Ray Rodriguez to retire from Univision Communications.

Univision Communications Inc. today announced that Ray Rodriguez president and chief operating officer, will retire from the company at the end of the year, after nearly 20 years at Univision. Univision also announced that Cesar Conde, most recently executive vice president and chief strategy officer, will become president of the Univision Networks, and that Joe Uva, currently chief executive officer, will assume the additional title of president of Univision Communications. Conde, who will assume his new role on October 1, 2009, will be based in Miami, Florida, and will continue to report to Uva.

Rodriguez has been an integral part of the Univision family for almost two decades and is known throughout the industry as a pioneer in Spanish-language media. During his tenure at Univision, he has provided steady leadership, delivered on the company’s unwavering commitment to provide premier Spanish-language programming to U.S. audiences and played an instrumental role in diversifying the company’s portfolio of media assets. In addition to overseeing Univision’s #1 rankings in television, radio and online, Rodriguez helped redefine mainstream media by securing Univision’s rise to consistently deliver more viewers than the English-language networks. Rodriguez began his career with Univision in 1990, when it was owned by the Hallmark Network. Since that time, he has served as senior vice president and operating manager of the Univision Network, president of the Univision Network, Galavisión Network, and the TeleFutura Network, and, most recently president and chief operating officer of Univision Communications.

Uva commented, “Ray has been an invaluable part of the Univision family and I want to personally thank him for his many contributions to the company’s success, as well as for his role in the popularization and proliferation of Hispanic media in this country. His extraordinary vision, commitment to the Hispanic community and innate ability to program our networks with content that resonates with our audience have been instrumental in establishing and growing our clear #1 position and defining Spanish-language news and entertainment as we know it today. I know that I speak for everyone at Univision in wishing him all the best as he enters this next chapter of his life.”

“I am honored to have had the opportunity to lead and serve alongside such a talented, dedicated and innovative group of individuals, beginning with Jerry Perenchio, whose vision and leadership created the foundation for Univision’s outstanding growth over the years,” said Rodriguez. “I am proud of how the company has grown by leaps and bounds during my tenure, expanding its offerings and platforms while continuing to deliver a superior product and fostering strong community ties with our viewers. With a clear path for future growth, today Univision is in great shape. With this in mind, I have decided that this is the right time for me to prepare to retire from the company. I am more than confident that the company will continue to thrive in the capable hands of Joe Uva and his management team and with the support of the company’s owners.”

Rodriguez continued, “In working closely with Cesar it is clear that he has the industry knowledge, leadership abilities and creativity necessary to take Univision to the next level. I have no doubt that Cesar is the ideal person to take on the position of president of the Univision Networks and that he will be successful in advancing the company’s growth and further strengthening its strong bond with the U.S. Hispanic community.”

Commenting on Conde’s appointment, Uva said, “Cesar’s intimate knowledge of the communities we serve provides him with a unique insight into the needs of our audience. Having worked alongside him since I joined Univision, I am confident in his ability to oversee all aspects of our three networks and I look forward to working with him in this new role as we strive to further grow our audience and share of overall advertising dollars.”

Conde commented, “I am honored to be given the opportunity to serve in this position and am excited to continue to grow the Univision, TeleFutura and Galavisión Networks by working closely with our talented employees, proven leadership team and esteemed programming partners. We are all inspired by the magnitude of Ray’s achievements at Univision. He has been a tremendous leader for our organization over the years and I look forward to building on his extraordinary legacy, extending Univision’s leadership position and growing our valued brand among the Hispanic community.”