Veronica Villafañe at Media Moves reports that Azteca América Channel 54 is dropping its Los Angeles production and will host the Spanish-language newscasts in Mexico. Layoffs of 29 staffers came down Friday and Monday and VP of news María Elena Jáuregui has shifted to special projects, says the site. A bureau will remain in L.A.
Bottom line: Azteca América will be feeding U.S. Hispanics with a regionalized news service, produced in Mexico. While a few local news crews will remain, it will be interesting to see how producers in Mexico determine what's important to cover in L.A. on a daily basis.