Elections @ TeleFutura & Univision.

Univision Communications Inc. announced that it will provide extensive primetime live coverage to air on its two broadcast television networks, Univision and TeleFutura, on Election Day, Tuesday, November 2.

“Noticiero Univision: Destino 2004” (Univision Network News: Destiny 2004) will offer complete coverage of one of the most hotly contested elections in recent history beginning with 2 hours of comprehensive reporting on the TeleFutura Network at 7pm (6 Central). At 9pm (8 Central), viewers will watch events unfold, as the Univision Network picks up continuous coverage of the final hours when America determines who will be the nation’s next president.

Anchoring from Univision’s election headquarters, news anchors Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas, accompanied by political analysts and legal experts, will lead the national news team. As millions of voters cast their ballots, the network’s election center of operations will act as the hub for news information, in-depth analysis and voter trends while reporting on the electoral count and official results.

Ramos and Salinas will be joined by Spanish television’s most experienced team of journalists headed by news anchor Enrique Gratas in Miami, who will be following key U.S. Senate and U.S. House races and the resulting balance of power. News anchor Maria Antonieta Collins will also be reporting on voter irregularities along with Los Angeles based correspondent Jaime Garcia. Chief Washington Correspondent Lourdes Meluza and veteran correspondent Martin Berlanga will be in Washington D.C. tracking events at the White House and the Republican Party Headquarters. After visiting key battleground states, correspondents Blanca Rosa Vilchez and Luis Megid will converge on Boston to cover the official Democratic Party Headquarters at Copley Square.

As the eyes of the nation once again focus on Florida, correspondent Lourdes del Rio will be reporting live from polling precincts, observing voters, the ballot process and any potential irregularities. Given that it is also the first time that the nation has the opportunity to elect a Hispanic to the Senate, news anchor Sergio Urquidi will closely follow Republican hopeful Mel Martinez and his race for the Florida Senate seat against Democrat Betty Castor. Meanwhile in Colorado, correspondent Victor Hugo Saavedra will follow Democratic Senatorial candidate Ken Salazar and his quest for the Colorado Senate seat against Republican Peter Coors.

“Destino 2004” will also provide live coverage on propositions and amendments that are of special interest to Hispanics, particularly those related to immigration, such as Arizona’s Proposition 200.

Election Day coverage starts early with the Univision Network’s live morning news-variety program, “Despierta America,” and with news correspondent Enrique Teutelo reporting live from Crawford, Texas, where President George W. Bush will start his day by casting his vote. The TeleFutura Network will also provide continuous election-day reports and news-briefs with “Noticias Al Minuto” (News Updates).