• Mediaweek, Wednesday, April 23, 2008 11:15 AM

With its TV duopolies in four of the nation's largest markets, Univision Communications stations are set to add a third hour of local morning news on their duopoly partners, the owned-and-operated TeleFutura stations. Beginning April 28, Noticias Univision 41 Al Despertar (Univision 41 News at Dawn), which airs weekdays form 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. will produce an extra hour from 7 to 8 a.m. to air on TeleFutura outlets.

The stations involved are in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Sacramento. "It's a creative use of the duopoly," says Ramon Pineda, general manager of Univision's New York duopoly. "It allows us to accommodate two needs at once. We offer local news, weather, and traffic in the middle of rush hour, while continuing to offer all three-hours of Despierta America, Univision's popular [network] breakfast show."

In New York, where WXTV has been competitive with local newscasts, WFUT will now be the only source for local news in Spanish between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m."

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