Univision relocates local operations to Penobscot Building, staff to grow from 14 to 20

Univision has a 70% market share of Spanish language viewers in the United States, and has recently opened a Detroit affiliate. Univision has local affiliates in the
nation’s 10 largest TV markets and Detroit, being eleventh, was a natural
progression for the company. Univision Detroit’s general manager,
Jessica Pellegrino, says, “We have an opportunity to be able to get
information to the Hispanic community en masse.”

Pellegrino
says the station is a win-win. For the Hispanic community, “This is
huge for us,” she says, adding that it is good for the area as well.
“For retail, for the economy, it’s good. 89,000 people have left Wayne County
since 2000, while we have grown 44%.”

There are currently two local
shows under production, one dealing with public affairs and another
with events. Univision Detroit began adding local content to Univision
about three months ago, sharing antenna and transmitters with WTVS,
Detroit Public Television.

Univision Detroit began operations in Troy, but Pellegrino wanted to be in Detroit. “Our name is Univision Detroit
— I thought we should have a Detroit address.” She began looking for
office space, but did not believe she wanted to be downtown. However,
she found herself with almost 6,000 square feet of Class A office space
in the Penobscot Building. She was won over by the building’s
amenities, which include fully-wired meeting space called Smart-Detroit.
Describing the historic building as “gorgeous,” Pellegrino says, “In
the Hispanic community, everything is about relationships, and I can’t
say enough good things about the team and the service at the Penobscot.”

Davy Godier, director of leasing at the Penobscot, says the building is currently at about 65% occupancy.

While 14 Univision employees have made the move downtown, Pellegrino says that number will rise to 20 in just a couple of months.

Source: Jessica Pellegrino, Univision Detroit and Davy Godier, the Penobscot Building
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh