Univision Communications Inc

Carlos Slim Domit, a member of Grupo Televisa's board, has withdrawn from the company's planning to bid for Univision Communications Inc. because of a conflict of interest. Slim Domit removed himself after Mexico City-based Televisa disclosed he had purchased 3.8% of Univision between March 9 and April 3.

Spanish-language TV giant Univision Communications said Monday that it was creating an in-house production unit -- a move that reflects consumers' changing viewing habits and a sign that the company no longer wants to rely as heavily on its longtime partner in Mexico for its most popular shows. Univision will launch Univision Studios in Miami to produce prime-time soap operas, reality shows and videos for the Internet. Although Univision benefits from a steady supply of the popular telenovelas produced by Grupo Televisa of Mexico City, the New York-based broadcaster has determined it needs greater diversity in content, according to company executives.

Univision Communications Inc., the Spanish-language broadcaster purchased in March by private investors, said three directors resigned from its board last month. Richard J. Bressler, James P. Carlisle and Scott M. Sperling resigned Oct. 17, the company said. Bressler and Sperling are managing directors of Thomas H. Lee Partners, one of the investment groups that took Univision private.

Univision Communications Inc., the nation's largest Spanish-language broadcaster, on Friday became the latest media company to cut its ranks because of the weakening economy and a sharp downturn in advertising spending. A spokeswoman said the company, which owns the top-rated Los Angeles station, KMEX-TV Channel 34, had laid off 300 people, or 6% of its workers. It was unclear how many jobs would be lost locally.

Venezuelan media investor Gustavo Cisneros said Venevision Investments had joined a group of bidders exploring an offer for U.S. Spanish-language broadcaster Univision Communications Inc. Cisneros said Venevision, a privately held Venezuelan broadcaster controlled by his family, had joined with five private equity firms and Mexican broadcaster Grupo Televisa to explore a deal with Univision.

Home Shopping Network Inc. and Univision Communications Inc. are teaming up to form the Spanish Shopping Network, a television retailer targeting the Latino market. The network is scheduled to premiere early next year. Los Angeles-based Univision is the largest Spanish-language network in the U.S.

Herbalife Ltd. Chief Executive Michael O. Johnson was named an independent director of Univision Communications Inc., the Century City-based Spanish-language media company. Before joining the nutrition firm in 2003, Johnson spent 17 years at Walt Disney Co., where he headed the Burbank-based conglomerate's worldwide video group and was president of Disney International. -- Meg James

Spanish-language media giant Univision Communications Inc. named Jeffrey T. Hinson chief financial officer and executive vice president of the Los Angeles-based company, replacing longtime CFO George Blank. Hinson, 49, will report to Univision Chief Executive A. Jerrold Perenchio. Hinson had been CFO and senior vice president of the Dallas-based Hispanic Broadcasting Corp. radio chain, which Univision acquired in September.

Univision Communications Inc., the Spanish-language broadcaster acquired by private investors, reported a second-quarter loss as expenses rose. The loss of $19.5 million contrasts with profit of $107.4 million, or 32 cents a share, a year earlier. Per-share results for last year's second quarter weren't reported. Sales fell 6.9% to $562.2 million in the period ended June 30. Univision recently moved its headquarters from Los Angeles to New York.

Three private equity firms have formed a group to explore a bid for Spanish-language broadcaster Univision Communications Inc., according to sources familiar with the matter. Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, Texas Pacific Group and Thomas H. Lee Partners have teamed up to weigh an offer for Univision, sources said. The company put itself up for sale last month and could fetch more than $10 billion.

After years of bad blood and nearly three weeks of court testimony, Mexico's entertainment giant Grupo Televisa and the dominant Spanish-language TV company in the U.S., Univision Communications Inc., abruptly ended their four-year legal battle Thursday. The settlement averted a potentially disastrous outcome for Univision, which could have lost its pipeline of Televisa's popular soap operas, called telenovelas, that drive Univision's enormous ratings.

Saying it had expected Univision Communications Inc. to gain more on the sale of its music division, ratings agency Standard & Poor's this week downgraded the corporate credit ratings of the Spanish-language media company to a B-minus from a B. Univision last week announced it had reached an agreement to sell its music division to Universal Music Group for $153 million, of which $113 million is due to Univision upon closing. That amount was "significantly lower than expected" and not enough to repay a $500-million bridge loan that matures in March 2009, S&P said.

Seeking to become el grande in the growing U.S. Latin music market, Universal Music Group on Thursday said it had agreed to buy Univision Communications Inc.'s record division. The purchase price was nearly $140 million, according to two people close to the negotiations who asked not to be identified because the financial terms were confidential. The acquisition, which is subject to regulatory approval, would more than triple Universal's share of the Latin music market to about 49%.

Grupo Televisa has won a court ruling that could allow the Mexican broadcasting giant to move closer to ending its tumultuous relationship with Univision Communications Inc., the largest Spanish-language media company in the United States. U.S. District Court Judge Philip S. Gutierrez in Los Angeles on Monday denied Univision's request to dismiss several claims made by Televisa in a 2-year-old lawsuit.

Univision Communications Inc., the Spanish-language broadcaster purchased in March by private investors, said three directors resigned from its board last month. Richard J. Bressler, James P. Carlisle and Scott M. Sperling resigned Oct. 17, the company said. Bressler and Sperling are managing directors of Thomas H. Lee Partners, one of the investment groups that took Univision private.

Univision Communications Inc., the Spanish-language broadcaster acquired in March by a group of private investors that includes Los Angeles billionaire Haim Saban, reported a third-quarter loss of $26.8 million as interest costs soared. The net loss compared with a profit of $88.2 million a year earlier, said the New York-based company, owner of the most-watched Spanish-language network in the U.S. Sales rose 4.4% to $529.1 million.

Univision Communications Inc., the Spanish-language broadcaster acquired in March by a group of private investors that includes Los Angeles billionaire Haim Saban, reported a third-quarter loss of $26.8 million as interest costs soared. The net loss compared with a profit of $88.2 million a year earlier, said the New York-based company, owner of the most-watched Spanish-language network in the U.S. Sales rose 4.4% to $529.1 million.

Univision Communications Inc., the No. 1 Spanish-language broadcaster in the United States, said it agreed to purchase two radio stations from Entravision Communications Corp. for $90 million. Univision said it expected to pay for the transaction with Entravision shares it owns, part of a commitment to reduce its stake in Entravision to 15% under the company's 2003 purchase of Hispanic Broadcasting Corp. Univision will purchase stations KBRG-FM (100.

Univision Communications Inc. on Wednesday named a new general manager to its flagship television stations in Los Angeles and charged her with boosting revenue and restoring order to KMEX-TV Channel 34, which has been engulfed in management turmoil for nearly six months. Maelia Macin, the former head of the network's stations in Austin, Texas, worked at KMEX in the 1990s as a local sales manager. She replaces Jorge Delgado, who was fired from Univision this year.

In a plot twist worthy of the most gripping telenovela, two brothers are battling for real-life television glory. NBC Universal on Wednesday cast a new leading man to run Telemundo's KVEA-TV Channel 52 in Los Angeles, the Spanish-language station that has been rocked by scandal in the wake of revelations of an affair between one of its news anchors and the mayor of Los Angeles.