• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, October 11, 2006

Bloomberg Television is bringing a new, 30-minute Spanish-language news program called "Intercambio Bloomberg" (Bloomberg Exchange) to its Latin American service on Thursday. "Intercambio" will feature interviews with leading U.S. and Latin American figures from business and politics. This is the second Spanish-language program to air on Bloomberg Television, following "Reporte Financiero," which debuted in May.

For the time being, the programs are only airing in Latin America, but in an era of globalization, these new Spanish-language news products might prove relevant to a U.S. audience, too.

Both programs feature Spanish versions of the data screen and news tickers familiar to Bloomberg viewers, but the show is far from a translation of Bloomberg's American content. Bloomberg Television's Latin America service has already landed several big interviews--and it doesn't shy away from controversy.

One notable get was Evo Morales, the president of Bolivia, who is currently persona non grata in much of the business world for his nationalization of the Bolivian natural gas industry. Bloomberg has also interviewed Gustavo Roosen, CEO of Nacional Telefonos de Venezuela, which has endured its own nationalization controversy, courtesy of Hugo Chavez.

"This second addition to our Spanish-language programming will provide even greater depth to the high-quality business and finance coverage provided by the Bloomberg Television service in Latin America," said Mike Clancy, managing editor of Bloomberg Television. "The extensive global and local reach of the Bloomberg News network of reporters enables us to give our viewers direct access to the key players impacting markets and economies in this region."