Jorge Hidalgo named President & GM of WAPA-TV in Puerto Rico

Hemisphere Media Group, Inc. announced that effective December 31, 2020, Javier Maynulet is stepping down  as President and General Manager of WAPA Televisión in Puerto. The company has named Jorge Hidalgo President and General Manager.

Mr. Hidalgo is a seasoned, Emmy award-winning executive with 40 years of experience in the U.S. Hispanic television industry. Hidalgo has been named among the most influential minorities in numerous U.S. publications such as Sports Illustrated, Hispanic Business, Poder and the Hollywood Reporter. Before joining Hemisphere, Hidalgo led the industry-leading sports division at Telemundo and the network news division where he held the title of Executive Vice President for 16 years. Hidalgo was recognized by the Suncoast Emmy Awards and bestowed the Silver Circle Award in 2012 for his distinguished and significant contributions to both the TV industry and the Hispanic/Latino community. Throughout his career, he has been awarded 3 regional Emmy awards, 5 national Emmy awards, a co-recipient of an Edward R Murrow award.  

Alan J. Sokol, Hemisphere’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “It has been a pleasure to work with Javier over the past three years, and I deeply value his leadership and commitment during a very challenging period. Javier guided WAPA with a steady hand through some of the most tumultuous times in Puerto Rico’s history. We have seen significant growth during his tenure, and WAPA continues shattering ratings records and delivering strong sales results. We thank Javier for his contributions and years of service and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”

Mr. Sokol continued, “We are very fortunate to have Jorge leading the station going forward. Jorge is very familiar with WAPA, having worked closely with its news, operations, and production teams. His deep understanding of Hispanic media and his vast experience in the industry will enable WAPA’s continued growth and innovation, as well as the development of WAPA’s digital business and other new revenue streams, leveraging WAPA’s unique content and production capacity. I look forward to working with him in his new role.”

Mr. Maynulet said, “It has been an honor to lead WAPA Televisión over the last three years and I’m incredibly pleased with our tremendous success. However, I have chosen to step down in order to spend time and focus on my family who remain in Miami. During my tenure, we faced down the aftermath of a devastating hurricane, political turmoil and civil unrest, unprecedented earthquakes, and of course, now the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet through it all, WAPA continued to be the leader and innovator in the market in informing and entertaining our viewers. I’m honored to have worked alongside such an incredible team of dedicated employees and professionals here at WAPA.”

Since 2018, Hidalgo, WAPA’s new leader, has overseen certain of Hemisphere’s strategic investments, focusing on its Latin American businesses and serving as a liaison to Canal 1, a leading national broadcast network in Colombia, jointly owned by Hemisphere and local Colombian partners. Prior to this role, Mr. Hidalgo was a consultant for Hemisphere and an integral member of the team that secured the broadcast license to Canal 1.

Hidalgo started his career at Univision Network, taking on numerous roles in the company and eventually overseeing every aspect of the Network’s sports division as the department’s director.

Hidalgo said, “Broadcasting and serving our Hispanic community has always been my passion and honor. Leading WAPA, the most important TV network in Puerto Rico, is a responsibility and challenge I’m eager to take on. I have had the privilege to work closely with the entire WAPA news and operations teams, an experience that made it clear why WAPA has earned the trust and respect of millions of Puerto Ricans on and off the Island.”