Alejandra Guzman, Chayanne, Daddy Yankee, David Bisbal, Gloria Estefan, Graciela Beltran, Luis Fonsi, Natalia of la Quinta Estacion, Olga Tanon, Pee Wee, Ricky Martin, Shakira, Thalía and Willy Chirino, Among others confirmed

Special Edition of Sabado Gigante (Giant Saturday) to Aid Haitian Earthquake Victims Through the American Red Cross

4-Hour Program to Air LIVE on Saturday, January 23rd at 7pm ET/PT (6pm Central)

MIAMI, Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ — The Univision Network announced today some of the performers who will join Don Francisco in Unidos Por Haití (United for Haiti), a 4-hour live special edition of Sabado Gigante (Giant Saturday) dedicated to raising funds for the earthquake victims in Haiti through the American Red Cross. The special will air LIVE Saturday, January 23, 2010 at 7pm ET/PT (6pm Central) on the Univision Network and will be simulcast on Galavision Network.

In a moving outpouring of support, a star-studded lineup of artists have confirmed their participation in the special including Alejandra Guzman, Chayanne, Daddy Yankee, David Bisbal, Gloria Estefan, Graciela Beltran, Luis Fonsi, Natalia of La Quinta Estacion, Olga Tanon, Pee Wee, Ricky Martin, Shakira, Thalía and Willy Chirino, among others. These artists will join the Univision family in an effort to not only raise desperately needed funds for the victims, but to also bring hope to the Haitian community.

In addition to the performances from the studios in Miami, Unidos Por Haití will also feature live segments from various cities across the U.S., including Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C. and San Juan, Puerto Rico, as well as from the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The special program will also be broadcast in 10 countries across Latin America.

Yesterday, Don Francisco (Mario Kreutzberger) flew to Haiti for a brief visit where he was able to witness first-hand the need and desperation of the Haitian people. During the special he, as well as network news anchors Maria Elena Salinas and Enrique Teutelo who were also in Haiti to cover the aftermath of the earthquake, will share with viewers details of their experience as they traveled through the decimated streets and personally spoke with some of the suffering victims. Other Univision, TeleFutura, Galavision and Univision Radio talent will also join Don Francisco for this special program and encourage viewers to donate to this worthy humanitarian cause.

This special broadcast is in addition to the previously announced extensive, multi-platform effort across Univision Communications Inc. The Univision networks are leveraging their cross-promotion capabilities to promote the fundraising campaign through public service announcements (PSA’s) and special reports live from Haiti and from prominent Haitian communities in the U.S. The PSA’s are airing on all three Univision networks — Univision, TeleFutura and Galavision. Additionally, some of Univision’s most popular programs, including “Despierta America” (Wake Up America), “El Gordo y La Flaca” (The Scoop and the Skinny), “Primer Impacto” (First Impact) and “Noticiero Univision,” (Univision Network News) continue guiding viewers on how they can help and provide information from the American Red Cross, including an exclusive Spanish-language toll-free phone number (1-800-842-2200) where they can call to donate.

Since the earthquake, www.univisionhaiti.com has been encouraging users to phone-in donations to the American Red Cross. Users can visit the website to access the latest news, videos and photos on disaster relief efforts. Univision.com will also provide in-depth coverage of Sabado Gigante‘s upcoming special, Unidos por Haití, including an intimate interview with Don Francisco leading up to the program. The Unidos por Haití special will also include live commentary and call-ins from Univision.com users themselves, sharing their personal stories and words of encouragement for victims.

Univision Communications Inc. is the premier Spanish-language media company in the United States. Its operations include Univision Network, the most-watched Spanish-language broadcast television network in the U.S. reaching 95% of U.S. Hispanic Households; TeleFutura Network, a general-interest Spanish-language broadcast television network, which was launched in 2002 and now reaches 85% of U.S. Hispanic Households; Galavision, the country’s leading Spanish-language cable network; Univision Studios, which produces and co-produces telenovelas, reality shows, dramatic series and other programming formats for all of the Company’s platforms; Univision Television Group, which owns and operates 64 television stations in major U.S. Hispanic markets and Puerto Rico; Univision Radio, the leading Spanish-language radio group which owns and/or operates 68 radio stations in 16 of the top 25 U.S. Hispanic markets and 5 stations in Puerto Rico; and Univision Interactive Media, which includes http://www.univision.com, the premier Spanish-language Internet destination in the U.S., and Univision Movil, the industry’s most comprehensive Spanish-language suite of mobile offerings. Univision Communications also has a 50% interest in TuTv, a joint venture formed to broadcast Televisa’s pay television channels in the U.S. Univision Communications has television network operations in Miami and television and radio stations and sales offices in major cities throughout the United States.

Source: PRNewswire