Univision 41 Expands Morning Newscast In NYC.

In a move that will boost its weekday output of local news by 50 percent, to fifteen hours up from ten, Univision 41 (WXTV) in New York will double the length of its weekday morning newscast, “Noticias 41 Al Despertar,” to two hours from one hour in response to soaring viewership. Beginning Monday, November 5, “Noticias 41 Al Despertar” (Channel 41 News at Dawn) will be seen weekdays from 5 am to 7 am. “Noticias 41 Al Despertar,” the New York area’s first regularly scheduled Spanish- language local TV morning newscast, bowed on October 4, 1999 as a Monday-Friday 6 am to 7 am program.

Anchors Ramon Zayas, Birmania Rios, and weather reporter Jack Rico will continue to be seen on the expanded “Noticias 41 Al Despertar,” which will feature additional weather and traffic reporting as well as expanded coverage of local news and of events of global significance.

“We are expanding the news in response to demand from viewers in light of the terrorist situation and its repercussions,” said Univision 41 News Director Norma Morato. “Morning news takes on increased importance in part because of the additional time commuters need to cope with travel restrictions and other changes of circumstances brought about by civil defense. The viewer feedback is reflected in the overnight ratings.” When Univision 41 expanded “Noticias 41 Al Despertar” to two hours on several days following the September 11 terrorist attack (Sept. 16-18 & 24), general market Nielsen Station Index household ratings for the additional hour increased by 400 percent, and ratings among Hispanics, as reported by the Nielsen Hispanic Station Index (NHSI) soared by 225 percent compared to a similar period a year earlier.

Ratings for All Univision 41 news programs are up substantially in the past year:

NOTICIAS 41 AL DESPERTAR: In the October 2001 ratings survey, which ended yesterday, “Noticias 41 Al Despertar” scores a 1.1/5 NSI rating/share, up 57% from 0.7/3 in October 2000, to tie with WCBS-TV Channel 2. In Nielsen’s measure of Hispanic viewing (NHSI), “Noticias 41 Al Despertar” has almost doubled — from 4.4/23 NHSI in October 2000, it now scores 8.3/36.

NOTICIAS 41 AT 6 PM: The 6 pm weekday broadcast of “Noticias 41” with anchors Rafael Pineda and Denisse Oller jumped an astonishing 69% in the general market NSI ratings — from 2.6/5 in October 2000 to 4.4/8 today close to the 4.7/9 scored by WCBS/2. In the NHSI ratings the 6 pm “Noticias 41” scores 24.4/40, up 17% from 20.8/40.

NOTICIAS 41 AT 11 PM: The 11 pm weekday “Noticias 41” (also with anchors Pineda and Oller) scores 3.4/6 NSI, up 62% from 2.1/4 last year. Among Hispanics the 11 pm “Noticias 41” scores 20.8/35 NHSI, up 40% from 14.9/27 last year. Yesterday (Wednesday, October 24) the 11 pm “Noticias 41” scored 4.2/8 NSI to beat the 4.0/8 scored by the 11 pm news on WCBS/2.

Each Nielsen Station Index rating point represents 73,010.6 TV households. Each Nielsen Hispanic Station Index rating point represents 10,862 TV households.