Spanish speakers will soon have a new option when it comes to getting their local news.
WFLA News Channel 8 announced Noticias Tampa Hoy, a new Spanish language newscast, is coming April 5. The program will air weeknights at 9 p.m. on WTTA Great38, covering top local news, sports and weather, plus some regional and international news.
According to a news release from WFLA, Noticias Tampa Hoy is an extension of tampahoy.com, which launched in April 2020, and will “highlight enterprising community stories and interviews with Latino-Latina influencers.”
“We are very excited to launch Noticias Tampa Hoy,” said Mark Higgins, Vice President and General Manager of WFLA & WTTA TV, in the release. “Given my Latino background it’s a passion for me to serve the Hispanic community; a community that is tremendously underserved. This newscast will have all the daily news that’s relevant to the Hispanic community throughout the greater Tampa region.”
Jennifer Peñate will anchor Noticias Tampa Hoy, with Heather Melendez as the Max Defender 8 weather anchor, reporter Brianda Villegas contributing feature stories and digital anchor Sadiel Castro sharing trending topics on tampaHoy.com. The team also includes WFLA Reporter Marco Villareal, NEXSTAR Washington DC Bureau Correspondent Alexandra Limon and Puerto Rico Bureau Correspondent Lexamarie Matos.
“Noticias Tampa Hoy integrates bilingual reporters from the Tampa Bay area as well as Latin American countries, each with a unique perspective that allows us to relate to all the Latin American cultures in the Bay Area,” Peñate said in the release.
