TELEMUNDO/CNN NATIONAL BROADCAST NEWS IN SPANISH

By: Mauricio Gerson

From New Orleans to Baghdad: My 1991 NATPE Story

In January 1991, the television world descended on New Orleans for the annual NATPE (National Association of Television Program Executives) convention. As the Head of Programming for Telemundo, my focus was usually on the logistics of our booth and the relentless pace of syndication deals. But that year, the atmosphere in the New Orleans Convention Center shifted from business as usual to a profound, collective silence.

The Shift to Real-Time History

On the evening of January 16, the air war—Operation Desert Storm—began. I was in charge of the Telemundo booth, and I remember looking around to see thousands of industry professionals frozen in place. We weren’t looking at pilots or promos; we were glued to CNN.

Because Telemundo was in a joint venture with CNN for our national news, our booth became a focal point for the unfolding crisis. We watched, mesmerized, as the first “real-time” war played out on our monitors. It was a pivotal moment for all of us in broadcasting. We realized then that the era of waiting for the evening news was over. The 24-hour news cycle had arrived, and it was changing the world right in front of us.

Defining a New Standard of Journalism

While the war dominated the screens, my mission at Telemundo was to build something that could stand alongside that global prestige. I wanted to create a platform for Hispanic journalism that carried the same weight and elegance as the Barbara Walters Specials.

This led to the creation of “Esta Noche Con Usted” (Tonight With You). I produced the pilot with Maria Elvira Salazar, aiming for a level of sophistication that hadn’t been seen in our market. Our first show was a “who’s who” of Latin excellence, featuring interviews with three giants:

• Fernando Botero, the legendary Colombian master of sculpture.
• Julio Iglesias, the international voice of Spanish music.
• Oscar de la Renta, the Dominican visionary of high fashion.

A Tradition of Excellence

The program grew into a series of highly-regarded specials. Eventually, we brought in Cecilia Bolocco—the Chilean Miss Universe—to lead these high-profile interviews. Whether we were talking to artists or world leaders, the goal was always to provide our community with a window into greatness, handled with the utmost gravitas and style.

Looking back at that week in New Orleans, the memories of the war and the launch of these specials are inextricably linked. We were witnessing a revolution in how people consumed information, and I am proud that Telemundo was at the forefront, bridging the gap between breaking global news and high-caliber cultural storytelling.