Telemundo Names Vanessa Hauc Weekend Anchor

By Brian Steinberg

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Telemundo viewers are about to see a familiar face in a new role.

Vanessa Hauc, a veteran correspondent at the NBCUniversal-owned Spanish-language network, will take over as weekend anchor for Weekend News, starting Saturday.  She takes over from Julio Vaqueiro, who was recently named anchor of a new late-night newscast that is being launched as part of a broader initiative to cover the coronavirus outbreak.

The move illustrates how quickly some news organizations are working to reorient themselves as they face the tough task of covering a fast-changing news cycle where accurate information is of paramount importance to consumers. Telemundo has also announced extended news segments centered on coronavirus news for its daytime schedule.

“Our community is relying on us to keep them provided with information,” says Hauc, who served as a moderator during ’s recent broadcast of the February 19 Democratic debate from Las Vegas, in an interview. “It’s a matter of life and death.”

The journalist has a passion for covering stories about the health of the environment, which led her to create“
Alerta
 Verde”, a segment on 
Noticias
Telemundo dedicated to educating the community on the importance of protecting the planet. She also leads “Planeta Tierra,” an
investigative unit dedicated to environmental issues ,and will continue her role with that operation. She has covered the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and Hurricane Matthew in Haiti, and
has been to Rome twice to lead a conversation between Pope Francis and children from countries affected by natural disasters.

She has worked in and around television or journalism since she was a teenager. Born in Peru, Hauc moved with her family to Colombia, where she hosted a children’s dance show when she was 15. That led her on a path to Las Vegas, where she got an entry-level job at a Univision affiliate after graduating from the University of Las Vegas.

She will continue to focus on climate issues, she says, and believes the current moment is likely to spur a new focus on the needs of the world around us. She is the co-founder of 
Sachamama
or “Mother Jungle,” a nonprofit organization that works to inspire, empower and educate the Latino community on climate issues and sustainable attitudes, behaviors and lifestyles. “We live in such a fast-paced society,” she notes. “This is a good moment to stop and think about what is important, what is essential and what our priorities are, and how we can live in harmony with our planet.”