Azteca América

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Azteca América

Type	Broadcast television network
Country	United States
Availability	National; also distributed northern Mexico
Founder	Ricardo Salinas Pliego
Owner	Azteca International Corporation
Key people	Luis J. Echarte
Launch date	2001
Past names	None
Website	www.aztecaamerica.com

Azteca América is an American Spanish-language broadcasting network, which is owned by the Mexican television network TV Azteca. Its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is Luis J. Echarte. In 2006, the network changed its ownership moniker (due to Azteca becoming 100% owner) to Azteca International Corporation.

Azteca América was founded in 2001 with a television network based in Los Angeles, California. The initial affiliates where located in Reno, Nevada as well as the Californian cities of San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento, Stockton and Modesto. It now has a low-powered UHF affiliate on channel 39 in the New York metropolitan area [1]. In Texas the affiliate was located in Houston. The initial reach of the Hispanic market was 28%.

By the next year, Azteca América was reaching 53% of the U.S. Hispanics and the network started its own news show called Hechos América with Rebecca Sáenz and José Martín Sámano. In 2003, the network covered 69% of the Hispanic audience and the number increased to 78% by 2004.

Most of the programming on Azteca América is provided by TV Azteca's XHDF-TV (Azteca 13), with most programs being scheduled to air at different times than the TV Azteca schedule. For example, Azteca 13's Hechos Noche airs on a 2 hour delayed basis on AA.

Azteca America airs its own news programs. Some previous news programs are Calles al Desnudo,anchored by Mariana Montenegro and Mónica Mesones, Noticiero Azteca América, anchored by Hannia Novell and Gabriela Alcalá, and Noticiero Azteca América Última Edición, anchored by Mariano Riva Palacio and Anette Cuburu.

All news programs outside of Calles al Desnudo at the time were produced out of the studios of TV Azteca's XHIMT-TV (Azteca 7), while Calles al Desnudo came from the studios of Los Angeles' KAZA-TV.

Azteca America also produces live boxing matches, and also frequently will air Major League Soccer games, along with the usual slate of games produced by TV Azteca.

Since February 6, 2006, Azteca America broadcasts its own nightly national news broadcast, Noticiero Azteca América, at 6:30 pm ET anchored by José Martín Sámano and produced out of their new state of the art digital studios in Los Angeles.

There are some minor differences between Azteca América and the original TV Azteca feed that viewers may catch from time to time:

Azteca America has begun to produce its own programs.
Azteca America has also slightly altered some TV Azteca programs by either blurring out the Azteca 13 logo or covering up Azteca 13's promotional bugs and banners with a banner of the show that is airing (example: during La Academia Cinco, Azteca 13's on-screen promo for Hechos Sábado would be covered up with a banner for La Academia Cinco).

In addition, Azteca América did not air the politically sponsored live early-morning show López Obrador, la otra versión (which ran during the six months before 2006 Mexican election); instead, American viewers got Te Caché, a Mexican TV version of Candid Camera or a rebroadcast of a program called A Quien Corresponda, nor will it air Azteca 13's "Hechos" afternoon or weekend editions.

Azteca América will broadcast Azteca 13's morning news block consisting of Las 7 y 9 and Venga de la Alegria (which they cover the time/temperature bug with a special AA version of the shows title). But during the 2006 FIFA World Cup (in which part of Azteca 13's schedule was pre-empted), Azteca America had to air alternate programming from the TV Azteca archives, as Univision had the US broadcast rights to the event.

During the recent Mexican elections, Azteca América aired its own coverage from the inside the Federal Elections Institute, and would supplant it with brief live coverage from TV Azteca.

Azteca América's programming caters to the young Latino audience of the United States, and recently began to produce its own version of the popular TV Azteca program La Academia called La Academia USA to air only on Azteca América; both are Mexican TV versions of the popular international hit Star Academy, a series similar to Pop Idol (American Idol).