Dolores Ayala Nieto,
better known as Lolita Ayala (born May 20, 1951), is a Mexican journalist and philanthropist from
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
. She began her career in
television journalism in the early 1970s, at a time when no woman headed a news or informational program in Mexico. In 1974, she was asked to host a segment of the then popular news show ''24 Horas'', hosted by
Jacobo Zabludovsky
Jacobo Zabludovsky Kraveski (May 24, 1928 – July 2, 2015) was a Mexican journalist. He was the first anchorman in Mexican television and his TV news program, ''24 Horas'' (''24 Hours'') was for decades regarded as the most important in the cou ...
, who became her mentor. In 1987, she became the main anchor of her own news program, now called ''El Noticiero con Lolita Ayala'' which has been on the air since. She also does health information videos for television. She is a member of ten social/charity organizations, with the most important of these being Sólo por Ayudar which she founded in 1985 and Comité Pro Animal which she co-founded in 1992.
Early and personal life
Dolores Ayala Nieto,
[ better known for her nickname Lolita Ayala, was born on May 20, 1951 in Mexico City.] She came from a medical family. Her father, grandfather, uncles and cousins were doctors. She says she was taught by her parents to give to others as they organized charity works. She began college by studying medicine in the United States and then studied radio and television journalism in Rome.
She has been married three times but is single now. She has two children Anibal and Maria Luisa.
Career
Ayala's journalism career began at Teleperiódico, part of the Notimex
Notimex is the official Mexican news agency, created on August 20, 1968 to handle coverage of the 1968 Summer Olympics. Notimex is headquartered in Mexico City and has five hundred and sixty-eight regional coordinating offices throughout Mexico. ...
agency, working with them for sixteen years. In 1971 she appeared on television for the first time on Channel 8 in Mexico City. At that time there were no women in Mexico who headed a news or information show. From 1972 to 1974 she collaborated on news programs such as “En Punto” and “En contacto directo” as well as other kinds of programs such as “Adivine me chamba” and “Cada noche.”
In 1974 she was asked to anchor her own segment on the news show ''24 Horas'' with Jacobo Zabludovsky
Jacobo Zabludovsky Kraveski (May 24, 1928 – July 2, 2015) was a Mexican journalist. He was the first anchorman in Mexican television and his TV news program, ''24 Horas'' (''24 Hours'') was for decades regarded as the most important in the cou ...
, an important news show at that time. She worked with Zabludovsky and others on the show for the next twelve years. That year, she also presented, alongside Raul Velasco, the third edition of the OTI Festival
OTI Festival ( es, Festival OTI de la Canción, pt, Festival OTI da Canção), often known simply as La OTI, was an international song competition, organised annually between 1972 and 2000 by the Organización de Televisión Iberoamericana (OTI) ...
, which was held in Acapulco.
In 1987, Zabludovsky retired and then president of Televisa
Grupo Televisa is a Mexican multimedia mass media company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content.
In April 2021, Televisa and Univision Communications announce ...
Miguel Alemán Velasco
Miguel Alemán Velasco (born 18 March 1932 in Veracruz) is a Mexican politician, businessman and philanthropist. He is a former senator and governor of Veracruz. Alemán Velasco is the son of former Mexican president Miguel Alemán Valdés ...
offered Ayala the head anchor position for a news show originally called ''Muchas noticias'', later renamed ''El Noticiero con Lolita Ayala''. This made her the first woman head anchor of an information show in Mexico. The show has been on the air since airing Monday to Friday for a half-hour in the afternoons. It is considered one of the most prestigious news shows. She has worked for Televisa for over forty years.
Her journalism work has been described as truthful, simple and avoiding yellow journalism
Yellow journalism and yellow press are American terms for journalism and associated newspapers that present little or no legitimate, well-researched news while instead using eye-catching headlines for increased sales. Techniques may include ...
and tabloid like scandals. It is also noted for promoting a number of social values. In 2001, she hosted a special program for children to discuss the 9/11 attacks in the United States. In addition to Zabludovsky, she was also worked with Emilio Azcárraga Milmo
Emilio Azcárraga Milmo or Emilio Azcárraga Jr. (September 6, 1930 in San Antonio, Texas - April 16, 1997 outside Miami, Florida) was a Mexican-American businessman and the son of Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta and Laura Milmo Hickman. He was educ ...
