¡Despierta América!

Despierta América
Created by Mari Garcia-Marquez
Directed by Francy González
Michel Martinez
Presented by Alan Tacher
Karla Martínez
Johnny Lozada
Ana Patricia González
Lourdes Ramos
Alejandro Chabán
Francisca Lachapel
Lourdes Stephan
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) Spanish
No. of seasons 18
Production
Executive producer(s) Luz María Doria
Producer(s) Víctor José Santiago
Location(s) Miami, Florida
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time 240 minutes (including commercials)
Production company(s) Noticias Univision
Release
Original network Univision
Picture format 480i (SDTV),
1080i (HDTV)
Original release April 14, 1997 – present
External links
Website

¡Despierta América! (Spanish pronunciation: [desˈpjerta aˈmeɾika], Wake Up America!) is an American Spanish language morning television show airing on Univision. Debuting on April 14, 1997, the program's primarily targets the Hispanic population in the United States. It is broadcast from the network's studios in Miami, Florida, and is currently hosted by Karla Martínez, Johnny Lozada, Alan Tacher, Ana Patricia González, Lourdes Ramos, Ximena Córdoba, Francisca Lachapel,Lourdes Stephan and Alejandro Chabán.[1]

Other reporters or celebrities also provide entertainment and gossip segments, and will occasionally appear as guest hosts if one of the regular hosts is unavailable (for instance, actress Angélica Vale has appeared frequently during the show's run). The show also features contributors that cover a variety of topics such as immigration, technology, diet, exercise and personal motivation. Among the permanent and occasional contributors of the show are Dr. Mario Lovo (immigration), Ariel Coro (technology), Claudia Molina (exercise), Alejandro Chabán (weight loss), Ismael Cala, María Marín and Alberto Sardiñas (motivation), among many others.

The program airs weekdays from 7:00 to 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time; as Univision holds complete responsibility for its affiliates' programming, the network does not tape delay ¡Despierta América! individually by U.S. time zone (only running a delayed broadcast for the network's Pacific Time feed). Although similar in format to English language competitors Good Morning America and Today, ¡Despierta América! maintains more of a focus on interviews, and entertainment and feature stories; news headlines are generally limited to a segment that airs each half-hour, and national weather segments only appear once an hour during the first three hours of the broadcast (compared to the half-hourly weather updates that appear on other national morning news programs).

History

On April 14, 1997, Univision launched Despierta América as a Spanish language competitor to NBC's Today, ABC's Good Morning America and CBS This Morning. Despierta América is known for coining the catch phrase, "échate pa' acá" ("Come here"), which is a segment regarding news and gossip about Latin entertainers. This was later carried over to another show Un Nuevo Día on Telemundo in 2013. Despierta Américahas since developed its own brand and style of reporting news of various genres, such as immigration, sports, consumer, health, lifestyle, fashion, beauty and entertainment content. With a staff of approximately 30 (made up of writers, editors, producers, and support staff based out of Miami)and additional bureaus across the country and in Mexico, Despierta América wakes up America each weekday morning with four full hours of news and entertainment.

The original Despierta América logo, used from 1997 to 2010.

While Jackie Guerrido initially provided national weather updates during each broadcast, after she left the show full-time often one or another of the hosts would do the segments (most notably Raúl, who would do various reggaeton-styled musical updates for some time). Ximena Cordoba has become an asset to the show in taking over the role of weather reporter and health & beauty contributor.

Notable on-air staff

Current

Former

Cosita

"Cosita" was a female dog that had a daily participation on Despierta America for 10 years. After her owner decided to retire her in order for her to become a mother, she was celebrated during her last show with a goodbye party. "Cosita" died in 2010, her death being announced on the show by news reporter Neida Sandoval.[2]

See also

References

External links

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