Univision Taps Chris Peña as Senior VP of Local Media Television News

Univision has named Chris Peña as senior VP of local media television news and elevated Lourdes Torres to senior VP of political coverage and special projects.

“The appointment of Chris Peña and the promotion of Lourdes Torres are two key strategic appointments that will allow Univision to strengthen and deepen its political coverage and local media operations,” said John W. Eck, chief local media officer and executive VP of technology, operations and engineering. “They allow us to continue serving the Hispanic community with the best news and information at both the local and national level.”

Peña, previously a senior executive producer at MSNBC, will oversee the media company’s news efforts in working with network and local news operations, implement local news editorial guidelines and develop Univision O&O station news directors.

“Chris Peña comes to us with a wealth of experience and knowledge about the Hispanic community, as well as national, local and digital news production,” said Daniel Coronell, president of news for UCI. “We look forward to having him contribute to the continuous growth and innovation that has made Univision a staple in the millions of households it reaches in local markets across the country.”

Torres, who joined the company, then known as Spanish International Network, in the mid-1980s, will increase her responsibilities for political coverage via all platforms. She will continue to be based out of Miami and, like Peña, report to Coronell.

“In such a pivotal election year, Lourdes will leverage her expertise to ensure we are delivering unrivaled political coverage to the Hispanic community, so that they have all the news and information they need to make an informed decision in November and beyond,” Coronell said.