Fusion (TV channel)

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Fusion
Launched October 28, 2013 (2013-10-28)[1]
Owned by Disney-ABC Television Group
(The Walt Disney Company)
Univision Communications
(both owning 50%)
(Fusion Media Network, LLC)
Picture format 720p (HDTV)
480i (SDTV)
Slogan Pop Culture. Satire. News. This is Fusion.
Country United States
Language English
Spanish
Broadcast area United States
Headquarters Doral, Florida
Replaced ABC News Now
Sister channel(s) ABC
ABC Family
ESPN
ESPN2
Univision
Univision Noticias
Galavisión
UniMás
Univision Deportes Network
Univision tlnovelas
Website www.fusion.net
Availability
Cable
Cablevision/Optimum Channel 697 (HD)
Channel 156 (SD)
Verizon FiOS Channel 108 (SD only)
Available on other select cable systems (check local listings for channels)
IPTV
AT&T U-verse Channel 1206 (HD)
Channel 206 (SD)
Streaming media
Available from select broadband Internet providers Check with a provider for details

Fusion is an American news, pop culture and satire TV and digital network airing on digital cable, satellite, and online and mobile platforms.[2] Launched on October 28, 2013, the channel is a joint venture between the Disney-ABC Television Group subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company and Univision Communications, and relies in part on the resources of their respective news divisions, ABC News and Noticias Univision.[3][4] The network's content features news, lifestyle, pop culture, and entertainment aimed at English-speaking millennials, including those of a Hispanic background (the channel is Univision's first major push into English-language programming).[5] Fusion is based in "NewsPort", a converted studio facility in the Miami suburb of Doral, Florida that it shares with Noticias Univision, with additional studios in Los Angeles and bureaus in Mexico City, New York City, and Washington, D.C.[4][6]

Background

In December 2010, the newly appointed president of Noticias Univision, Isaac Lee, announced plans to start a 24-hour English language cable news channel aimed at American Hispanics.[7] Univision Communications would later on, in late 2011, enter into discussions with Walt Disney-owned ABC News about a joint venture for a 24-hour American Hispanic-oriented news channel.[8] The discussions bore fruit with the companies' formal announcement of the channel on May 8, 2012, initially projecting a debut during the first half of 2013.[9] (The channel would be given its name, Fusion, in February 2013.)[3] On October 4, 2013, the company announced it had named Isaac Lee as Chief Executive Officer to replace interim CEO Beau Ferrari.[10]

Fusion's formal launch date and its initial programming schedule was announced on August 1, 2013.[4] The channel formally launched on October 28, 2013, buoyed earlier in the day by a simulcast of ABC's Good Morning America and Univision's ¡Despierta América! designed to promote Fusion's launch and programming.[11] After leading off with a 3-minute musical number at 6:57PM (ET) on the 28th,[12] Fusion began regular programming with the debut of America with Jorge Ramos.[13]

Fusion's target audience consists mainly of millenials (roughly the 18-34 age bracket), a group generally regarded as digitally fluent and normally favors social media and internet sources to gain news and base opinions, usually eschewing traditional broadcast and print sources. To that end, Fusion gears its programming less towards the constant coverage of breaking news, instead emphasizing context and analysis on news and issues, along with interviews, documentaries, and long-form reports on current events, lifestyle, and pop culture.[5] Fusion also employs an on-air blending of serious topics and discussions that is, more often than not, laced with irreverence and humor (a "common language" among millenials according to host Alicia Menendez) that aims to reduce the air of pretense and seriousness with which other news outlets treat current topics and issues.[11] The "fusion" of seriousness and lighteartedness has been evident in Fusion's primetime: America with Jorge Ramos, in its first week alone, has taken a more conventional approach, featuring interviews with President Barack Obama and United States Senator Ted Cruz,[14] while Alicia Menendez Tonight has featured more personal and less serious topics, and programs including No, You Shut Up have ventured towards irreverence and even satire.[13]

