Cuban anchor Ambrosio Hernández, who hosted Noticias 23 in Miami and the interview and analysis program Al Punto Florida, was laid off as part of a wave of cuts at Univision that also includes news director Yoly Zugasti and anchors from the network in other states.
With a career spanning more than four decades, Hernández joined Univision in 2015 after a long run as an anchor of the local newscast at rival network Telemundo. He became a familiar face of news in South Florida for Univision, until October 2024, when Cuban journalist Mario Vallejo took over the anchor chair for the 11 p.m. edition.
Since then Hernández had been anchoring the 6 p.m. edition of Noticias 23 alongside Cuban-American journalist Jenny Padura, who also co-anchors the 11 p.m. edition with Vallejo.
Vallejo or Díaz to anchor Miami news?
The question now is who will fill Hernández’s role on the local 6 p.m. newscast. All signs point to Vallejo not taking the slot, but rather the young Cuban journalist Javier Díaz, who has been filling in for anchors when they were away and has been anchoring the weekend edition of the newscast since Vallejo moved to the 11 p.m. edition Monday through Friday.
Both Padura and Díaz recently shared a post on their Instagram profiles showing them anchoring the newscast. They noted they were both born on the same day, June 16. “Geminianos del mismo día [Geminis born on the same day],” Padura wrote in the post’s caption.
Still, the possibility that it will be Díaz and not Vallejo has not been confirmed by TelevisaUnivision, which the Herald contacted about the layoff and news desk appointments.
Díaz, 38, began working in Miami television after arriving from Cuba a decade ago, first at Telemundo and then with Noticias Univision in Miami for the past nine years.
Ambrosio Hernández’s professional partners
Born in Cienfuegos in central Cuba, Hernández is a well-respected anchor in Spanish-language television in the United States. He began his career in Chicago radio in the 1980s. After moving to Miami he continued in radio at WOCN, Unión Radio and SuperQ FM, the WQBA station.
In 1985 he jumped to television as an anchor at WSCV Channel 51, before it became Telemundo. In 1987 he moved to Univision’s Channel 23 as anchor of the “5:30 en Punto” newscast and joined Univision as host of the shows “Noticias y más” and “Al Mediodía”, where he remained until 1993. Hernández then returned to WSCV Channel 51, serving as main news anchor for Telemundo 51 for 25 years.
On “Noticiero 51” he co-anchored with Cuban presenters Leticia Callava, María Montoya and Daisy Ballmajó. When he moved to Univision in 2015 he shared anchoring duties on “Noticias 23” with Alina Mayo Azze, until her dismissal in 2021, when she was replaced by Sandra Peebles. Peebles, in turn, left Univision in January 2024 as part of a round of layoffs that affected 200 employees and saw several programs canceled, decimating especially the Sports section.
Ambrosio Hernandez and Alina Mayo-Azze attend Amigos For Kids Annual Fundraiser 2016, 25th anniversary Miami Celebrity Domino Night at Jungle Island on June 18, 2016 in Miami, Florida. Alberto E. Tamargo
Peebles describes Hernández as “a person of integrity, deeply dedicated to his career and committed to journalism and the cause of Cuba.
“Ambrosio has a long career in Hispanic television and for decades has been a well-known and respected face in our community,” Peebles said.
Peebles worked with Hernández for seven years and both were awarded an Emmy for a project about the tragedy of Venezuelan migrants crossing the dangerous Darién Gap. That award is one of the 10 Emmys Hernández has won in his career.
Hernández, who lives with his family in Miami Lakes, is deeply knowledgeable about the news landscape and the interests of the different communities in South Florida. Colleagues who have worked with him across four decades consider him an outstanding colleague and journalist.
Anchors Ambrosio Hernández and Sandra Peebles serve as masters of ceremonies at an event in Miami in 2019. Miami Herald Miami
“An icon of journalism,” Héctor Flores wrote in a Facebook post in which journalist José Alfonso Almora shared the news of Hernández’s dismissal.
Hernandez’s strong yet gentle voice marks an era of elegance in delivering the news that reaches Florida households through television.
This story will be updated.
This story was originally published August 12, 2026 at 1:54 PM.
el Nuevo Herald
Sarah Moreno cubre temas de negocios, entretenimiento y tendencias en el sur de la Florida. Se graduó de la Universidad de La Habana y de Florida International University. @SarahMoreno1585