Univision shakes up advertising sales force

Univision Communications is making a high-level switch in its advertising sales team by bringing in Keith Turner, a former top NBC sales executive, to replace current chief David Lawenda.

The Spanish-language media giant said Thursday that Turner would become president of advertising sales and marketing on Sept. 4. Lawenda is leaving the company.

The move reunites Randy Falco, Univision’s chief executive, with one of his trusted lieutenants from his days at NBC. Falco rose through the ranks of General Electric Co.’s NBC network during his 30-year career there. In 2006, Falco -- then president of NBCUniversal Television Network Group -- left the broadcasting company to make room for its then-rising star, Jeff Zucker.

Turner, who was in charge of NBC’s advertising sales unit, exited a few weeks after Falco. Most recently, Turner worked as senior vice president of the NFL’s media sales and sponsorship division. In his new role, he will report to Falco.

The move suggests that Univision managers and its owners, which include Los Angeles billionaire Haim Saban, are frustrated that the company -- despite its enormous audience of Spanish-speaking Latinos -- has not made sufficient progress in closing the price gap in advertising rates with English-language broadcasters. Advertisers have long bought time on Spanish-language networks at a discount.

In addition, the playing field is becoming more crowded. This week, News Corp. launched a new Spanish-language network, MundoFox, which is a 50/50 joint venture with Colombian broadcaster RCN Television Group.

For the quarter that ended June 30, Univision reported a 3.8% increase in revenue but its net income was lower because of higher expenses. The company in recent weeks has been trimming its sales force.

Turner is credited with encouraging Anheuser-Busch to become an NFL partner after an eight-year absence. He also oversaw extending partnerships with such leading advertisers as Marriott, Bose and USAA. Prior to joining the NFL, Turner spent 20 years at NBC.

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