Fusion was originally conceived to primarily attract a younger audience of an English-speaking Hispanic and Latino American background; about one-fifth of millenials are classified as being of Latino descent[11] and have generally been well-acclimated with English language society in the United States, either as emigrants or as US nationals by birth. After receiving some backlash during development over concerns that too much of a focus was placed on ethnicity, Fusion would broaden its scope during its development, aiming to "engage and champion a young, diverse and inclusive America," regardless of cultural or language background.[6] Isaac Lee, who serves as Fusion's CEO in addition to President of News for Univision, has stated that Hispanic millenials see themselves as part of the broad American culture and that "they want to be part of the same room and part of the same conversation" as non-Hispanics.[5][15]

Fusion operates out of a former warehouse in Doral, Florida (billed by staffers as the "Newsport")[16] that is shared with Noticias Univision. Additionally some resources are also shared with ABC News and Noticias Univision[17] (the above-mentioned interview of President Obama, conducted by ABC News' Jim Avila, was one such example of that reliance).[5] However, the network operates separately from ABC's and Univision's news entities, employing its own on-air talent, correspondents, management, production staff and board of directors.[18] Univision handles programming duties for Fusion, while Disney-ABC Television Group provides advertising sales and cable and satellite distribution for the channel.[4] ABC News president Ben Sherwood noted that while the channel will eventually feature all original programming, repurposed content from ABC News and Univision content airs on the channel during late night timeslots, along with paid programming.[19]

Programming

The initial schedule on Fusion includes programs intended for a younger audience than most cable news shows attract, many of which feature the lively, irreverent approach the network intends to make its hallmark. Fusion's programming includes the following:[1][20]

  • The Morning Show — A breakfast television program hosted by Mariana Atencio, Pedro Andrade, and Yannis Pappas that is what Atencio describes as "NPR meets The Daily Show,"[11] presenting news, discussions, interviews, and live performances in an informative yet edgy manner.
  • America with Jorge Ramos — Reports, analysis, interviews, and discussions on significant news topics hosted by the Noticiero Univision anchor
  • D.N.A. — An hour-long interactive show focused on social issues hosted by Derrick Ashong
  • Alicia Menendez Tonight — Discussions and commentaries on daily issues featuring former HuffPost Live host Alicia Menendez
  • Sports Talkers — A half-hour show hosted Rebecca Delgado Smith, Billy Scafuri and Adam Lustick that combines elements of sports talk radio and improvisational comedy
  • No, You Shut Up! — A news comedy/discussion executive produced by former Daily Show writer/producer David Javerbaum and created by The Jim Henson Company under its Henson Alternative banner that stars Paul F. Tompkins and a panel of puppet commentators (played by the Miskreant Puppets from Puppet Up!)[14][21]
  • Good Morning Today - A computer-animated morning news show in an alternate universe that features live-action personalities and computer-animated anchors. It was executive produced by David Javerbaum and created by The Jim Henson Company under it's Henson Alternative banner. This show is filmed with the use of The Jim Henson Company's Digital Puppet Studio (a proprietary technology that enables performers to physically puppeteer and voice computer-generated characters in real time).
  • Open Source — A show hosted by KMEX-DT news anchor León Krauze that covers "a mix of politics, pop-culture and really weird stuff"[22]
  • Back Home — A weekly documentary-style show that follows celebrity guests making voyages to their family's country of origin
  • Fusion Mini-Docs — Short documentary films presented on a bi-weekly basis[23]
  • Strange Medicine — A medical news program hosted by Dr. Juan Rivera, Univision's Chief Medical Correspondent who trained at the prestigious Johns Hopkins Hospital

Key Personnel

Executive Leadership

  • Isaac Lee, Chief Executive Officer
  • Billy Kimball, Senior Vice President and Chief Programming Officer[24]
  • Tania Linares, Vice President, Business Affairs & Associate General Counsel
  • Joel Kliksberg, Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer
  • Mark Lima, Vice president, News
  • Tom Finn, Chief Financial Officer[25]
  • Nuria Net, Managing Editor, Features - Digital

Board of Directors

Carriage and content distribution

By the time Disney-ABC and Univision announced the channel's name — Fusion — on February 11, 2013, the channel already signed agreements with major video providers including Verizon, Cablevision, Charter Communications, Cox Communications, AT&T U-verse and Google Fiber. The channel is primarily positioned on providers' digital basic tiers,[3][4] and premiered to a reach of approximately 20 million homes, one-fifth of the total US households with pay subscription services.[5] Fusion is currently seeking carriage on additional systems, with deals pending or not yet reached with notable providers including Comcast, Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, and Dish Network.[21] Fusion's goal, according to Board of Directors member and ABC News president Ben Sherwood, is to reach 60 million homes within 5 years of its debut.[14] Fusion replaced ABC News Now on most cable systems; that network was sunset on October 28, 2013, before Fusion's debut.

