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“Yes. Isn’t that incredible?” Esteban Creste, VP and news director at Univision’s New York station WXTV, is taking a well-earned victory lap. The station’s late news, Solo a las Once (Only at Eleven), won the July sweep in Adults 18-49 and came in second in Adults 25-54 — that’s against all New York stations, regardless of language. “It’s not only that we’re number one,” Creste says, “it’s number one during these times that people are desperate for information.”
“Solo a las Once” Anchor Yisel Tejeda
Almost a year ago exactly, Creste and his team made a big bet — one that’s now paying off. As we reported last September, they decided to revamp their late news completely, throwing out the rule book in favor of a bold new format. Armed with Magid research that said viewers wanted in-depth coverage of critical issues in their community, Creste jettisoned the usual mix of short packages and voice-overs to focus on two or three major topics and newsmaker interviews every night. “There were big issues out there that people really care about and that affect their lives. We needed to go in-depth into that, and that is not just a matter of doing a 90-second package or a 30-second VO,” Creste says. Now, the individual reports get whatever time they need to tell the story. The current record is eight minutes. “I always have the theme: Don’t do long stories, do extensive stories.”
“On regular days, other newscasts might lead with