The wait is over. The new anchor of Univision’s 6 p.m. newscast in Miami is an immigrant who crossed the border and has built a successful career reporting to the South Florida community with a focus on human stories.
Cuban-American journalist Javier Díaz will anchor the 6 p.m. news on Univision Miami starting Aug. 17, alongside anchor Jenny Padura, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Díaz, who has worked at Univision for nine years, will replace anchor Ambrosio Hernández, who was laid off this week as part of cuts that affected several network veterans, including news director Yolanda Zugasti.
Díaz, who began as a reporter at Univision, had been solo anchor of the weekend newscast since October 2024 when he took over that role from anchor Mario Vallejo, who moved to host the 11 p.m. weekday edition.
When asked about Hernández’s dismissal and his replacement on the newscast, Univision representatives told el Nuevo Herald that it was still under review.
“Shortly, we will announce who will fill those vacant lead positions,” read the email response sent on August 12.
Díaz’s beginnings in Cuba
Born in San José de las Lajas in Mayabeque province, Díaz graduated in 2011 with a degree in Social Communication from the Universidad Agraria de La Habana. He began his journalism career as a radio and television announcer and went on to anchor the newscast for Cubavisión Internacional, which broadcasts via satellite to numerous countries from the island.
In 2015, Díaz traveled through Latin America from Ecuador on a journey that ended at the southern U.S. border, an experience that he has said on several occasions, makes him feel closer to the immigrant stories he has covered as a journalist in the United States.
His first opportunity in Miami came from Telemundo 51, where he joined the extensive coverage of Fidel Castro’s death in November 2016 from the Versailles restaurant on Calle Ocho.
As a reporter at Univision, Díaz has stood out as a versatile journalist. He has focused on reporting related to Cuba and Miami’s current situation, breaking news, investigations tied to viewers’ complaints, and particularly human stories.
“As a culture, as a people, we have to leave a legacy for future generations, as our founding figures did,” Díaz said about the role of communicators in an interview on the podcast “El mundo de Darwin,” hosted by content creator and YouTuber Darwin Santana.
In the same interview he rejected the myth of “free education” promoted by the Cuban regime. “We must leave that tale behind. We students went hungry enough to earn that degree and obtain a profession,” said the anchor, who has more than a million followers on social media.
The question now is whether Univision will keep Al Punto Florida, which Hernández also hosted.
So far, it is also unknown who will take Díaz’s place on the weekend newscast.
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