WPLG Miami, Berkshire Hathaway’s ABC affiliate covering the Florida market, Monday becomes the first U.S. TV station with a full-time crew based in Havana, the station announced.
Starting with the 6 p.m. news, reporter Hatzel Vela and photojournalist Brian Ely will report daily from the Cuban city.
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The move is an extension of WPLG’s history covering news from Cuba, targeting the market's large Cuban population. Previous stories from Cuba have included a major league baseball game, three papal visits, President Obama’s visit to the country and the death of Fidel Castro. Vela was also the first American reporter granted permission to travel across the entire country of Cuba, resulting in a 30-part series of stories, “Cuba Coast to Coast,” in November, 2015, WPLG said
“This is an incredible opportunity for a journalist. This is historic for us, and this is a historic time to be in Cuba,” Vela said. “We have traveled to Cuba more than a dozen times in recent years, but each time we’ve had limited time on the island and were in Cuba to cover specific events like a papal visit or the visit of President Obama. Now we will have ime to find stories that haven’t been told."
