Enrique Gratas
Encyclopedia
Enrique Gratas is an award winning journalist and the former anchor of Univision's Última Hora (Last Hour), the second most popular Spanish
newscast in the United States
. Gratas was fired in March 2009 along with 300 other Univision employees. Univision blames it on the global financial crisis, but some of his viewers have accused Univision of discrimination because Gratas was over 64 years old and was replaced by a recently hired younger news anchor. Univision has not admitted to any wrong doing.
as a radio speaker in 1966 and moved to television news a year later. He moved to the United States in 1971 and worked as a correspondent
for the Argentine television.
Later on he joined the sport division of the Los Angeles
KWHY-TV
station. In 1978 he conducted the first Spanish-language sports program from Los Angeles
station KMEX-TV
. From 1981 to 1985 he was the news director of the New Jersey
WXTV
.
In 1990 he moved to Miami where Executive Producer
Fran Mires
brought him in to anchor Telemundo
's flagship show, the network's first daily investigative news magazine Ocurrio asi
("It happened like this"). When Gratas left Telemundo Network in 1999, Pedro Sevcec
took over the show.
In October 1999 Gratas launched Última Hora on Univision, which successfully continues to be aired.
Together with Jorge Ramos and María Elena Salinas
, they are considered amongst the most respected Spanish-language television journalists in the United States and Latin America.
Enrique Gratas is now the news anchor of Noticiero con Enrique Gratas on Estrella TV
, at 10:30pm.
He has also covered a number of major events, such as:
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
newscast in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Gratas was fired in March 2009 along with 300 other Univision employees. Univision blames it on the global financial crisis, but some of his viewers have accused Univision of discrimination because Gratas was over 64 years old and was replaced by a recently hired younger news anchor. Univision has not admitted to any wrong doing.
Biography
Gratas started working in ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
as a radio speaker in 1966 and moved to television news a year later. He moved to the United States in 1971 and worked as a correspondent
Correspondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is stationed in a foreign...
for the Argentine television.
Later on he joined the sport division of the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
KWHY-TV
KWHY-TV
KWHY-TV, channel 22, is a Spanish-language independent station located in Los Angeles, California, USA. KWHY-TV is owned by the Meruelo Group, a Los Angeles-based real estate and investment firm. The station's transmitter is on Mount Wilson.-History:...
station. In 1978 he conducted the first Spanish-language sports program from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
station KMEX-TV
KMEX-TV
KMEX-DT, "Univisión 34 Los Angeles", is the Univision owned-and-operated station in Los Angeles and the network's flagship station for the West Coast. KMEX, first broadcast in 1962, opened the way for other Spanish-language stations and networks in the United States...
. From 1981 to 1985 he was the news director of the New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
WXTV
WXTV
WXTV-DT channel 41 is a Univisión owned-and-operated television station, licensed to Paterson, New Jersey and serving the New York metropolitan area. WXTV's studios are located in Teaneck, New Jersey, and its transmitter in on the Empire State Building in Manhattan...
.
In 1990 he moved to Miami where Executive Producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
Fran Mires
Fran Mires
Fran Mires is a bilingual television Television producer credited with the creation and launch of dozens of television shows in English, Spanish and now Arabic. She is a graduate of San Francisco State University and earned her master's degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at...
brought him in to anchor Telemundo
Telemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
's flagship show, the network's first daily investigative news magazine Ocurrio asi
Ocurrio asi
Ocurrió Así Launched on October 8th 1990, "Ocurrió Así" was Spanish language Network Telemundo's first original investigative news magazine.-Show's Awards:...
("It happened like this"). When Gratas left Telemundo Network in 1999, Pedro Sevcec
Pedro Sevcec
Pedro Ricardo Sevcec is a television reporter who works for America TV / Miami in the United States. He also has his own afternoon drive radio show on WSUA Miami- Radio Caracol 1260 AM called La Ventana con Pedro Sevcec. He was born in Uruguay.Sevcec in the United States has had much success as a...
took over the show.
In October 1999 Gratas launched Última Hora on Univision, which successfully continues to be aired.
Together with Jorge Ramos and María Elena Salinas
María Elena Salinas
María Elena Salinas is the co-anchor of Noticiero Univision with Jorge Ramos, the most watched newscast by American Hispanics. She is considered one of the most recognized and influential female Hispanic journalists in the United States.Her parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico in...
, they are considered amongst the most respected Spanish-language television journalists in the United States and Latin America.
Enrique Gratas is now the news anchor of Noticiero con Enrique Gratas on Estrella TV
Estrella TV
Estrella TV is a Spanish-language television network owned by Liberman Broadcasting. The network launched September 14, 2009.-Affiliates:-Former Affiliates:-Controversy:...
, at 10:30pm.
Notable coverage and interviews
Among many others, Gratas has interviewed:- George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, Donald RumsfeldDonald RumsfeldDonald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...
and Colin PowellColin PowellColin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military... - Jessica LynchJessica LynchJessica Dawn Lynch is a former Private First Class in the United States Army Quartermaster Corps. Lynch served in Iraq during the 2003 invasion by U.S. and allied forces. On March 23, 2003 she was injured and captured by Iraqi forces but was recovered on April 1 by U.S...
(first to interview her) - Yolanda SaldívarYolanda SaldívarYolanda Saldívar is a Mexican American woman who was convicted in 1995 of the murder of Tejano music singer Selena at a Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi, Texas on March 31, 1995.- Early life :...
(the murderer of famous TejanoTejanoTejano or Texano is a term used to identify a Texan of Mexican heritage.Historically, the Spanish term Tejano has been used to identify different groups of people...
singer Selena Quintanilla)
He has also covered a number of major events, such as:
- Every American presidentPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
since Richard NixonRichard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under... - Events from WatergateWatergate scandalThe Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
to the 9-11 attacksSeptember 11, 2001 attacksThe September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... - Numerous DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
and RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
conventions - Anchored coverage of the new Millennium for the Univision Network
- Both wars in IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
- Luis Colosio's assassination (1994)
- Olympic bombingCentennial Olympic Park bombingThe Centennial Olympic Park bombing was a terrorist bombing on July 27, 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States during the 1996 Summer Olympics, the first of four committed by Eric Robert Rudolph...
in Atlanta (1996) - 2000 U.S. presidential elections
- Several hurricanes
- The political crises in Argentina and VenezuelaVenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
Recognitions
- 1996 Suncoast Regional Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
- Premio Paoli (Puerto RicoPuerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
), for his commitment to journalism - 1998 Señor Internacional
- Golden GlobeGolden Globe AwardThe Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
nominee for best News Anchor - 2005 City of Hope Cancer Center Award
See also
External links
- Gratas' biography at Univision (Spanish)