'Fusion,' a Modern News Channel for Bilingual Latinos and Millennials, Will Premiere in October

Fusion, ABC and Univision's joint cable news venture for bilingual Latinos and millennials, is set to premiere on October 28. The New York Times reported that Fusion released the official premiere date last week, along with a full prime-time lineup.

The venture was announced in mid-2012 as a cable news and lifestyle channel for bilingual Latinos. The prime-time schedule includes "America with Jorge Ramos" at 8 p.m., a hard-news program hosted by Ramos, a veteran Univision news anchor. The block of programming will also include a comedy talk show about sports and a satirical news show created by the former producer of "The Daily Show."

When Fusion was first announced, it was marketed as a network solely for young Latinos. In the most recent news release, it is clear the Fusion is extending its reach. Fusion is now calling itself "a news, information and lifestyle network for Latinos and millennials," suggesting that it aims to attract an ethnically diverse young viewership.

"We believe our programs - visually compelling, creatively produced and laced with humor and irreverence - will resonate with Latinos and non-Latinos alike," said Beau Ferrari, president of Fusion, in a press release. "Fusion's unique combination of news, satire and original series is a completely new offering for the most exciting and fastest-growing group of young people in the country."

The prime-time lineup certainly seems geared toward the younger generation. Programming will kick off at 6 p.m. with a show called "D.N.A" hosted by Derrick N. Ashong. According to Fusion, the show will be focused on "a wide variety of socially relevant issues." "D.N.A." will be followed by an hour-long show hosted by Alicia Menendez, former host of HuffPost Live, who will explore "a fresh take on stories at the intersection of sex, money and politics."

Ramos' hour-long program will air at 8, followed by two shorter programs. A half-hour show called "Sports Bar" will air next, a program that marries comedy, sports and audience participation. At 9:30, audiences will get the chance to watch a Comedy Central-esque satirical news show produced by David Javerbaum, former producer of "The Daily Show." With Javerbaum at the helm, it is safe to assume that the show will bear similarities to the news satire show hosted by comedian John Stewart.

Prime-time will come to a close at 10 p.m. with "Open Source with Leon Krauze," a talk show hosted by Krauze, an anchor for KMEX evening news in Los Angeles.

So far, Cablevision, Charter, Verizon FiOS and Cox have agreed to carry Fusion, but Comcast, Dish Network, DirecTV and Time Warner Cable-- the biggest cable distributors in the country-- have not yet agreed to carry the network.

Fusion is one of a few similar "next-generation" networks that are taking shape, such as Pivot, a channel for millennials owned by Participant Media, and Al Jazeera America, a U.S. version of the Al Jazeerra news network, which premieres August 20.