Monica Navarro is an investigative and medical reporter and producer for Mano Amiga and A Su Salud community and health segments at Univision in San Antonio, Texas. Navarro was part of a pioneering newsroom at KWEX, the nation’s first Spanish-language television station, and the beginning of what would become the nation’s top Spanish-language network.
Navarro was a broadcast pioneer even before she got here, as the first woman in Mexico to serve as a national sportscaster. She earned her degree from the prestigious Anahuac University with a brand-new specialty in mass media, while she worked at Televisa, first as a sports reporter and then, in 1979, as a news reporter so she could cover Pope John Paul II’s visit to Mexico.
A mention of a family visit to San Antonio during a chance meeting with Televisa owner Emilio Azcárraga led to an introduction to Emilio Nicolas at KWEX, a Spanish-language TV giant in San Antonio. A year later, Navarro began her U.S. career by anchoring the Spanish International Network’s news breaks, “Mundo al Instante,” from San Antonio every half-hour, reaching millions on her first day.
As SIN became Univision, Navarro would serve as KWEX’s anchor in San Antonio. She anchored for 28 1Ž2 years, which might make her the city’s longest-serving anchor.
As the business has evolved, she reinvented herself, honing a specialty in medical reporting and winning fellowships and awards.
Last year, her peers honored her with the Henry Guerra Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Journalism. Named for the beloved broadcaster and announcer, the prize is awarded by the San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists, a 26-year-old organization whose mission is to encourage diversity in the newsroom by awarding scholarships.