MALDEF honors Univision Communications for Leadership in Corporate Social Responsibility.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) is honoring Univision Communications Inc. for its outstanding leadership and service to the Hispanic community tonight at its annual awards gala in Atlanta, Georgia. Previous recipients include Bank of America and Washington Mutual. Univision is being honored for its efforts to inform the public about the issues that matter most to the Hispanic community.

“By informing the Latino community about the issues that affect their daily lives, Univision plays a vital role in empowering Latinos across the nation,” said John Trasviña, MALDEF president and general counsel. “Univision is a model corporate citizen because it stands with Latinos as they make greater contributions to the nation as a whole.”

In its more than 40 years of operation, as part of its public service, Univision Communications has created award-winning programs and initiatives that address the issues and challenges faced by Hispanics, including the Peabody award-winning programs “Salud es Vida…¡Entérate!” (Lead a Healthy Life…Get the Facts!) and the national civic engagement campaign “Ya es Hora” (It’s Time). In addition, in 2007 Univision launched a massive multi-platform campaign to educate the country’s Hispanic population on the upcoming congressionally mandated transition from analog to digital television broadcasting (DTV). Univision is also committed to continue to set the bar in the amount of time dedicated to public service announcements, which according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study, is unmatched by English-language broadcast companies or cable networks.

“We are honored to receive this award from MALDEF because corporate social responsibility has been one of our core business pillars since the company was founded more than 40 years ago,” said Joe Uva, chief executive officer, Univision Communications Inc. “We pride ourselves on our ability to connect our viewers with their culture, but our most important roles are serving as an informational lifeline and champion of the Hispanic community, which makes this award even more meaningful.”

The Corporate Social Responsibility Award from MALDEF is one of more than 400 awards and recognitions Univision has received in the past three years for its public service initiatives. Earlier this month, Univision’s “Ya es Hora” initiative received the Peabody Award and was honored with the National Council of La Raza’s Capital Award for Public Service for outstanding leadership. This year the company also is receiving the National Hispanic Medical Association’s Hispanic Health Leadership Award for “Salud es Vida…¡Entérate!”