television network, which was launched in 2002 and now reaches 89% of U.S. Hispanic Households; Galavisión, the country’s leading Spanish-language cable network; Univision Television Group, which owns and operates 64 television stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Radio, the leading Spanish-language radio group which owns and/or operates 70 radio stations in 16 of the top 25 U.S. Hispanic markets and 5 stations in Puerto Rico; Univision Music Group, which includes Univision Records, Fonovisa Records, La Calle Records and Mexico-based Disa Records as well as Fonomusic and America Musical Publishing companies; and Univision Online, the premier Spanish-language Internet destination in the U.S. located at http://www.univision.com . Univision Communications also has a 50% interest in TuTv, a joint venture formed to broadcast Televisa’s pay television channels in the U.S. Univision Communications has television network operations in Miami and television and radio stations and sales offices in major cities throughout the United States.
For more information, please visit http://www.univision.net .