In addition to its on-air presence, Fusion posts nearly all of its content online through its Fusion.net website. The network also plans to have a mobile app for use in smartphones and tablet computers up and running in 2014.[21]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 James, Meg (August 1, 2013). "ABC-Univision cable network, Fusion, to launch Oct. 28". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 2, 2013. 
  2. ↑ "About Fusion - FusionLive". Fusionlive.tumblr.com. 2013-10-28. Retrieved 2014-01-28. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Kim, Susanna (February 11, 2013). "ABC and Univision Announce New Cable Network 'Fusion' Will Launch Later in 2013". ABC News. Retrieved May 14, 2013. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Villafane, Veronica (March 5, 2013). "Fusion Gears Up For Late Summer Launch". TV News Check. Retrieved May 14, 2013. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "Univision-ABC channel Fusion launching in a bid for young Latinos," from Los Angeles Times, 10/28/2013
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Fusion's Debut Shows Serious, Fun Sides," from TVNewsCheck, 10/29/2013
  7. ↑ "Univision president says he’ll start 24-hr news channel". Media Moves. December 17, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2013. 
  8. ↑ Szalai, Georg (February 7, 2012). "ABC News, Univision Discussing English-Language News Network". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 14, 2013. 
  9. ↑ James, Meg; Chmielewski, Dawn (May 7, 2012). "ABC News, Univision to launch English-language news network". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 14, 2013. 
  10. ↑ "Isaac Lee Named CEO of Fusion". Businesswire.com. 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2014-01-28. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 "Fusion Wants Young Latinos To Turn On Their TVs," from NPR's Weekend Edition, 10/26/2013
  12. ↑ "Sign-on video premiering Fusion, from Fusion.net, accessed 10/29/2013
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "With Fusion’s debut, a bid for laughs and then a serious turn," from Miami Herald, 10/28/2013
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "New U.S. TV network fuses news, satire for young Hispanics," from Retuers, 10/27/2013
  15. ↑ "Univision And ABC News Launch New TV Channel ‘Fusion,’" interview with Isaac Lee from Here & Now (WBUR/NPR), aired 10/28/2013
  16. ↑ "ABC and Univision's love child bursts to life," from Associated Press, 10/19/2013
  17. ↑ James, Meg (May 19, 2011). "Univision plans three new cable TV channels". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 14, 2013. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 Vivian says:. "Fusion names board of directors, reveals more details". Mediamoves.com. Retrieved 2014-01-28. 
  19. ↑ Guthrie, Marisa (May 7, 2012). "ABC News, Univision Joint Venture Not Looking to Compete With CNN, MSNBC, Fox News". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 14, 2013. 
  20. ↑ Stelter, Brian (August 1, 2013). "Fusion Announces Premiere Date and Prime-Time Schedule". New York Times. Retrieved August 16, 2013. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 "Meet Fusion, The ABC-Univision Frankenbaby That Wants Millennials To Laugh And Get Their News On," from BuzzFeed, 10/27/2013
  22. ↑ "''Open Source with Leon Krauze'' page on". Fusion.net. Retrieved 2014-01-28. 
  23. ↑ "''Fusion Mini-Docs'' webpage on". Fusion.net. Retrieved 2014-01-28. 
  24. ↑ "Industry Veteran Kimball to Lead Fusion Programming". Fusion.net. 2013-10-25. Retrieved 2014-01-28. 
  25. ↑ "Fusion Names Mark Lima VP of News". Mediabistro.com. 2013-07-09. Retrieved 2014-01-28. 

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