Satcha Pretto

Pretto was born in La Paz, Honduras, the daughter of Honduran Liz Padilla and Panamanian Rolando Pretto. She lived in Tegucigalpa, Honduras from the age of three until she was 18 years old. Her father died from a heart attack in 1996.

Pretto studied in bilingual schools in Honduras: Mayan Elementary School and Macris High School in Tegucigalpa. Her excellent academic record earned her a scholarship in 1998 to attend Angelo State University^[3] in San Angelo, Texas. In 2001, she graduated with a B.A. in Communications.

She speaks English and Spanish fluently.

While still in high school in Honduras, at the age of 17, Satcha had the opportunity via the National Broadcasters Association of Honduras to get a job at a radio station. She was hired by Radio Suprema Stereo 99.5 in Tegucigalpa where, prior to hitting the airwaves, she received intense training during three months. Her radio debut as the host of a three-hour-long live show came in August 1997. Pretto broadcast the show (in her school uniform) for one year.

She started her professional career as a television journalist in Midland-Odessa, Texas, as a reporter and anchor of the late night newscast of KTLE-Telemundo. She was also able to work as a reporter for KWES-TV channel 9, an NBC affiliate and Telemundo KTLE's sister station. Pretto worked in West Texas from January 2002 to September 2003.^[2]

In October 2003, Pretto moved to Dallas, Texas, where she was hired to co-anchor KUVN channel 23's (an Univision affiliate) 5:00 p.m. newscast, Cinco en Punto (Five o'Clock) and report for the late night newscast, Edición Nocturna (Nightly Edition). While at KUVN, Pretto worked with the CNN Cable Network as a reporter for Anderson Cooper 360 and the now-defunct Paula Zahn Now.^[4] Pretto's most memorable interview in Dallas was with famous Chilean writer Isabel Allende in March 2006.

On July 13, 2006, Univision Communications Inc. announced the naming of Satcha Pretto as the new co-host of the highly rated daily newsmagazine Primer Impacto - Fin de Semana (First Impact - Weekend Edition), on Saturday and Sunday, 5:00-6:00 p.m. ET/PT (4:00-5:00 p.m. CT).^[5] Just six months after joining the Univision Network, Pretto hosted the network's broadcast of the 2007 Tournament of Roses Parade, and did so again in January 2008. In May 2007, Pretto covered a visit by Pope Benedict XVI to Brazil and was subsequently chosen to be part of a select group of 70 journalists who traveled with the pope during his visit to the United States in 2008. In doing so, Pretto made history by becoming the first female journalist from a Spanish-language media outlet in the U.S. to travel on board the Pope's plane.^[2]

On July 18, 2011, Pretto joined Univision's ¡Despierta América!^[1]