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diggUnhappy holiday news for local Telemundo staff
In September of this year, the energized staff at the local Telemundo station was celebrating a new set and a fresh start with full power broadcasting that predicted a competitive showdown with Univision, the No. 1-rated, local Spanish-language station.
Telemundo was acquired by NBC and absorbed into its NBC Universal Television Stations division in 2002. In 2004, the Federal Communications Commission approved a channel exchange that boosted local Telemundo to full power.
Fast forward to the recent announcement by NBC that the network was gutting its news operations and cutting staff - the majority of them Latino - in six major cities, including Phoenix.
Several Telemundo journalists say (off the record, because NBC has a muzzle on employee public statements) they are demoralized by the prospect of unemployment in January, when the downsizing takes effect. "I thought with the big chain buying us we'd get more resources, not less," says one.
KDRX Channel 48 (Telemundo) General Manager Thelma Abril says, "I didn't know" about impending layoffs at the time of the celebratory pachanga.
NBC/Universal says the skeletonizing of the local Spanish-language news operations is part of a 5 percent reduction of the company's total workforce.
Other cities with large populations of Spanish-speaking Latinos losing news operations are Denver, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and San Jose, California.
The Telemundo stations in those cities will continue to broadcast an evening news program, but the shows will actually air from a regional news center NBC says it will establish in Fort Worth, Texas.
So Phoenix Spanish-speakers (and those English-speakers who want a "Latino" spin on news, will watch a Telemundo news report read by a news anchor from a Telemundo studio in Texas. Because NBC hasn't announced similar downsizing in its English-language news programs, some Latino critics say that NBC is relegating its Spanish-speaking audience to "second-class" status.
That has local immigrant advocate Roberto Reveles of Somos America worried. He envisions a scary scenario in which a major terrorist attack - say a "dirty" radioactive bomb has been set off in downtown Phoenix - and Spanish-speakers who need quick information from TV will only have one full local operation news channel to turn to: KTVW Channel 33, Univision. Reveles says local organizations may file complaints with the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates U.S. media.
To get community support for the channel exchange and full power in 2004, NBC dangled a promise of expanded Spanish-language news coverage and an hour of locally produced news programming.
At that time, more than 80 Arizona community leaders and organizations signed a petition supporting NBC's proposal. The list included U.S. Sen. John McCain, U.S. Rep. Ed Pastor and Gov. Janet Napolitano. Now many of those backers are shouting, "Foul!"
The Arizona Latino Media Association is criticizing NBC for putting local Latino journalists on the unemployment line, and using the Hispanic community to acquire Telemundo, then scaling back employees and coverage.
"If you carry out this recently announced restructuring plan, it will be construed as reneging on these promises and reflects bad faith on your part," ALMA's protest letter states.
Telemundo president Ibra Morales met with ALMA in Phoenix at a hastily called meeting last month to explain the cuts in an attempt to deflect rising anger with NBC's actions. Morales found himself on the defense in Arizona and around the country.
Several national Hispanic news organizations, including the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, have fired off letters criticizing the move, especially so soon after NBC pledged its commitment to diverse voices when it purchased Telemundo. They also are calling for FCC hearings.
"As a company, we have to respect the community, but we also have a responsibility of
running a business," Morales told the ALMA board.
