Ray Rodriguez to Retire as Univision President/COO

RADIO ONLINE | , , | :am CT

Univision President/COO Ray Rodriguez, 58, will retire from the Spanish-language broadcaster at the end of the year, after nearly 20 years at the company. Cesar Conde, most recently Executive VP/Chief Strategy Officer, will become President of the Univision Networks, while CEO Joe Uva adds the role of President of Univision Communications. Conde, who will assume his new role on October 1, will be based in Miami and will continue to report to Uva.

Rodriguez began his career with Univision in 1990, when it was owned by the Hallmark Network. Since that time, he has served as Senior VP and Operating Manager of the Univision Network, President of the Univision Network, Galavision Network, and the TeleFutura Network, and, most recently President/COO of Univision Communications.

Uva commented, "Ray has been an invaluable part of the Univision family and I want to personally thank him for his many contributions to the company's success, as well as for his role in the popularization and proliferation of Hispanic media in this country. His extraordinary vision, commitment to the Hispanic community and innate ability to program our networks with content that resonates with our audience have been instrumental in establishing and growing our clear #1 position."

"I am honored to have had the opportunity to lead and serve alongside such a talented, dedicated and innovative group of individuals, beginning with Jerry Perenchio, whose vision and leadership created the foundation for Univision's outstanding growth over the years," said Rodriguez. "I am proud of how the company has grown by leaps and bounds during my tenure, expanding its offerings and platforms while continuing to deliver a superior product."

Before joining Univision, Conde was VP/Business Development at StarMedia Network, an Internet company focused on Spanish and Portuguese-speaking audiences globally. He began his career as an investment banker at Salomon Smith Barney in their mergers and acquisitions group.