On Monday, Univision Communications Inc., the leading media company serving Hispanic Americans, announced that it has acquired The Root, the leading online news, opinion and culture destination for African Americans.
“This bold new partnership between Univision and The Root underscores the ties that have long bound people of color together throughout the Western Hemisphere, and is a sign of even greater levels of communication, collaboration and exchange between these culturally vital groups of people,” said Henry Louis Gates Jr., director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University and chairman of The Root, who co-founded The Root along with Donald Graham, CEO and chairman of Graham Holdings Co., in January 2008.
The Root is the No. 1 news, opinion and analysis website for African-American influencers and reaches an average of 5 million unique users per month, according to ComScore.
“Like Univision, The Root aims to serve a significant segment of America’s diverse population. Our diverse communities are continuing to define the fabric of the country, from buying power, to social influence, to elections,” said Isaac Lee, president of news and digital for UCI and CEO of Fusion. “This game-changing union strengthens our ability to fulfill our shared missions of informing and empowering our communities.”
In the transition to Univision, Donna Byrd, vice president, digital, and publisher of The Root, will join the leadership team of Univision Digital, and Lyne Pitts will continue in her role as the managing editor of The Root.
“We are excited about our new relationship with Univision. The combination of our two companies strengthens our collective ability to engage the changing American population,” said Byrd. “In addition, it will provide The Root access to greater resources, as well as an opportunity to expand our reach and scale our business.”