Jose Diaz-Balart

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José Díaz-Balart (b. 1960) is the Cuban-American co-anchor of Telemundo Network’s Cada día with anchor [Maria Antonieta Collins]. program. Díaz-Balart is also the network’s National Director of Public Affairs, as well as the Anchor and Managing Editor of Enfoque, Telemundo’s public affairs program. His aunt, Mirta Diaz-Balart, was Fidel Castro's first wife.

[edit] Biography

Díaz-Balart graduated from New College in Sarasota, Florida, and attended the University of Cambridge in England. He began his broadcast career as a reporter/anchor at WQSA Radio in Sarasota, Florida. He was also the Florida broadcast editor for UPI in Miami.

Diaz-Balart was the first journalist in the United States to anchor both a daily Spanish and English language newscast. He has also served as host of various news programs for Telemundo, including the morning shows, Hoy en el Mundo and Esta Mañana. He also hosted América en Vivo and Hoy en América for Telemundo Internacional. He previously served as Senior Correspondent for Telemundo’s weekly newsmagazine program, Sin Fronteras. Before joining Telemundo, Diaz-Balart was co-anchor for CBS This Morning and anchor for Against the Law, a daily prime time series on the CBS Eye On People cable channel. He joined CBS News in August 1996.

Previously, Díaz-Balart was co-anchor for WTVJ-TV in Miami. While there, Díaz-Balart was awarded two Emmy Awards and received nominations for two others. He was part of the WTVJ team awarded the George Foster Peabody Award and the Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Award for its coverage of Hurricane Andrew. He also received four Hispanic Excellence in Journalism awards and the Associated Press Award for excellence in reporting. Hispanic Magazine has named Diaz-Balart one of the most influential Hispanics in the United States. In December, 2006, Diaz-Balart received the National Orchid Award for best news anchor in the United States.

Díaz-Balart is a veteran of international news broadcasts, having served as Washington bureau chief for Telemundo Network and, prior to that, as its European bureau chief in Madrid, Spain. Previously, he was the Central American bureau chief for Spanish International Network – now Univision – based in San Salvador, El Salvador.

[edit] Family

Diaz-Balart is the son of Rafael Diaz-Balart y Guitierrez (a former Cuban politician). He has three bothers, Rafael Diaz-Balart (a banker), Mario Diaz-Balart (a US Congressman) and Lincoln Diaz-Balart (also a US Congressman). His aunt, Mirta Diaz-Balart, was Fidel Castro's first wife.

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