Telemundo Expands Consumer Investigative Unit to Arizona

The Telemundo Station Group today announced that its wildly successful consumer investigative franchise – Telemundo Responde (Telemundo Responds) – will expand to Phoenix and Tucson this month. Telemundo Phoenix (KTAZ) and Telemundo Tucson (KHRR) will join nine other Telemundo-owned stations with a dedicated consumer advocacy team that will answer inquiries from local residents who fear they may have been wronged in some way. Consumers who are victims of identity fraud or theft, who received bills for charges they didn’t incur or whose employers refused to pay them for the work they performed are just some of the examples of how the Telemundo Responde teams are helping consumers all across the country and in Puerto Rico.

The new Telemundo Responde unit that will launch at Telemundo Phoenix (KTAZ) and Telemundo Tucson (KHRR) will be led by Consumer Investigative Reporter Victor Hugo, a seasoned local broadcast journalist who will be responsible for investigating concerns from local viewers. The first Telemundo Responde report will air on April 18 during the local stations’ weekday newscast, Noticiero Telemundo Arizona, which airs Monday to Fridays at 4:30 PM, 5 PM and 10 PM and on Saturday and Sundays at 4:30 PM and 10 PM.

“Telemundo Responde is an overwhelmingly successful consumer investigative franchise that is embraced by Hispanic communities nationwide,” said Araceli De Leon, President and General Manager, Telemundo Phoenix and Telemundo Tucson. “We decided to launch Telemundo Responde in Arizona because our communities should not have to face their consumer issues on their own. Victor is a seasoned journalist and I’m certain that he will stand up for the communities we serve, so they don’t have to remain silent anymore if they feel they have been wronged in any way.”

"Telemundo Responde will give a voice to the voiceless,” said Hugo. “With the expansion of Telemundo Responde to Arizona, our communities will now have an opportunity to get real answers to the consumer problems they face every day. I am very excited to return to Telemundo and help the local Arizona stations launch Telemundo Responde to give our communities all across the state an opportunity to have their consumer concerns addressed once and for all.”

Hugo returns to Telemundo after having worked as an anchor, reporter, correspondent and news producer for various local television stations in Arizona and California, including Telemundo 52 Los Angeles / KVEA and Univision’s local television stations in Sacramento and Phoenix. Most recently, Hugo worked as a Public Affairs Specialist for State Farm insurance in Tempe, Arizona for the past two years. Hugo received a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from California State University, Dominguez Hills. He is a long-time resident of Phoenix, Arizona.

Launched in 2014, the Telemundo Responde units have collectively produced more than 1,800 stories and recovered more than $4 million for consumers in nine markets, including Los Angeles (KVEA), New York (WNJU), Miami-Fort Lauderdale (WSCV), Houston (KTMD), Dallas-Fort Worth (KXTX), Chicago (WSNS), San Antonio (KVDA), the San Francisco Bay Area (KSTS) and Puerto Rico (WKAQ).

Below are the most recent examples of how the Telemundo Responde units have stepped in to help consumers:

• Los Angeles: A Los Angeles-area viewer received a bill for thousands of dollars in emergency ambulance services he did not incur. Afraid that he had been a victim of identity theft, the viewer called Telemundo Responde for help. The local Telemundo Responde team called American Medical Response, the company that billed the viewer and after numerous attempts, the company determined that they had made a billing mistake. As a result, the erroneous charges that amounted to more than $2,000 dollars were cleared. Click here to watch the story.
• New York: A group of immigrant construction workers called Telemundo Responde after their employer failed to pay them for construction work they had done in Midtown Manhattan. The workers, including some who had worked for more than 200 hours without pay, were laid off by their employer and urged to leave the construction site as soon as they spoke up about their unpaid wages. The workers also told Telemundo Responde that their employer failed to provide them with protective construction gear, as required by New York State law, and that they were responsible for providing their own equipment. As soon as Telemundo Responde heard from the workers, the consumer investigative team reached out to Metro Industrial Wrecking and Environmental Contractors and inquired about the workers’ grievances. The company affirmed to Telemundo Responde that the workers were provided with protective gear and that they’d be paid within three business days. As a result of Telemundo Responde’s consumer investigative work and advocacy, all of the workers confirmed that they were paid a day after Telemundo Responde called the construction company to speak up for the workers. Telemundo Responde aired this story on Telemundo 47’s local weekday newscast to help raise awareness among viewers that New York State’s labor laws protect all workers, regardless of their immigration status, and that workers have the right to earn the state’s hourly minimum wage and any qualifying overtime pay. Click here to watch the report.
• Dallas-Fort Worth: Several families from North Texas sought the services of a pastor who portrayed to be a U.S. Department of Justice-accredited representative who is licensed and authorized to process federal immigration cases. The families contracted the pastor to help them process the necessary paperwork to earn lawful status in the country. After paying the pastor thousands of dollars to process their cases with federal officials, some families began receiving deportation notices or no information at all. Realizing that they had been victims of fraud and fearing that their American Dreams were dashed and their hard-earned money had been taken by an unscrupulous individual, the families called Telemundo Responde for help. Telemundo Responde learned that the pastor was not accredited by the Department of Justice to process any immigration paperwork and connected the families with local not-for-profit organizations authorized so they could process their immigration cases. As a result, the local not-for-profit organizations helped the families get real-time information about their cases and one family was able to adjust to lawful permanent residency and has since contacted the local authorities and placed charges against the pastor. Check out the two-part story here and here.

Launched in 2014, the Telemundo Responde consumer investigative units are the result of a major investment made by NBCUniversal to enhance its 17 Telemundo stations and better serve Spanish-language viewers all across the country. Thanks to NBCUniversal’s investment, Telemundo Phoenix launched two half-hour newscasts at 4:30 PM and 10 PM on Saturdays and Sundays and a new weekday half-hour local newscast at 4:30 PM in 2014 (which is simulcast in Tucson on KHRR). The station has also added more than a dozen new employees to support the local boost in news; debuted a new state-of-the art set; and recently launched newly revamped digital platforms to help viewers stay ahead of the news. The investment is already yielding positive results; at the close of March 2016, Telemundo Phoenix had the most-watched local newscast at 10 PM, in any language, among Adults 18 to 49, for the second consecutive month. The station’s 10 PM local newscast was also the most-watched local weekday newscast, in any language among Adults 18 to 49 for six consecutive months, beginning April 2015.

Telemundo Station Group

Telemundo Station Group, part of the NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations division of NBCUniversal, is comprised of 17 local television stations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Producing and broadcasting more than 7,000 hours of unique and relevant local content each year, including award-winning news, public affairs, and entertainment programming, Telemundo Station Group serves Spanish-speaking viewers in the metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, New York, Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Chicago, San Antonio, San Francisco, Phoenix, Harlingen, Fresno, Denver, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Boston, Tucson and Puerto Rico. In addition, Telemundo Station Group operates TeleXitos, the new national multicast network that offers viewers popular action and adventure television series and feature films in Spanish. The group also provides support to 53 Telemundo affiliates across the country and manages dedicated local websites and applications, as well as a robust digital out-of-home operation.