DALLAS — Rebecca Muñoz-Diaz, a Texas broadcast media veteran and former Senior Executive at Univision, died of brain cancer this week at 65.
Muñoz-Diaz received various recognitions from the city of Dallas and the state of Texas during her 30-year-plus career, which spanned broadcast sales, management and operations.
Her family and friends remember Muñoz-Diaz for her compassion and mentorship.
“Becky was more than a sister—she was my friend,” said her sister, Rita Dalati. “She was a mentor who I adored and looked up to as my co-pilot in this [media] industry, for my career. Her wisdom, motivation and drive kept her above all others. I will miss our phone calls, laughter, our love for music, scripture, and most of all, the love she shared with me, our family and our friends. She will be missed.”
Muñoz-Diaz graduated in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Radio and Television Communications from the University of Houston.
She began her career at KIKK Radio and shortly thereafter began working in Houston with three start-up stations that included KTXH-TV (Grant Broadcasting), KXTJ-FM (El Dorado Radio), and KTMD-TV (Telemundo), and is credited with helping to establish each station in their respective markets.
In November of 1995, Becky became the General Manager and Vice President at Univision KUVN-TV Channel 23 and UniMas KSTR Channel 49 in Dallas, where she would remain for over 19 years, before she retired in 2014.
“Becky was a pioneer in Spanish language media, a role model for women, a mentor to many, and an inspiration for all,” said Houston Public Media director of sales and sponsorships Millie Adan-Garza, a friend of Muñoz-Diaz. “She was the second woman honored by the Texas Association of Broadcasters for leading efforts to establish and grow TV and radio stations in the Houston and Dallas markets, opening doors for women and advancing communities—preceded by Lady Bird Johnson. Becky was a fearless, determined, vibrant and kind Tejana, who was my mentor and friend, and who leaves a legacy for future generations.”
During her tenure in executive leadership, Muñoz-Diaz is credited with helping to usher Univision 23 as one of the top-rated Spanish language television stations in the Dallas/Fort-Worth area. She created segments such as “23 a Su Lado” (23 on Your Side), “Desde la Comunidad” (From the Community), “Linea Abierta” (Open Line), as well as Univision’s annual Tamale Festival (now Festival Univision), to foster support for the growing Latino community.
She also served on the boards for the Texas Association of Broadcasters, Communities in School, the Regional Dallas Chamber of Commerce, and the University of North Texas School of Communications, as well as the advisory committee of the Ad Council of America for North Texas, the LIFT advisory council, and the communications committee for the AT&T Dallas Center for Performing Arts.
Munoz-Diaz was a long-time member of American Women in Radio and Television, the Mexican-American Chamber of Commerce, and served as the past chair for the Senior Source of Dallas and as the past President of the Hispanic 100.
In 2009, she was recognized with the Dallas Business Journal Minority Business Leader Award, the Inspiring Women of the Southwest Award in 2011, the National Diversity Council’s Influential Women of Texas honor in 2013, and the Ford Mujeres Legendarias Award in 2014.
Munoz-Diaz was preceded in death by her father and her paternal and maternal grandparents.
She’s survived by her husband Oscar (Tony); daughter Kristin and step-children Jacque, Jamie, and Adam; four grandchildren, Dixie, Rosalie, Kasen, and Kylie; and siblings, Barbara, Rita, Robert, Cindy, Ruben, Chris and George; as well as a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and more.
Funeral services are planned for Saturday, Dec. 30, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Sealy. Visitation begins at 9:30 a.m., followed by a rosary at 10 a.m., with mass, burial services and a small reception to follow.
A Celebration of Life service is planned in Dallas from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 7, at Sparkman Hillcrest Funeral Home, 7405 W. Northwest Highway.
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