Univision Adds Karl Penhaul, Carlos Villalon to Correspondent Ranks

By Alex Weprin 

Karl Penhaul

Former CNN international correspondent Karl Penhaul has landed at Spanish-language broadcaster Univision. Penhaul–who left CNN in January–will serve as a foreign correspondent for the network. In addition, Univision has named Carlos Villalon a foreign correspondent. Both men will report for all Univision News platforms.

“The addition of these two world-class journalists speaks to Univision’s commitment to invest in its in-house news operations and expand its news franchise to better serve our audiences,” said Isaac Lee, president of News, Univision Communications in a statement. “Their insights and keen understanding of world hot spots will provide Hispanic America with compelling, unparalleled news reports like never before.”

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More information, after the jump.

AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISTS KARL PENHAUL AND CARLOS VILLALON JOIN UNIVISION NEWS AS SPECIAL FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS

NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 17, 2011 – Univision Communications Inc., the premier media company serving Hispanic America, today announced that Karl Penhaul and Carlos Villalon have joined the Univision News team as special foreign correspondents in conflict zones around the world. Penhaul and Villalon will report for all Univision News platforms.

“The addition of these two world-class journalists speaks to Univision’s commitment to invest in its in-house news operations and expand its news franchise to better serve our audiences,” said Isaac Lee, president of News, Univision Communications. “Their insights and keen understanding of world hot spots will provide Hispanic America with compelling, unparalleled news reports like never before.”

Penhaul most recently served as an on-air international correspondent for CNN, where he reported across CNN platforms including CNN International, CNN USA, CNN en Español and CNN.com. Before joining CNN as staff reporter in 2004, Penhaul was a freelance reporter for the Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle and US News and World Report. Before that he was an international correspondent for Reuters. He has covered conflicts, natural disasters, business and commodities news in Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, Middle East and Afghanistan.

Penhaul began his career as a cub reporter for Lynn News in 1991 and has been based out of Latin America since 1995. He has won numerous awards, including the CINE Golden Eagle AWARD (2010) for “La Bestia,” a half-hour documentary on undocumented immigration from Central America to USA. He was also part of the teams that won a 2006 Peabody Award for coverage of Hurricane Katrina and aftermath; a 2007 Edward R. Murrow award for coverage of the Lebanon war; and an Emmy® award in 2006 for the development of portable, digital newsgathering systems. Penhaul received his Bachelor of Arts degree in interpreting and translating (Spanish and French) from Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh and a Master’s degree in Latin America Politics from London School of Economics. He also completed a newspaper apprenticeship at East Midlands Allied Press (EMAP UK).

Before joining Univision, Villalon served as a photographer for Redux Pictures since 2004 and prior to that as a photographer for Getty Images since 2000. His work has been published in magazines such as National Geographic, National Geographic Adventure, National Geographic Explorer, Outside, Colors, Newsweek and Nature Conservancy. Villalon has followed and covered the cultural, social and political impact of the Coca plant as well as cocaine trafficking on Latin America. He has also covered conflict zones including the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Afghanistan, Kashmir, Pakistan, Russia, Georgia, Ingushetia and Haiti.

Since 2000, Villalon has split his time between the U.S. and Latin America. In 2010 he was awarded second place general news in the World Press photo contest for his work “Cocaine Gangs” in Medellin, Colombia. In 2004 he won an honorable mention in the POYi awards for his work “Cocaine Country” that appeared as a cover feature in National Geographic magazine. Born in Santiago, Chile, Villalon studied graphic design at VIPRO University in Santiago and then photography at Parsons The New School in New York City.

Univision’s award-winning News division is committed to informing the country’s fastest growing segment across all media platforms, including TV, Radio and Interactive. Hispanics count with the latest and most relevant content that impact the community through: Univision’s evening, late evening and weekend national newscasts, “Noticiero Univision”; political Sunday affairs program, “Al Punto”; newsmagazine programs “Aqui y Ahora” and “Primer Impacto”; as well as morning news on “Despierta America.” Univision also hosts statewide Public Affairs shows, “Voz y Voto,” in Texas, California and Puerto Rico. In the past six months, Univision has expanded its network and local news operations by adding Investigative and Documentary Units, as well as adding and expanding local newscasts in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Raleigh.

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