-By Della de Lafuente

NEW YORK Lucia Ballas-Traynor, svp, gm of MTV Tr3s, has been appointed publisher of People en Espanol, Time Inc. Entertainment Group president Paul Caine announced today.

Ballas-Traynor, a trailblazing TV and entertainment executive who knows what it's like to straddle the duality of an American lifestyle with her Chilean heritage, will assume her new role on August 18.

She fills the post left vacant by the departure in late April of former publisher Jacqueline Hernandez, who is now chief operating officer of Telemundo.

Ballas-Traynor comes to the glossy Spanish-language entertainment title from MTV Tr3s, where she successfully re-branded and mounted the fledgling network from the former MTV Espanol, helping to establish a TV and consumer market aimed at bicultural, bilingual youth. Details on who will fill the gm post at MTV Tr3s weren't available.

"Lucia is an industry leader in Hispanic media and marketing," said Time Inc.'s Caine, in a statement. "With her tenure and experience, she brings a tremendous understanding of building audiences and mega brands. We're looking to capitalize on Lucia's in-depth knowledge as we continue to grow the People en Espanol franchise."

Ballas-Traynor began her career in Hispanic TV more than 20 years ago at Univision, working in various positions including sales director for the network's Mas magazine. She was named gm of Galavision in 1999, establishing the network's coveted 18-34 demo and nearly doubling its distribution, making the Hispanic net one of the most popular among U.S. teens and young adults.