After an 18-month campaign mounted
by Hispanic and anti-defamation organizations, Liberman Broadcasting-owned
Estrella TV network this month agreed to remove Jose Luis sin Censura from its airwaves.
The controversial daily show, which
tackled "real-life" situations pitting family members and neighbors against one
another and the host, came to be known as "the Hispanic Jerry Springer."
The campaign, officially launched
at the end of 2010 by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
and the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC), had called for the removal of
a show that constantly featured offensive, defamatory language, most of it
anti-gay. And while the campaign drew little attention from the mainstream
media, it caused quite a stir among Hispanic media blogs and grassroots
organizations.
In a letter sent to GLAAD and NHMC
on Aug. 7, Liberman chief operating officer Winter Horton pledged to stop
airing the show and work with GLAAD and NHMC to "create positive experiences
for the LGBT, Latino and Spanish-speaking communities."
"This letter serves to confirm that Aug. 8,
2012, will be the last day Liberman Broadcasting will air the television show Jose Luis Sin Censura on any of its
stations or affiliate stations," the letter said.
Jose
Luis sin Censura (Jose Luis
Uncensored) was broadcast on the Estrella TV network in more than 30 U.S.
markets, and routinely featured language that is normally bleeped out of
English-language shows.
A spokesman for GLAAD confirmed
Estrella TV's pledge to end the show.
"Content that appeared on this show
fueled violence against our community, which is growing and impacting so many
families," GLAAD president Herndon Graddick said in a statement. "Thanks to
thousands of LGBT, Latino Americans and allies, LBI took action."
