Ad Executive Makes Leap to Comcast\'s El Rey Network

By TANZINA VEGA

Antionette Alfonso Zel, an advertising executive, has been named the chief executive of El Rey, the English-language cable television network aimed at second- and third-generation Latinos.

Prior to taking the job at El Rey, Ms. Zel was president, partner and chief executive of the independent advertising agency La Communidad, where she worked with clients including the Walt Disney Company and Coca-Cola. Ms. Zel has held executive positions at Telemundo, now part of NBC Universal, and MTV Networks.

El Rey was created out of a series of conditions mandated by the Federal Communication Commission last year that Comcast had to meet prior to finalizing a deal to take control of NBC Universal. To get approval for the deal, Comcast promised to create several channels owned by minorities. El Rey was founded by the Latino film director and producer Robert Rodriguez, who will lead the network's creative focus. Mr. Rodriguez may be best known for his 1992 film “El Mariachi” and its sequel “Desperado.”

Other networks include Revolt, owned by Sean Combs, Aspire by Magic Johnson, and BabyFirst Americas by Constantino “Said” Schwarz.

“This was something that really needed to happen,” Mr. Rodriguez said. “I have 5 kids. Even though they are bilingual, they converse in English, but they don't see themselves.”

In addition to pulling in big-name Latino talent to work on the programming, Mr. Rodriguez said the network represented an opportunity to bring in Hispanics who have struggled in Hollywood.

“For all the reasons you couldn't get into Hollywood as content creators, as actors, as performers, that's the reason we want you at El Rey,” he said.

The network comes at a time when traditional network television is struggling to connect with Latino audiences, especially those that are young, bicultural and bilingual.

“It 's really an important moment in time when the complete story of a Latinos can be told,” Ms. Zel said. And marketers, she added, “'are really clamoring for innovation and for solutions.”

In addition to her new role as chief executive of El Rey, Ms. Zel will remain a minority owner of the La Communidad and on its board of directors.