Noticiero Telemundo 52 Steps Up By Adding New Local Newscast In Los Angeles.

KVEA-TV rings in the new year by announcing today its debut of a one-hour weekday morning news and information program; a half-hour midday news program; and an alternative to weekend news, featuring live, local and late-breaking news coverage beginning Monday, Jan. 15, 2001.

Viewers across Southern California will have four additional alternatives for Spanish-language local news programming, throughout the weekday and weekend, as they witness “Noticiero Telemundo 52” newscasts becoming a 24-hour-a-day, seven-days-a-week news operation in Los Angeles.

“Noticiero Telemundo 52” will debut its one-hour morning newscast, “Buenos dias,” (Good Morning) at 6 a.m. The half-hour, “Al medio dia,” (at noon) will begin at 11:30 a.m., and the weekday evening news will also make its way to the weekends at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.

“Over the past two years, Spanish-language local news has been in a growth mode, and viewers have responded, producing favorable higher ratings,” said Fernando Lopez, vice president and general manager of KVEA-TV, Ch. 52. “With the addition of these newscasts, KVEA-TV, Ch. 52 will become Los Angeles’ news leader on Spanish-language TV; its 14.5 hours of local news each week will surpass all other Spanish-language TV competitors in the amount of time devoted to local news.”

Ruben Luengas, one of Latin America’s leading journalists, who comes to Los Angeles from Mexico City, will anchor the weekday morning, 6 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., newscasts. He will also be joined by anchorwoman Azalea Iniguez, the seasoned broadcast journalist, who has been with “Noticiero Telemundo 52” for more than four years as weekday reporter/anchor. Following “Buenos dias,” the same anchor team will rejoin on the midday news, “Al medio dia,” that will offer viewers continual news coverage from 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The weekday, 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., newscasts anchor will be Vicente Calderon who, after five years away from Los Angeles, returns from Baja California, Mexico, where he served as border Bureau Chief covering immigration news. Joining him on the set will be co-anchor Lucia Navarro, who is widely respected as an international journalist for her work in both the United States and in Mexico on Telemundo’s affiliate in Houston, as former lead anchor for KTMD-TV, Channel 48’s evening newscasts, and in Mexico on Televisa, TV Azteca and Radio Red.

“Stepping up to the plate and becoming a more highly visible and stronger news operation will dramatically strengthen our commitment in this market,” said Victor Abalos, news director of “Noticiero Telemundo 52.” “As we strive to continue extending our reputation as a credible news source I am confident Spanish-language viewers will now have the most comprehensive news coverage in the Southland.”

“Noticiero Telemundo 52” will also provide an alternative to existing Spanish-language weekend news on both Saturdays and Sundays at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. Eduardo Blancas, past news presenter on the nationally acclaimed news program “Hechos” (Current Events), which airs in Mexico on TV Azteca, and Mirthala Salinas, presently reporter/anchor for the weekday evening newscasts on “Noticiero Telemundo 52,” will anchor both shows.