09-04-2007

Printable Version

Lawenda will be based in New York and report to Joe Uva, Chief Executive Officer of Univision Communications. He was most recently Senior Vice President of MTVN (a division of Viacom), responsible for Advertising Sales for VH1, VH1 Classic, VH1 Soul, Logo and The N.

Uva commented, “David is a terrific executive with an industry-wide reputation as a motivational and creative leader, as well as a demonstrated track record of exceeding sales goals, increasing advertiser bases, and developing groundbreaking cross-platform initiatives.  During his tenure at Viacom, David and his team were responsible for successfully launching Spike TV, bringing in more than 200 new advertisers and quadrupling ad revenues in five years.  David’s experience and expertise, coupled with the exceptional talent across all of Univision’s divisions, will ensure the Company’s continued strong performance and superior competitive positioning as we work to realize the benefits of a fully integrated sales structure that effectively leverages all of our assets to benefit marketers.”

Lawenda said, “For the last several years, I’ve been an attentive, fascinated observer of the exploding Hispanic consumer base. Its rapid growth and increasing influence across the country as well as its marketer-friendly demographics and psychographics are truly impressive.  When I was presented with the opportunity to join the #1 Spanish-language media company in the nation, the decision was an easy one to make.  What I find especially striking is the passionate connections that Univision’s audiences have with each of the Company’s media outlets. I believe there’s a significant opportunity to provide marketers with the ability to access this desirable audience across all of Univision’s assets in one holistic dialogue.  I’m thrilled to join this dynamic Company and its stellar management team, and to reunite with such a highly respected media executive as Joe Uva.”
 
Separately, Univision announced that Dennis McCauley and Tom McGarrity, Co-Presidents of Advertising Sales for the Univision Networks, have decided to resign, effective September 30, 2007.  Both McCauley and McGarrity will remain as consultants to Univision for a transitional period.

Judy Kenny, Executive Vice President of Sales for the Univision Network, will continue to oversee sales for the Univision Network; Carlos Deschapelles, Senior Vice President of Sales for the TeleFutura Network, will continue to oversee sales for the TeleFutura Network; and David Grossman, Vice President of Sales for the Galavisión Network, will continue to oversee sales for the Galavisión Network, all reporting to Lawenda. 

“Dennis and Tom have been integral parts of the Univision family for more than a decade and their contributions to the growth and success of this organization cannot be overstated,” said Uva. “Under their sales leadership, Univision has made great strides in its continuing quest to serve the Hispanic community, facilitating a deeper connection between Univision’s clients and audience. Both Dennis and Tom approached me a few months ago and expressed their desire to move on to the next stage of their careers. We would like to thank them for their unwavering dedication to Univision and wish them all the best.  We will miss them but understand their decision, which had nothing to do with the restructuring of the ad sales function.”

About David Lawenda
David Lawenda has nearly 20 years of experience in national corporate advertising, most recently with Viacom’s MTVN.  As Senior Vice President of Advertising Sales for VH1, VH1 Classic, VH1 Soul, Logo and The N, he oversaw national advertising sales for these brands, including all linear and digital platforms.  Prior to this position, Lawenda was Senior Vice President of Spike, where he introduced new sales and marketing strategies as part of the successful repositioning and rebranding of TNN as Spike TV: The First Network for Men, effectively bringing in over 200 new advertisers and quadrupling revenue over 5 years.  

Previously, Lawenda spent seven years at Paramount Advertiser Services (a division of Paramount Domestic Television), rising to the position of Senior Vice President and General Sales Manager.  He oversaw all aspects of national syndicated advertising sales and significantly increased annual revenue.  He was also part of the team responsible for the launch of UPN.  Earlier in his career, he was an Account Executive at Turner Broadcasting, where he was responsible for national advertising sales for CNN and Headline News. 

Lawenda received a B.A. degree in English with honors from Georgetown University in 1988. 

About Univision Communications
Univision Communications Inc. is the premier Spanish-language media company in the United States.  Its operations include Univision Network, the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the U.S. reaching 99% of U.S. Hispanic Households; TeleFutura Network, a general-interest Spanish-language broadcast television network, which was launched in 2002 and now reaches 89% of U.S. Hispanic Households; Galavisión, the country’s leading Spanish-language cable network; Univision Television Group, which owns and operates 62 television stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Radio, the leading Spanish-language radio group which owns and/or operates 70 radio stations in 16 of the top 25 U.S. Hispanic markets and 5 stations in Puerto Rico; Univision Music Group, which includes Univision Records, Fonovisa Records, La Calle Records and Mexico-based Disa Records as well as Fonomusic and America Musical Publishing companies; and Univision Online, the premier Spanish-language Internet destination in the U.S. located at www.univision.com.  Univision Communications also has a 50% interest in TuTv, a joint venture formed to broadcast Televisa’s pay television channels in the U.S., and a non-voting 14.9% interest in Entravision Communications Corporation, a public Spanish-language media company. Univision Communications has television network operations in Miami and television and radio stations and sales offices in major cities throughout the United States.