Ilia Calderon, a native of Colombia, will replace Maria Elena Salinas as co-anchor with Jorge Ramos of Univision’s flagship 6:30 p.m. newscast Noticiero Univision. Calderon will become the first Afro-Latina to anchor an evening newscast for a major broadcaster in the U.S. when she begins her new job in mid-December. It is a distinction she also achieved in Colombia, where she was the first black woman to host a new national program. Calderon will also serve as co-host of Univision’s Sunday night newsmagazine, Aqui y Ahora (Here and Now). Salinas stepped down from both shows last summer, leaving Univision after nearly 40 years at the network.
Calderon joined Univision in 2007 as co-anchor of the weekend edition of the daily newsmagazine Primer Impacto and then became co-anchor of Noticiero Univision: Edicion Nocturna in 2011. Last summer, she conducted a headline-making interview with Ku Klux Klan leader Chris Barker in North Carolina for Aqui y Ahora. Barker had told Calderon that she was the first black person to set foot on his property, and proceeded to threaten her throughout the interview. In a statement, president of Univision News Daniel Coronell stated,
We are delighted that Ilia Calderon will join Jorge Ramos at the helm of Noticiero Univision beginning next month. Ilia’s professionalism and experience, together with her personal charisma, journalistic integrity, knowledge of the U.S. Hispanic community and proven appeal with our diverse audience make her the ideal person to succeed Maria Elena Salinas.
It is a great achievement and honor for Calderon and she will surely continue to do a great job in her new roles with Univision.
