The leading Spanish-language media company in the United States, Univision operates radio and television stations and cable networks and has recorded music and Internet divisions. Its services provide broad-based programming content that competes effectively with English-language media, providing important sources of information and entertainment for Hispanic Americans and Spanish-speaking immigrants.
Univision began in 1962 as the
As SIN was partly foreign owned, the
Following the example of other national networks that owned multiple services, Univision launched and acquired media properties providing new markets, the first of which was America’s first Spanish-language cable service,
In 2002, Univision acquired USA Broadcasting, along with its thirteen broadcast television stations, to form a second Spanish-language television service called
By the early twenty-first century, Univision Network was maintaining an audience-share advantage over its main competitor,
As a multimedia conglomerate reaching millions of people, Univision has also helped to promote voter education and raise awareness of immigration issues. Together with other Spanish-language media, Univision has played an activist role by mobilizing Hispanics to social action. In 1994,
In 2008, Univision received a prestigious Peabody Award for its Ya Es Hora (it’s time) public service campaign, an effort to inform, educate and motivate Hispanic participation in citizenship and political matters. The campaign included public service announcements that encouraged eligible permanent legal residents to apply for U.S. citizenship and supported get-out-the-vote efforts.
Cambridge, Vibert C. Immigration, Diversity, and Broadcasting in the United States, 1990-2001. Athens: Ohio University Press, 2005. Nuñez, Luis V., ed. Spanish Language Media After the Univision-Hispanic Broadcasting. New York: Novinka Books, 2006. Rodriguez, America. Making Latino News. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 1999. Rodriguez, Clara. Latin Looks: Images of Latinas and Latinos in the U.S. Media. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1997.
Latin American immigrants
Mexican immigrants
Spanish-language press
Telemundo
Television and radio