La Opinión publisher named CEO of the paper’s parent, ImpreMedia

Los Angeles media veteran Monica C. Lozano has been named chief executive of ImpreMedia, the nation’s largest Spanish-language newspaper company and owner of the Los Angeles daily La Opinión.

Lozano will retain her current post as publisher of La Opinión, a newspaper that was founded by her grandfather and which became a part of ImpreMedia in 2004. Based in New York, ImpreMedia also publishes El Diario La Prensa, the largest Spanish-language paper in the Big Apple, as well as El Mensajero in San Francisco.

While daily newspapers remain a critical component of ImpreMedia, which serves a largely Latino readership, Lozano said she intends to beef up digital content.

“I plan to focus my attention on strengthening our digital capabilities [and] our multiplatform content … delivering news to people on the platforms they use: print, online and mobile,” Lozano said.

She said she also plans to strengthen local coverage in the markets that ImpreMedia serves.

Lozano’s appointment signals a shift away from ImpreMedia’s previous strategy of making its publications increasingly uniform, said Jose Luis Benavides, the chairman of the journalism department at Cal State Northridge.

“She knows what the publications are about because she was at the head of La Opinión, which is the paper her family founded,” Benavides said. “She will likely decentralize a bit and let their papers be themselves. She cares about the bottom line, but she also cares more about journalism and retaining the identity of each paper. It’s a good choice.”

Lozano joined La Opinión in 1985, assuming responsibility for sales, marketing and business operations.

She also serves on the boards of Bank of America and Walt Disney Co. In February 2009, Lozano was appointed as a member on President Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board.

ImpreMedia is owned by a private investment group led by Clarity Partners, Halyard Capital, ACON Investments and the Lozano family.

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