NAHP Awards Azteca America Anchor Jose Martin Samano for Outstanding Coverage of Katrina Hurricane Effects

NAHP Awards Azteca America Anchor Jose Martin Samano for Outstanding Coverage of Katrina Hurricane Effects

LAS VEGAS, April 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Azteca America, the fastest- growing Hispanic television network in the United States, announced today a special award on behalf of the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP) that recognizes outstanding effort by network anchor Jose Martin Samano for his coverage of the 2005 "Katrina" hurricane and resulting social impacts.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060404/MXTU002 )

"News coverage is a top priority at Azteca America, and we continue to dedicate important resources to ensure that our community is being represented fairly in broadcast television," said Luis J. Echarte, Chairman of Azteca America.

Mr. Samano was the first Hispanic network television reporter on the ground in Louisiana following the storm and remained in the impact zone for two weeks following the arrival of the hurricane, focusing on the human disaster and the plight of Hispanic residents. The segments were aired nationally both in the United States through Azteca America, as well as throughout Mexico with TV Azteca.

"It takes a special courage for this type of reporting, which is especially important for the Hispanic community," said Lupita Colmenero, the first female president of the NAHP in its history, who presented the award along with Eddie Escobedo, co-chair of the annual convention.

Speaking to a group of publishers at the NAHP Annual Conference, Mr. Samano stressed the growing role of Hispanic media:

"The influence that we have as Hispanic media is growing every day. As we improve the quality of content, we will be able to attract new bilingual viewers to Hispanic media, as well as maintaining viewership of existing Spanish-speakers of the fastest-growing minority group in the nation."

Azteca America moved its entire news operations to California ealier this year as part of a relaunching of its network news and is currently the only network that produces its broadcast news from Los Angeles, which counts with the largest Hispanic population in the country and is home to over 16% of total U.S. Hispanic residents.

Mr. Samano anchors the evening broadcast of Noticiero Azteca America at 6:30 pm alongside Nancy Agosto, a Puerto Rican native and award-winning veteran of Univision's local Los Angeles newscast. For the nightly newscast at 11:00 pm, Mr. Samano is accompanied by Jackeline Cacho, a highly recognized and awarded Peruvian native, as well as former anchor of local Univision newscasts in San Antonio.

Mr. Samano has 19 years of experience in radio and television news in Mexico and the United States, and was awarded the coveted Premio Nacional de Periodismo (National Journalism Award) in Mexico for reports on Mexican immigrants in Alaska and other migrant border issues in 2004.

About Azteca America

Azteca America is the fastest-growing Hispanic network in the United States. The network is a wholly owned subsidiary of TV Azteca S.A. de C.V., one of the two largest producers of Spanish-language television content in the world. Azteca America currently has presence in 43 Hispanic markets, including: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, Chicago, Dallas, San Antonio, San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, Phoenix, Brownsville-McAllen, Albuquerque, San Diego, Fresno-Visalia, Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, Denver, Philadelphia, Orlando, Austin, Tampa, Corpus Christi, Tucson, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Colorado Springs, Monterey-Salinas, Hartford, Salt Lake City, Bakersfield, West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce, Santa Barbara, Lubbock, Palm Springs, Omaha, Amarillo, Yakima, Naples-Ft. Myers, Wichita, Reno, Boise, Victoria, Oklahoma City, Charleston and Chattanooga.

Visit: http://www.aztecaamerica.com/

For further information, contact:
Daniel McCosh
+011-52-55-1720-0059
dmccosh@aztecaamerica.com

PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060404/MXTU002
Source: Azteca America

CONTACT: Daniel McCosh, Azteca America, +011-52-55-1720-0059, or
dmccosh@aztecaamerica.com

Web site: http://www.tvazteca.com.mx/

-------
Profile: intent