Univision Company

Univision Communications Inc.'s second-biggest shareholder, Grupo Televisa, called on the company Wednesday to improve corporate governance after objecting to Univision's promotion of Ray Rodriguez to president two weeks ago. Grupo Televisa of Mexico opposed the decision by Univision Chairman A.

Univision Communications Inc., the largest U.S. Spanish-language television and radio broadcaster, will pay about $190 million to buy two leased television stations in Puerto Rico, where the company also owns two radio stations. Univision exercised options to buy WLII and WSUR, the company said Tuesday in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

McHenry T. Tichenor Jr. will resign as president of Univision Radio at the end of the month, Univision Communications Inc. said. The Century City-based media company said Tichenor was leaving to pursue other interests. Tichenor had been the chief operating officer of Hispanic Broadcasting Corp., a family-owned business, and its predecessors for more than 23 years. Univision last year acquired Hispanic Broadcasting and renamed it Univision Radio.

President Bush told a Spanish-language television interviewer Thursday that he supported offering temporary legal status to immigrants who wanted jobs that went unfilled by U.S. citizens. Bush, who says the United States should find a more humane way to treat immigrants, said a card would provide temporary legal status for undocumented immigrants or those who wanted to come to the United States to work. But he said he would not offer amnesty.

The Parents Television Council's first study of Spanish-language television has concluded that there is as much sexual content on Univision and Telemundo as on the six broadcast networks, but far less violence and profane language.

Nielsen Media Research Inc. said Tuesday that it had asked a Los Angeles judge to deny Univision Television Group Inc.'s request to bar Nielsen's "people meter" audience counting system from being used in the city. Univision, the top U.S. Spanish-language broadcaster, filed suit against Nielsen on June 10, alleging that the people meter would reduce the count of its viewers in Los Angeles as much as 50%. Nielsen, the predominant U.S.

Univision Communications said Wednesday that it is buying two TV stations -- one near Sacramento, the nation's 15th-largest Latino market, and another in Raleigh, N.C. -- increasing the Los Angeles-based Spanish-language conglomerate's portfolio to 53 stations. Terms of the deals were not disclosed. Univision said it has agreed to buy KFTL Channel 64 in Stockton from Family Stations Inc.

Federal antitrust regulators on Wednesday agreed to Univision Communication Inc.'s $2-billion purchase of Hispanic Broadcasting Corp. -- as long as Univision follows through on plans to curtail its influence in a related TV and radio company. The approval, which had been expected, removes a major hurdle that has held up Univision's plan to grow into a television, radio and record label behemoth commanding two-thirds of advertising dollars spent on Spanish-language media in the United States.

Univision Communications Corp., the nation's largest Spanish-language broadcaster, said Thursday that its fourth-quarter profit more than tripled. Executives with the Los Angeles-based company also said they expected to win approval from federal regulators later this month for the $2-billion acquisition of radio chain Hispanic Broadcasting Corp. of Dallas.

Univision Communications Inc. still faces a key regulatory hurdle in its proposed $2-billion acquisition of Spanish-language radio chain Hispanic Broadcasting. Regulators at the Federal Communications Commission said in a letter this week that Univision's plan to assuage antitrust concerns by reducing its influence over another Spanish- language firm might not be enough. The FCC letter marks an unexpected holdup.