Acosta – VP Station Group manager @ Pappas – Azteca America Stations.

Pappas Telecasting Companies announced the promotion of Fernando Acosta to the position of Vice President/Azteca America Group Manager, effective immediately. He will report to Howard H. Shrier, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Pappas Telecasting’s TV Stations Group.

In his new position, Mr. Acosta will oversee Pappas Telecasting’s Spanish-language television stations, including KAZH-TV/Houston, KTNC-TV/San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose and Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, KAZW-TV/Yakima, Washington, and KUVR-CA/Reno, Nevada. Additionally, he will continue to oversee KAZA-TV/Los Angeles, which is licensed to Pappas and subject to the terms of a Local Marketing Agreement. Previously, Mr. Acosta served as KAZA-TV General Manager and Chief Operating Officer.

In making the announcement, Mr. Shrier said, “Fernando has demonstrated great leadership in his nearly 16 months with Pappas Telecasting. His tremendous knowledge of the Spanish-language television industry has enabled us to better serve the needs of our Spanish-speaking viewers. As our company continues to grow, increasingly we will rely on Fernando’s expertise to help shape our strategy and ensure our long-term success.”

Mr. Acosta commented, “I welcome the challenge of taking on a larger role within the Pappas organization. For the past several years, dozens of reports have attested to the rapid growth of the U.S. Hispanic population. Our company is poised to take great advantage of a major demographic shift, and I’m happy to be able to play a significant role in capturing our share of the market.”

Before joining Pappas Telecasting, Mr. Acosta was General Sales Manager for the Northern California Telemundo stations, including KSTS 48 (San Francisco-San Jose-Oakland) and KCU 15/KEW 23 (Monterey/Salinas). Prior to that, he was Vice President/Sales & Marketing for KSCI-TV (Ch. 18-Los Angeles), and General Sales Manager for KSCI-TV, KIKU-TV (Ch. 20-Hawaii), and the International Channel Cable Network. Mr. Acosta also served as Vice President/Sales for Quepasa.com, an online business targeting the U.S. Hispanic market. Early in his broadcast career, Mr. Acosta held several sales and production positions with Telemundo and Univision.