Satcha Pretto

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Satcha Pretto
Born Satcha Pretto Padilla
April 5, 1980 (1980-04-05) (age 28)
La Paz, Honduras
Occupation Journalist

Satcha Pretto (born April 5, 1980 in La Paz, Honduras) is a journalist and TV news reporter.

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[edit] General information

Her parents were originally from Panama, but she was born in La Paz, Honduras and later moved to Tegucigalpa, Honduras where Satcha Pretto grew up.

After her father Rolando Pretto died in 1996, Satcha Pretto says that her mother Liz Padilla Rubio is now the most important human being in her life.

[edit] Education

She studied in bilingual schools in Honduras: Mayan Elementary School and Macris High School in Tegucigalpa. Because Pretto was always on the honor list, she earned a scholarship and attended Angelo State University[1] in San Angelo, Texas. In 2001 Pretto graduated with a B.A. degree in communications.

She speaks English and Spanish fluently.

[edit] Career

While still in high school in Honduras, at the age of 17 she showed up at the Honduras Broadcasters Association in order to learn how to become a radio broadcaster. During a period of three months, right after her regular high school classes, she attended the broadcasting training sessions (still wearing her high school uniform). Later Pretto broadcasted a live radio show in Radio Stereo Suprema (Supreme Stereo Radio) in Tegucigalpa during one year.

Pretto started her professional career in Midland-Odessa, Texas as a reporter and anchor of the nightly edition of KTLE-Telemundo. She later worked for KWES-TV channel 9 (a NBC affiliate), before becoming a CNN correspondent. [2]

In 2003, Pretto was an anchor at KUVN channel 23 (an Univision affiliate) in Dallas, Texas. She anchored the station’s 5:00 p.m. newscast, Cinco en Punto (Five o'Clock), and reported for the late night newscast, Edición Nocturna (Nightly Edition)[3],[4].

On July 13, 2006, Univision Communications Inc. announced that Satcha Pretto was named the new co-host of the highly-rated daily newsmagazine Primer Impacto- Fin de Semana (First Impact - Weekend Edition), on Saturday and Sunday - 5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. ET/PT (4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. CT) on the Univision television network and also serving as a reporter for the network. [5]. This implied a move from Dallas, Texas to Miami, Florida where Univision has major production facilities/operations.

Like her countrywoman Neida Sandoval of Honduras, Pretto started her news career in Texas and later moved to Miami.

At the beginning of her career, she was virtually unknown in Honduras[6], but after she was named to co-host Primer Impacto - Edición Fin de Semana, Pretto became well known in Honduras. [7] [8] [9]

On January 1, 2007, Pretto co-hosted Univision's Desfile de las Rosas Rose Parade coverage. Prior to the parade as part of the Despierta América news coverage, she conducted an interview with the Rose Parade Grand Marshal, George Lucas, first in Spanish and then fluently in English.

Pretto's most memorable interview was with famous Chilean writer Isabel Allende on March, 2006.

Satcha Pretto confirmed she would like to interview the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize and 1998 Prince of Asturias Award winner, Ms. Rigoberta Menchu of Guatemala.

[edit] Recognitions

Between April 19-21, 2001 Pretto, who as a senior majored in communications at Angelo State University, received a recognition from the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association meeting in Wichita Falls, in the live competitions. She won first place in TV announcing [10].

She has also received several recognitions for her professional work in broadcast journalism, including a regional Emmy nomination for best investigative report[11] and an award from Texas Associated Press Broadcasters.