What came next changed the history of Spanish-language media in the United States. Villanueva rose at KMEX from broadcaster to news director, then to president, and finally to co-owner, turning the station into one of the most profitable and influential in Spanish-language television. In the 1970s he became a co-owner of the Spanish International Network, the Spanishlanguage network that in 1986 was sold and rebranded as Univision. When the major Anglo media groups still doubted that the Hispanic market was profitable, Villanueva had already spent years proving it was the most dynamic in the country.
His son Jim Villanueva added another achievement to his father’ s legacy:“ Later in his life he developed a third career running private equity funds at Bastion Capital and Rustic Canyon Partners. It is something uncommon and extraordinary to have three successful careers in three such different worlds,” he told EL CLASIFICADO.
His legacy was not limited to business. In 1971 he launched the“ Navidad en
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
Born: November 5, 1937, Tucumcari, New Mexico.
Background: Son of Methodist missionaries; ninth of twelve children.
Education: New Mexico State University( football scholarship).
Nickname:“ El Kickador”— bullfi ghting music played every time he took the fi eld.
NFL record: Longest fi eld goal for the Rams— 51 yards; 45.5 yards per punt average for the season, a record that stood for 45 years. el Barrio” telethon to collect toys and food for needy Hispanic families in Southern California, broadcast every December for more than two decades. In 1990 he founded the Cinco de Mayo celebration in downtown Los Angeles— Fiesta Broadway— which would become one of the largest Latino events in the country. Villanueva and his wife Myrna also donated millions of dollars to educational and charitable causes.
“ What truly set my father apart was his great heart and his generous spirit. He never forgot those who helped him get ahead, and he never stopped giving back— supporting and guiding countless young people. That was his greatest joy, his passion, and ultimately, his greatest legacy,” recalled Jim.
Danny Villanueva died in 2015 at age 77. He had been born in a cabin. He left behind a television network, a celebration that fills the streets of Los Angeles every year, and proof that a Latino could make it anywhere. And that sometimes the most unlikely path is the one that leaves the most enduring mark. ●
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