Lilia Luciano is joining NBC News as a network correspondent based in Miami.
Luciano was hired away from the Univision-owned network TeleFutura, which is a competitor to NBC’s Telemundo. At TeleFutura, Luciano hosted entertainment programs “Escándalo TV” and “Escándalo Extra.”
Starting Monday, she’ll report for all platforms of NBC News, including “Nightly News,” “Today,” MSNBC and msnbc.com, as well as Telemundo.
“Lilia’s passion for journalism along with her unique reporting expertise make her a strong addition to the team,” said Steve Capus, President of NBC News. “We are excited to bring her on board to join our talented lineup of NBC News correspondents.”
The Puerto Rican-born Luciano is a 2007 grad of the University of Miami.
TVNewser has also learned that current Miami-based correspondent Michelle Kosinski is making the move to NBC’s London Bureau.
More about Luciano in the press release after the jump.
NEW YORK – October 11, 2010 – NBC News President Steve Capus announced today that Lilia Luciano is joining NBC News as a network correspondent based in Miami, Florida. Starting October 18, Luciano will report for all platforms of NBC News, including “NBC Nightly News,” “Today,” MSNBC and msnbc.com, as well as Telemundo.
“Lilia’s passion for journalism along with her unique reporting expertise make her a strong addition to the team,” said Steve Capus, President of NBC News. “We are excited to bring her on board to join our talented lineup of NBC News correspondents.”
Luciano joins NBC from TeleFutura, where she served as co-host of “Escándalo TV” and “Escándalo Extra,” a daily entertainment news program. She joined TeleFutura in 2005. In addition to her work at Telefutura, Luciano hosted other special segments for Univision, working as a correspondent on the top-rated show “Aquí y Ahora,” and as a main correspondent covering the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. While at Univision, Luciano was selected as a spokesperson for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Univision’s national education initiative, “Es el Momento.”
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Luciano graduated from the University of Miami in 2007, with bachelor’s degrees in both economics and broadcast journalism. While at the University of Miami, she hosted a news magazine show for the school’s student network, UMTV, and interned with Telemundo Internacional.
In 2009, she founded a non-profit organization and media campaign called “Aprende Más,” which seeks to promote education and the importance of reading among children in Ibero-American countries. Luciano also hosts a video blog “Una Voz,” which tackles current events and issues affecting Hispanics today, and she is the executive editor of “Opina Magazine,” an annual online publication that promotes the arts.
Luciano has also produced, directed and narrated two short documentary films: “Nueva Orleans,” which focuses on the efforts of the Hispanic community to rebuild the city of New Orleans, and “Pikininis,” a hopeful story about the challenges of a South African woman aiding orphans in Johannesburg.
Luciano currently resides in Miami, FL.