Fox's Spanish-Language Network MundoFox Finds L.A. Station Home

NEW YORK - News Corp.'s Fox has struck an agreement with Meruelo Group’s KWHY-TV Channel 22 in Los Angeles, making it the flagship station for its Spanish-language network MundoFox, which is set to launch this fall, the LA Times reported.

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News Corp. picked the station over independent station KCOP-TV Channel 13, which it owns, because  KWHY already airs Spanish-language content, it said.

The joint venture with Colombian broadcaster RCN Television also announced deals with stations in more than 10 other U.S. cities, including Miami, but it is still looking for a station partner in New York City, the paper said.

MundoFox is looking to play in the fast-growing area of TV targeting U.S. Hispanics, which is currently dominated by Univision Communications and NBCUniversal's Telemundo. But the new network is targeting younger Latinos with programming during 16 hours each day, particularly telenovelas and teleseries, which target a more male demo.

“We intend to be different in a way that the Fox network was different,” Hernan Lopez, president and CEO of Fox International Channels, told the LA Times. He also vowed that MundoFox shows will be “edgier and bolder.”

David Haslingden, president and COO of the Fox Networks Group, told an investor conference last week that MundoFox requires "very little" investment, meaning that it should see money drop to the bottom line within two years. He added that if the network gets things right, the financial benefits could be "very significant."

Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com

Twitter: @georgszalai