Central Coast’s Spanish-Language Television Newscast Gets the Axe
Noticias Univision Costa Central Could Be Off the Air in One Week
The Central Coast is on the brink of losing one of only two Spanish language television news programs with local coverage. News director and anchor Blanca Figueroa received notice on Monday, December 5 that KPMR — digital channel 21 — Noticias Univision Costa Central will go off the air on December 15. “When the general manager told me,” she said, “I was in shock.”
Eight-year-old Univision Costa Central covers Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties and serves an audience of 230,000. Last year it boasted the highest ratings of any news program on the Central Coast, edging out perennial winner KEYT. Even so, it has been losing money for three years and the owner of the station, Santa Monica-based Entravision, has been hurting as well. As of press time, Entravision’s stock is trading at $1.51, down from a five-year high of $11.08 in 2007.
Figueroa has asked for a 15-day extension in hopes that the news program, which airs on weeknights from 6-6:30, can find a sponsor (or sponsors) to keep it on the air, save the jobs of its five-member staff, and, most importantly, preserve the primary source of information for many of the region’s Spanish speakers. Univision Costa Central’s yearly budget is $250,000. Even if individuals or organizations offer to put up the money, it isn’t clear whether something can be worked out, but Figueroa is holding out hope for a Christmas miracle.
