María Elena Salinas Exits Univision

María Elena Salinas shocked Noticiero Univision viewers at the end of tonight’s broadcast announcing she is leaving the news anchor desk she has shared for decades with Jorge Ramos. “It’s time to change paths and start a new phase in my career,” she told viewers. “I will dedicate myself to being an independent journalist, producer, among other things. I take with me an abundance of experience of more than three decades, having shared with a wonderful group of journalists of whom I’ve learned a lot from both personally and professionally, but above all the honor of having had the opportunity of getting to your homes every day trying to make sense of this complex world that we live in.”

Salinas made sure to clarify that she was not fired from the Spanish-language network and she is leaving to pursue other projects. “They have not fired me, I haven’t quit, I am not retiring, and I am not going somewhere else to do the same thing I’m doing here. Thank Daniel Coronel, Univision President, his efforts in trying to convince me to renew my contract and to stay, but like I always say to young people, ‘fight for your dreams, never give up’. Now it’s time for me to practice what I preach and to do things that I have always dreamt of doing.”

But when is María Elena Salinas’ last show on Univision? She said: “This is not a goodbye, it’s only an announcement. I will be here until the end of the year. I still have many news stories to present on Noticias Univision, for now goodnight and see you soon.”

Changes at Univision were imminent in the news department. Earlier this year it was rumored that Jorge Ramos had been fired from the network. According to Rafael Martinez of “Formula Espectacular,” the news anchor was to exit his post after Donald Trump took office. The Mexican-born journalist had a strong altercation with Trump while he was running for office. It was rumored that Enrique Acevedo, who currently hosts the late-night edition of the Univision newscast, would take his place. Ramos also hosts a weekend political show called “Al Punto” and fronts another news show on Fusion, Univision’s cable news network.

Before Trump taking office, some Univision executives met with him. “We just had a productive meeting with President-elect Donald Trump about issues facing Hispanic and multicultural communities in America”, the network said in a statement. “We look forward to working with Mr. Trump and his administration to make our vibrant country even better. Our Univision News team will continue to cover the Trump administration with the rigor that we have brought to the coverage of every administration that preceded it. We approach this task without fear or favor and with one goal only – to ensure our audience is well-informed. Our eyes, ears and minds are wide open.”

The future of Noticiero Univision looks shaky and there’s no word on who would replace Salinas in the nightly newscast or if Ramos will front it solo from now on.