In addition to co-anchoring Univision’s evening newscast, Jorge Ramos also hosts the network’s Sunday political affairs show Al Punto. But as Ramos winds down his tenure at the network, he may have confirmed the fate of his show- which was rumored to fall to the cost-cutting axe.
Watch as Ramos all but confirms the end of his eponymous show:
UNIVISION AL PUNTO CON JORGE RAMOS
11/24/24
11:52 AM
JORGE RAMOS: Diego, it’s a pleasure to talk to you again.
DIEGO BERNARDINI: Thank you, Jorge. The pleasure is mutual.
RAMOS: I want to- I want to tell you that this is the last interview that I’ll be doing for this program. So it is a pleasure and an honor. And I believe that it is very symbolic that it be with you, precisely, when you’ve specialized in this new longevity, right? I’m going to put that to the test.
As has already been reported, Ramos is on his way out at Univision. As we noted at the time:
Per sources with knowledge of the situation, Ramos was offered a contract extension in exchange for significantly reduced compensation (from a figure reportedly somewhere between Muir and Holt money), and a significantly reduced role wherein he would no longer be the face of the news division. Being forced off the anchor desk and relegated to a weekly role was apparently a step too far for Ramos.
Credit where it is due: Ramos addressed his non-renewal directly, without trying to make up a story about going into podcasting. But it turns out that his departure was the first domino at Univision, which is rumored to undergo massive cuts. Per Media Moves:
Over the past two weeks, rumors circulated about impending cuts and program cancellations. Staffers say they were told to expect “massive layoffs” across the board. A source described the tension and anxiety in the newsroom, noting that employees feel “absolute terror” due to the uncertainty created by waiting to find out who will lose their jobs and who will remain with the company. Meanwhile, some employees who have spent decades with the organization are rushing to polish their résumés.
Sources tell Media Moves that cuts originally scheduled for this week have now been postponed until the first week of December.
Among the strongest rumors is the potential cancellation of the weekly news magazine “Aquí y Ahora,” which has been on the air since 2000, and Sunday public affairs program “Al Punto,” hosted by anchor Jorge Ramos since its inception in 2007. Ramos is leaving Univision at the end of the year.
This in addition to negotiated departures of certain talents, such as correspondents Luis Megid and Blanca Rosa Vilchez) and the shutdown of the network’s San Francisco bureau. The cancellation of Al Punto has so far been rumored, but Ramos telling his guest that he’s his last interview, with a month left in the year, does not bode well for the program or, more importantly, for its crew.
Other cuts are coming to Univision, both in content and in personnel. We remain hopeful that these cuts are ultimately performed in service of genuine much-needed reform at Univision.
