Buenavisión, a new Hispanic network, is set to launch in South Florida this spring, bringing the region's total to seven Spanish-language TV stations.

January 10, 2007
BY CHRISTINA HOAG

South Florida is set to get its seventh Spanish-language TV station -- WFUN-TV 48, which will launch a Caribbean-oriented network called Buenavisión about April 1.

''We're going to show the television people want to see,'' said Carlos Barba, the former Univisión and Telemundo executive who is chief executive of Buenavisión. ``We're going to have local flavor with network efficiency.''

The venture's corporate parent is Caribevisión Holdings, a partnership between Barba and Mexico's Grupo Pegaso, whose principal is Alejandro Burillo Azcárraga.

Burillo, the cousin of Grupo Televisa Chairman and Chief Executive Emilio Azcárraga Jean, worked at Televisa until selling his stake in the media company in 1999. He has since formed his own conglomerate of various businesses.

STEADY ACQUISITIONS
Caribevisión has been quietly acquiring television properties in recent months to form a network that will offer a selection of programming, ranging from telenovelas to interactive video games to reality shows.

The network will also have a smattering of leased-time programming and a newscast for the Haitian audience.

Miami's low-power WFUN, which Caribevisión bought for $3 million from LocalOne, will be the flagship station. The network, which will air a high-definition signal, will launch in mid-May in the New York market via another low-power station, WPXO-TV 34 in East Orange, N.J., bought from Paxson Communications for $10 million.

The company also has four full-power stations in Puerto Rico and bought the Haitian Television Network, which is carried on Comcast cable. Buenavisión will use HTN's spot for cable distribution, Barba said, adding that he plans to expand the network soon.

''We're looking at other properties in Denver, Washington, California and Texas,'' he said.

WFUN joins an increasingly crowded slate of small stations aiming at niche markets of the Hispanic audience, which is dominated by Univisión and Telemundo. Just in the past year, WSBS-TV 22 and WGEN-TV 8 have launched in South Florida.

NEW YORK ADVANTAGE
While a crowded field will be a challenge for Buenavisión in South Florida, the network will face less competition in New York and Puerto Rico, said Hispanic media consultant Julio Rumbaut.

Across the board, though, finding quality programming will be Buenavisión's challenge, he noted. ''They are up against majors [Univisión, Telemundo and Azteca América] in that arena,'' he said. ``Buenavisión has backers with deep pockets who were key figures in the Mexico television industry for years and who know the industry well.''

Source: The Miami Herald