The FCC's Media Bureau can't say for sure whether Hispanic ownership leads to more Hispanic programming or viewership.

That is according to a just-released study of the impact of Hispanic TV station ownership on a station's programming decisions and popularity with a Hispanic audience.

"While we find suggestive evidence, we cannot draw strong conclusions with regard to the viewing of Hispanic-owned stations," the report concluded.

But it did find that Hispanics favor the major Spanish-Language networks, particularly Univision, which is not Hispanic-owned, watch more Spanish-language news than English-language news, and like Telenovelas.

The FCC said one of the reasons it was hard to draw conclusions from the study was the small sample size--only 23 TV stations.

Ultimately, said the FCC, "this study cannot establish whether viewers respond to a change in ownership by adjusting their viewing habits, or whether a change in ownership corresponds to a change in the program lineup of a station that may, in turn, affect viewing decisions."

NBCUniversal’s Telemundo has made another move that bolsters its commitment to news.

On Oct. 4 at 5 p.m., Telemundo will premiere a 30-minute national weekend newscast, Noticiero Telemundo Fin de Semana. The new telecast, to air every Saturday and Sunday, will be anchored by Edgardo del Villar, most recently the news anchor for Telemundo’s Un Nuevo Dia weekday-morning show.

“Noticiero Telemundo Fin de Semana further confirms our commitment to inform our audience seven days a week, all year long,” Alina Falcón, Telemundo’s executive vice president for news and alternative programming, said. “This is another step in the process of expansion at Telemundo that also includes the launch of additional local newscasts and the production of news specials and documentaries.”

A Telemundo news veteran, Del Villar has covered a variety of news stories, including major flooding in Acapulco and drug trafficking along the U.S.-Mexico border. Before joining Telemundo, Del Villar served as the anchor for Las Noticias, the primetime newscast at Televisa’s Monterrey, Mexico, station. He has also spent more than 10 years at Mexico’s top news radio networks, MVS, Radio Fórmula and Núcleo Radio Monterrey.

As reported in the August edition of Hispanic Television Update, Telemundo has invested heavily in its news department at both the local and national level.