2003 Hispanic Media Awards Selects 'Journalist of the Year'.

News Editors/Business Editors

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 17, 2003

Monica Navarro, a native of Mexico City and for 21 uninterrupted years a key news anchor and reporter for Univision in San Antonio, has been selected as the Journalist of the Year. She will be honored with this prestigious recognition at the 2003 Hispanic Media Awards Event that will take place with a reception and gala starting at 6:30 p.m., Friday, October 17, at the historic St. Anthony Hotel in San Antonio, Texas.

The Hispanic Media Awards Event, with help from an independent group of judges in the Spanish journalism field, annually recognizes the top 50 Hispanic Publishers, Editors and Reporters across the nation who do all of a portion of their work in Spanish-language media and help to keep the Spanish-dominant portion of the U.S. Hispanic market on top of the latest news.

"The Journalist of the Year recognizes media professionals who go beyond their day-to-day job and become involved in the Hispanic community to make a difference while continuing to strive for the highest level of excellence in their career," says Chris Day, founder and creator of the Hispanic Media Awards and Events Concepts, the organization that produces this event annually.

"Monica started her career as a journalist at the tender age of 15 in Mexico and obtained a bachelor's of Social Communication with an emphasis on TV journalism at Anahuac University," Day says. "In her six years with Mexico's Televisa Network, she became the first female sports reporter for the network, and subsequently became the key sports anchor for `Contacto Directo,' the network's national news."

After her six-year stint with Televisa, she joined the Spanish International Network (S.I.N.), now Univision, in San Antonio, Texas, where she has resided for the past 21 years making a strong impact in the Alamo City's Hispanic community.

Her most recent stories include an informational story on how low-income, newcomers to San Antonio can find assistance in becoming first-time homebuyers. World Savings, the corporation that granted loan services to these residents had to employ temporary help to handle the hundreds of phone calls they received the first day the story was aired.

Monica also did a series on the critical health situation of a seven-year old girl from Uruapan, Ithacan, in Mexico who needed a liver transplant to save the little girl's life. The special report was so impacting that it captivated the attention of San Antonio's community, which rose to the occasion to raise funds for the surgery that saved Diana Celeste's life.

Monica continuously features stories to help Hispanics improve their standard of life in the United States with information such as how to obtain legal assistance and how to enroll in GED, computer, and literacy classes. Beyond that, she participates in health fairs, promoting the importance of health awareness and preventative measures that can be taken by using health services available in the community. She is also involved with educational programs such as Career Day, the annual Spelling Bee and AVANCE, which teach Hispanic parents the importance of early childhood development.

Monica also collaborates with the Southwest Voter Registration Project to increase the number of Hispanic voters; with the Patricia Castillo of St. Benedictine Center, the Alamo Area Resource Center, the Battered Women's Shelter of Bear County, Hispanic Unites, the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, and the city of San Antonio's Metropolitan Health District - all organizations to help battered women.

For her community efforts, she has received numerous awards including recognition from R.A.I.C.E.S., an association focused on immigration issues; the AFL-CIO and Sindicatos Nacionales (National Unions) for her work on humane treatment for all workers; "Woman of the Year" from Damas Mexicanas en el Estranjero (Mexican Women in Foreign Countries) for her series of stories that helped to save the life of Diana Celeste; from the American Cancer Society, the Leukemia Society, the American Heart Association, the Bear County Medical Society, the Texas Department of Health, the Alzheimer's Association and AARP for her efforts to keep health awareness and preventative measures top of mind among Hispanics in San Antonio.

"It's always tough to select the Journalist of the Year," Day says. "But with the time and effort that Monica expends to help Hispanics in San Antonio, it's no wonder she was chosen to be this year's recipient of this hard-earned award."

John Quinones, of ABC News' "20/20" TV news program, will be the emcee of the Hispanic Media Awards event. Sponsorships, tables and individuals seats are available by calling Irma Calderon Woodruff at 210-410-1214 or Wanda Reyes at 210-733-3110.