The bilingual digital media platform MundoNow has hired several executives with audio backgrounds, and now it is sending another signal that it sees audio content as a way to reach the growing number of Americans that straddle the English and Spanish-speaking worlds. MundoNow has hired Dafnne Wejebe as its first Director of Audio Content. The move follows the July hiring of former Univision Radio executive Stephen Hobbs as Chief Audio Officer. MundoNow this summer launched Óyenos Audio, a new Latino podcast network that will specialize in bilingual programming.
Mexican-born Wejebe will anchor the Óyenos Audio lineup with a new podcast called Codice Criptico. The show will explore the paranormal and mysterious, covering such topics as conspiracy theories, UFOs, past lives, life after death, and numerology. Codice Criptico will also release a weekly episode where Wejebe uses social media to interact with her audience as they share their own personal spiritual and paranormal experiences.
In addition to hosting her own show, Wejebe will direct all of MundoNow’s audio initiatives and productions. That includes spearheading talent partnerships with other Óyenos Audio content creators.
“We are very excited to welcome Dafnne Wejebe to the MundoNow team,” CEO Rene Alegria said in the announcement “Her talent, industry experience and strong connection to her audience will accelerate our strategy to build a diverse offering of smart, highly sophisticated podcasts aimed at our bilingual audience.”
Wejebe joins MundoNow from Univision, where she has been a podcast producer and radio personality since July 2018. Her work includes producing and hosting the podcast series Enigmas sin Resolver. It has released more than 300 episodes since launching in 2018. Wejebe began her audio career at age 18 when she was chosen to be part of Poder Joven Radio where she produced and hosted different radio shows for radio stations in Merida, Mexico. She also did work for Prisa Radio’s CHR “Los 40 Principales” format.
“As an established and engaging producer and on-air host, her new show Codice Criptico, will serve as a platform for delivering unmatched content,” said Alegria. “She joins a group of respected digital media industry veterans who recently joined MundoNow to advance our unique approach to serving our audience and participate in the tremendous growth potential across our platform.”
Formerly known as Mundo Hispanic, the rebranded MundowNow has over the past several months hired several familiar names. Those include former Univision Radio executive Stephen Hobbs, who is now Chief Audio Officer at MundoNow. It also hired former Entravision and Spanish Broadcasting System executive Andrew Polsky as its Chief Revenue Officer.
“MundoNow is already on its way to becoming a leader in multicultural and bilingual podcasting,” Wejebe said. “Since the rebrand, I’ve witnessed its expansion in the Hispanic media market, reflecting its compelling vision, strong leadership, and quality content. I look forward to bringing my insights and content contributions to the fold,” she said in a statement.
MundoNow currently produces a mix of podcasts such as its daily news Mundo Now, the true crime series Crímenes de Terror and the forthcoming Mundo Narco, and inspirational series like Ángeles En Tu Mundo. Earlier this year, Alegria said they had plans to significantly ramp up the number of podcasts they release. It says Wejebe’s appointment is part of MundoNow’s “content overhaul” as it targets bilingual audiences seeking “more sophisticated, culturally-focused content.” The company notes that the number of U.S. Hispanics that listen to podcasts is nearly five million monthly, a growth rate that is faster than non-Hispanic listeners.
MundowNow has charted a course to serve the 55% of America's Latino population that identifies as either bilingual, bicultural or English-language preferred. MundoNow says the largest markets for its content include New York, California, Texas, Arizona and Georgia, as well as growing pockets throughout the Southeast and Midwest. Its website generates 10 million unique visitors each month. The Atlanta-based company has its roots in print, starting out as a Spanish-language newspaper in 1979.