Christian Villegas has been promoted to news director for Telemundo 39 in Phoenix and Telemundo 40 in Tucson, taking on the role as of August 24, 2026. The four-time Emmy Award-winning journalist will oversee editorial strategy, news production and newsroom operations for Noticiero Telemundo Arizona across television, streaming, digital and social media platforms.
Villegas has spent the past 11 years with Telemundo’s Arizona stations, beginning as an intern in 2016. Since then, he has worked his way through a variety of newsroom positions, including photojournalist, assignment editor, content producer, evening news producer and senior producer. Most recently, he served as executive producer. During his time with the stations, Villegas has also taken on leadership roles in political coverage and special events, helping shape the newsroom’s approach to major stories affecting Arizona’s Spanish-speaking communities.
His work has earned him four Emmy Awards for contributions to field production, photojournalism and newscast production. Under his leadership experience, Noticiero Telemundo Arizona has also achieved No. 1 rankings across all languages for both daytime and primetime newscasts.
In his new position, Villegas will report to Andrew Deschapelles, president and general manager of Telemundo’s owned stations serving Phoenix, Tucson and Las Vegas. Deschapelles praised Villegas’ experience within the newsroom and his understanding of the communities the stations serve.
“I am deeply honored to continue leading our exceptionally talented team of journalists who work every day to empower our community,” Villegas said. He added that viewers can continue to expect news coverage delivered with accuracy, integrity and a commitment to providing valuable information.
Noticiero Telemundo Arizona airs Monday through Friday on Telemundo 39 and Telemundo 40 at 11 a.m., 4 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., with weekend newscasts at 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. Telemundo 39 has served the Phoenix area and Telemundo 40 has served Tucson for more than 30 years, providing local news, weather, sports and entertainment coverage across television and digital platforms.