, Luis Spota
Luis Mario Cayetano Spota Saavedra Ruotti Castañares (13 July 1925, Mexico City — 20 January 1985) was a Mexican writer, journalist, boxing official and film director.
Although he never finished primary school, Spota became a highly successful ...
and Paco Malgesto
Francisco Rubiales Calvo (22 February 1914 – 22 June 1978), known by his stage name Paco Malgesto, was a Mexican announcer and presenter. He is considered a pioneer of Mexican television.
He was first married to Guillermina Peñaloza, the ...
. She has covered stories such as the fall of the Berlin Wall
The fall of the Berlin Wall (german: Mauerfall) on 9 November 1989, during the Peaceful Revolution, was a pivotal event in world history which marked the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the figurative Iron Curtain and one of the series of eve ...
, the death of John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
, the Zapatista uprising
On January 1, 1994, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) coordinated a 12-day Zapatista uprising in the state of Chiapas, Mexico in protest of NAFTA's enactment. The revolt gathered international attention.
Background
Disease, ensl ...
, and the assassination of Luis Donaldo Colosio
Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta (; 10 February 1950 – 23 March 1994) was a Mexican politician, economist, and Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) presidential candidate, who was assassinated at a campaign rally in Tijuana during the Mexic ...
.
She also hosts a series of short informational videos for television called ''La Línea de la Salud'', which deals with various health topics of concern to Mexico such as self-medication
Self-medication is a human behavior in which an individual uses a substance or any exogenous influence to self-administer treatment for physical or psychological conditions: for example headaches or fatigue.
The substances most widely used in sel ...
. These generally consist of her interviewing one or two experts on a subject as well as short segments on important points and life stories.
Philanthropic work
Ayala is also noted for her philanthropic and social work similar to that done by other journalists such as Rita Gánem, Virginia Sendel and Patricia Suárez. She states that it is her mission in life to work on social causes. She participates in ten such organizations such as Fondo para la Salud.
Her most important work is with an organization called Sólo por Ayudar, which she founded in 1985 after that year’s major earthquake in Mexico City. The aim of the organization is providing for various economic needs of Mexico working with ten major programs such as “Pro Ciego” usually in collaboration with other social organizations. Most of its work related to providing food and medical attention including medicines and facilities to detect breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a r ...
. Her main work with the group is to act as its spokesperson for fundraising.
She is also a founder and the president of the Comité Pro Animal, which works to combat animal cruelty, provide access to vaccines and promote sterilization of pets in order to cut down on the number of animals euthanized in shelters.
Recognitions
Over her career, Ayala has received numerous recognitions in Mexico and abroad. One major award was the Women’s Cross of the Order of Malta
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...
in 2001. Recent awards include a bust of her at the Parque de los Periodistas Ilustres in Mexico City (2008), the Mujeres de Excelencia award (2010) and the Vida Vibrante and Corazón de Plata awards for her philanthropic and journalism work (2012).
Solo por Ayudar was recognized for its work by the Casa de la América Latina in Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...
.
References
External links
''El Noticiero con Lolita Ayala''
at esmas.com
esmas.com was the portal of Televisa, the largest Mexican television network and the world's largest producer of Spanish language media.
The website was registered under Comercio Mas and was launched by Grupo Televisa in 2000. Previously, the off ...
''La Línea de la Salud''
at esmas.com
Sólo por Ayudar
Official Website
Comité Pro Animal
Official Website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayala, Lolita
1951 births
Living people
Mexican philanthropists
20th-century women philanthropists
Mexican television presenters
Writers from Mexico City
Mexican women journalists
OTI Festival presenters
Mexican women television presenters
20th-century philanthropists
21st-century women philanthropists
21st-century philanthropists