• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, August 6, 2012

El Rey Network, the English-language cable channel targeting young Hispanics, has tapped former Telemundo executive Antoinette Alfonso Zel as CEO in advance of its September 2013 debut.

The network also has former NBCUniversal executive Dave Cassaro as part of its launch efforts, helping develop the affiliate relations and ad sales operations.
 
Comcast has committed to offering the general entertainment network as part of a commitment to carry several minority-owned channels as a condition of government approval of its NBCUniversal merger.

Other networks are spearheaded by Magic Johnson and Diddy Combs.
 
Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, known for the “Spy Kids” franchise and “Desperado,” is the founder of El Rey.  
 
Alfonso Zel has been the worldwide president of agency La Comunidad since 2008, where clients have included several Coke brands and Disney. She had been a senior executive vice president in strategy at Telemundo, where she re-launched mun2, the bilingual network targeting the audience El Rey wants. She previously was president of MTV Networks Latin American operations.
 
Cassaro will lead the launch team working with Alfonso Zel, helping bring aboard executives to lad various initiatives. Cassaro has held top sales positions at Comcast-owned networks before and after the NBCU merger.
 
“Having worked with marketing executives across a spectrum of consumer product categories,” Cassaro stated, “El Rey represents an invaluable opportunity to create unique advertising solutions that will reach two critical demographics: the coveted 18- to-34-year-old and the Latino viewer.”

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