After an uninterrupted career at Univision spanning over 30 years, María Elena Salinas, the longest running female network anchor in the United States, makes it back to television screens with Season 2 of her English-language news magazine The Real Story, and she's looking forward to it.
"Viewers can expect very impactful stories. One of the main things I like about the show is that we really give the victim the time and recognition they deserve and tell their story," Salinas states proudly.
"This time around, I traveled across the country for interviews," she says, making reference to her limited availability to work on her new show during its first season due to her workload as Univision network news anchor and co-host of the weekly news magazine Aquí y Ahora.
Salinas decided to leave Univision after a 36-year run, because she "needed a change." She wanted to control her own schedule and spend more time to do the things she enjoys. Her final newscast was December 8.
"I have had a busier schedule now than when I was at Univision. That wasn’t the plan. The production schedule for ID has been very intense and I have been doing a lot of traveling for speaking engagements. The difference is I'm now in control of my time and I know that going forward, I have the freedom to seek the type of projects I want to do and that will fulfill my mission to inform and empower my community."
Salinas says she's excited about this new phase in her career and doesn’t miss reporting in Spanish, because she'll now have the opportunity to demonstrate the impact and contributions of Latinos to this country to a broader audience in English.
"Univision is a formidable platform, but not the only platform. I feel like sometimes, we end up preaching to the choir with our stories. It's time to tell our stories for those who don’t know us. I’m now on a mission to change hearts and minds."
According to a Discovery spokesperson, Season 1 of The Real Story averaged over one million total viewers across its 10 primetime episode premieres and was ID’s top series among Hispanics during the second quarter of 2017.
The Real Story Maria Elena Salinas returns Monday, June 4 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Investigation Discovery.
