👀 A peek inside CNN en Español

You likely know CNN as the leader in global news, but you may not be as familiar with CNN en Español.

“We’re not your abuela’s network,” says Cynthia Hudson, senior vice president and managing director of CNN en Español. “Our audience wants to see the story from their perspective. They want to know about the news in the US and how it affects them.”

CNN en Español, which reaches nearly 55 million households across the US and Latin America, is not just a Spanish translation of CNN news reports. More often, the network’s journalists frame stories around what’s important to the region that they’re in.

Where you can find CNN en Español

CNNE reaches most of its audience through its 24/7 television news network, its website and its radio station. On social media, CNN en Español is the most-followed general news account in Spanish (on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) -- one of the many achievements touted when CNNE recently celebrated 25 years of coverage.

“People relate to CNNE because we have been the source of history for them,” Hudson says. “It’s 25 years of seeing the world play out before their eyes, thanks to CNN en Español.”

Reporters all over the world

CNN en Español has journalists based in Argentina, Colombia, Israel, Mexico, Spain and Uruguay and in US cities including Atlanta, Los Angeles and Miami.

Having reporters all over the regions the network covers allows CNNE to go beyond just the latest news headlines, according to Hudson. And that has added to the network’s trust with its audience: CNN en Español recently ranked as the most trustworthy news brand in Latin America by TGI Elite, a leading consumer data company.

“To me the major story isn’t just covering the latest hurricane or political crisis,” Hudson says. “Connecting with our audience means letting them know that whatever happens to them, we are there documenting it.”

Cynthia Hudson, senior vice president and managing director of CNN en Español

Who tunes in to CNN en Español

CNNE’s largest audiences are predominantly Spanish speakers and Latinos in the US, as well as in Mexico. A smaller portion of the network’s audience comes from Colombia, Argentina and Spain.

“Anybody that speaks Spanish is a potential audience for us, no matter where they are,” says Juan Muñoz, managing editor of CNN en Español Digital.

A typical CNNE user in the US is bilingual, educated and looking for culturally relevant content. A growing portion of the network’s audience seeks out CNN en Español’s coverage as a way to keep up their Spanish language skills.

“People now realize they can be a ‘true American’ and still speak another language,” Hudson says.

Latinos/Hispanics make up about 19% of the US population, a result of decades of steady growth, US Census Bureau data shows.

Hudson noted that her children are good examples of the multiculturalism that’s common in dual-language households.

“Their playlists and interests are eclectic and mixed, and still you couldn't be more American than my three daughters, but at the same time they’re very proud of the fact that they have Latino roots,” Hudson says.

The network's biggest stories

When something major happens in the world, people from everywhere in Latin America flock to CNN en Español as a trusted source -- especially in areas where local or national news outlets don’t have a large presence.

“We are the go-to (to determine) whether something is true or not,” Hudson says. CNNE’s credibility is something she’s most proud of.

Big news events outside of Latin America, like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, will often be the network’s lead story. Early on, CNNE noticed people were looking for summaries of the day’s developments, so the team created a daily recap video for YouTube that has grown a large audience.

The CNN en Español audience also loves entertainment stories and Hollywood drama, Muñoz said. The Will Smith-Chris Rock Oscar slap was a big story, but CNNE also covers celebrity feuds that you might not have heard of, such as the recent beef between rappers J Balvin and Residente.

Other major stories for CNN en Español that you might not have read about are the car crash death of Colombian soccer idol Freddy Rincón and the ongoing aftermath of the La Palma volcano eruption in the Canary Islands.

What's on the radar?

Colombia’s presidential election hasn’t ranked as a top story for CNN en Español just yet, but Hudson and Muñoz are confident it will. The CNNE team is ready to execute its coverage plan on Election Day, May 29.

“It’s a very critical election because Colombia has become a very polarized country,” Muñoz says.

“There is a populism -- that has always been part of Latin America -- that has been rearing its ugly head lately,” Hudson says. “Colombia will show where other nations are headed.”

CNNE’s coverage will include live election data, a live blog and correspondents, like Fernando Ramos, providing live on the ground reporting.

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