Telemundo Holding First GOP Debate

MIAMI -- Spanish-language Telemundo network announced Thursday it will host its first presidential primary debate in December.

The Republican primary debate will be held in Las Vegas and comes weeks before the early primaries begin.

The locale is key, as Nevada is one of two early primary states with a growing number of Latino voters. Florida is the other.

Top Telemundo news anchor Jose Diaz-Balart will host the debate, which will be broadcast in Spanish.

Telemundo spokesman Alfredo Richard said the network is still hammering out the details and is in conversations with the candidates.

"The debate will most likely mix both English and Spanish to accommodate the needs both of the candidates and our viewers," he said in an email to The Associated Press.

The program will cover immigration, the economy, health care and education.

Telemundo is producing the debate with its sister network NBC News, which will also broadcast the program. Both are owned by NBC Universal. Telemundo has partnered with NBC networks in the past, but it has never taken the lead on a debate.

During last month's MSNBC GOP primary debate, the cable network had Diaz-Balart come on only for a few minutes to ask the candidates about immigration. That decision was widely panned by bloggers as patronizing and awkward at best.

Besides being one of the nation's top Spanish-language news anchors, the award-winning Diaz-Balart frequently guest-hosts news programs on MSNBC.

He is also the brother of former and current Florida GOP U.S. Reps. Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart.

Telemundo's announcement comes after at least six of the GOP candidates said they would not appear at a debate proposed by Spanish-language rival Univision over that network's handling of a story on a relative of Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.

If the candidates all agree to appear on the Telemundo debate, it would be a major coup for the fast-growing Miami-based network.

Comments

[rsunday]

03:19 PM on 10/18/2011

The controversy involving Marco Rubio is about the hypocrisy on his rhetoric that "the border with Mexico needs to be secure...", "illegal-aliens and narcotraffikers from south of the border need to be stopped...", "the dangerous Mexico-U.S. border...", etc. etc. BUT, Mr. Rubio don't like to talk about the illegal cubans that also enter from the Florida coasts and also illegal cubans enter the U.S. from the Mexico border, and Mr. Rubio don't like to talk about the "Scarface" type of crimes that involved his own cuban community and some members of his own family.
Here is an article, video and legal documents that prove this is not just 'a controversy' but indeed is a fact that members of his own family where in the past involved in serious crimes a la "Scarface"
http://noticias.univision.com/univision-investiga/investigaciones/article/2011-07-11/la-verdad-inconveniente-sobre-la-familia-de-marco-rubio

[arecibo48]

10:30 AM on 10/18/2011

First question: Why do you want to suppress our vote?

[wyldthings]

11:36 AM on 10/18/2011

Let me just say that you are 100% wrong. Our schools offer many Languages to learn. See it's just that as an American of Hispanic decent I do not want to walk into a local grocery store and speak another Language. Why should I walk into a store and have to speak Tagali to shop. See unlike Mexico we have Immigrants of Hundred's of languages not just a few. In Mexico they kill you and dump your bodies on the streets if you come from say Central America and won't be mule for their drugs.
So logic dictates you have to have a way to communicate and since were are mostly English speaking people the English should be spoken. If and when I've traveled I've always tried to learn some conversational words in the Language of the Country I visit. Yes Europeans speak many languages, but they also have How Many different languages in a small area. It would like me traveling to Nevada and have to speak another Language. Common sense arecibo48. I've never heard one person say don't learn another Language. Look at a college and see how many languages are offered.

[arecibo48]

11:43 AM on 10/18/2011

Wildthing, you are 100% wrong! The schools offer languages, but people like you have a problem with the spanish language!

[kkdkdkdkdk]

06:37 AM on 10/18/2011

No way would I appear on that network except to say to hispanics, learn English and if you are illegal, go home.

[arecibo48]

08:34 AM on 10/18/2011

KKK waco.

[kkdkdkdkdk]

01:20 PM on 10/18/2011

If its waco to want to stop illegal immigration, then i AM waco along with millions of others.

[looneydoone]

12:56 PM on 10/18/2011

Silly. This debate is for all the Cuban exiles living in Florida, not *mexicans* who won't bother watching this pandering dog and pony show

[aznurse]

01:05 AM on 10/18/2011

Cain: In my country we consider electric fence and people dying from them very funny!!
Ja ja ja ja!!

[Clayton139]

11:55 PM on 10/17/2011

Well, the GOP debate will be sad, depressing, talking points only for the 1%...!

But, I will enjoy Jose Diaz-Balart ! -- He is a good, smart anchor !

www.GetMoneyOut.com Of politics...! Please, Sign Petition...!

I feel, I can't say this enough. I'm tired, tired of Politics as usual !

[Emma Peel2060]

10:21 PM on 10/17/2011

Why?

[missviv]

07:57 PM on 10/17/2011

Let me guess... the candidates will all at some point try to say something in broken Spanish and tell the audience how much they "love the Spanish culture" and how the once had a Hispanic friend...This is such a sham. It could only be brought to you by the Spanish version of Fox.

[beauwulff]

06:03 PM on 10/17/2011

Rick Perry will win their hearts when he expresses his admiration for the Frito Bandito.

[jimall3]

05:57 PM on 10/17/2011

With all the attractive Latino men and women out there why would telemundo hire this ugly weird looking man as a newscaster. I thought it was a halloween mask when I clicked it on

[Zeke Hernandez]

10:41 AM on 10/18/2011

Possibly because he does his job well?

[jimall3]

04:25 PM on 10/18/2011

well, in that case CNN should stop hiring sexy people with British accents and hire less attractived middle aged and unemployed Americans to be reporters, etc.

[1ccc1]

04:18 PM on 10/17/2011

I wonder if any of the candidates will recite this:
"This amnesty will give citizenshi¬p to only 1.1 to 1.3 million illegal aliens. We will secure the borders henceforth¬. We will never again bring forward another amnesty bill like this."
- Senator Ted Kennedy, 1986 under Reagan

[HHHarry]

03:03 PM on 10/17/2011

Wonder how many times the candidates will mention that great Republican Ronaldo Reagan?

[SaucyD]

03:00 PM on 10/17/2011

This is GUARANTEED to be a disaster with Cain wanting electrified fencing and the rest of the GOPukes and their anti-immigrant stances (except perhaps Perry).

[trweste144]

02:43 PM on 10/17/2011

I can't wait to see how fast the candidates try to pitch in to build a wall between themselves and the audience.

[Michael Ludin]

12:20 PM on 10/17/2011

How long into the debate will it be before Bachman discloses how many latino foster children she raised? God I can stick on this thread all morning.

[Michael Ludin]

12:16 PM on 10/17/2011

Can't wait to see how they will address undocumented Americans. And will they bring out a black journalist to ask a question about racism in politics... a la MSNBC, or was it CNN with the Hispanic reporter??