Thread: Mirthala Salinas Joins Spanish Radio Station

Mirthala Salinas Joins Spanish Radio Station



Last Edited: Friday, 22 Feb 2008, 11:20 PM PST
Created: Friday, 22 Feb 2008, 1:24 PM PST

Mirthala Salinas, the KVEA/Telemundo reporter investigated after a romantic relationship with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was revealed, has been reassigned.

Burbank --
Former Latino TV reporter Mirthala Salinas, who gained unwanted publicity last year when she was linked romantically to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, contributing to the breakup of his marriage, announced today her return to journalism as a co-host on Spanish-language radio.

Salinas joins radio journalist Gerardo Lorenz on W Radio 690-AM's Hoy x Hoy morning show. She began her new job Monday. .

"I'm very happy today to announce my return to journalism," Salinas said at a morning news conference in Burbank.

"This is what I have done my whole life and what I want to continue to do," she said. "It is a new era for me, nonetheless an area that I know very well. I started my career 18 years ago in radio back in Phoenix, Arizona. This is what I love to do."

Salinas was a reporter and anchorwoman at KVEA-TV Channel 52 last year when the Daily News disclosed that she and the mayor were romantically involved, and that she had been reporting on Villaraigosa's marital problems without disclosing her role.

She went on paid leave July 5 while executives with the parent Telemundo network investigated whether the relationship violated the station's ethical standards, and on Aug. 2 she was suspended without pay.

News Director Al Corral, who knew about the relationship but did not stop her from reporting on the mayor, also was suspended without pay for two months. Station General Manager Manuel Abud was reassigned, and Ibra Morales, president of the Telemundo Station Group, which oversees 16 Spanish language network stations, was reprimanded.

Telemundo President Don Browne said at the time that having a relationship with a public figure while reporting on that public figure was "a flagrant violation of (station) guidelines."

The mayor later announced the relationship had ended.

When Salinas' suspension was over, instead of returning to work as a general assignment reporter with the station's Inland Empire bureau in Riverside, she left KVEA.

Salinas said that after leaving the station she remained in Los Angeles, where she spent time with her family and prepared for her return to the profession.

"I want to thank W Radio for the trust that they have put in me. It's a big responsibility to have the morning show on the morning drive," Salinas said.

By stepping back into public life, Salinas said she knows some people will want details of her relationship with the mayor.

"Every question is a fair question," she said.

"Out of respect for other people, this is a topic that I choose not to comment on. It has been a learning experience and is a part of my life that I'm still evaluating and that's all I'm prepared to say."

Salinas' first day back on the airwaves was Monday. So far, listeners have called in wanting to discuss immigration, the presidential race and taxes - - not Salinas' relationship with Villaraigosa.

That gives her "peace of mind that's she's back on track with her career," said station spokesman Fred Zermeno.

Hoy x Hoy airs Monday through Friday, from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. Salinas is on the air beginning at 7 a.m.

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