The replacement for controversial Puerto Rico TV show SuperXclusivo has started off strong in the island’s TV ratings race.
Lo sé todo (“I know everything”) replaced SuperXclusivo in the 6 p.m. timeslot on San Juan TV station WAPA-TV and its sister U.S. cable network, WAPA America, on Feb. 11. The hour-long entertainment series is hosted by a variety of Puerto Rican personalities, including radio disc jockeys Roque Gallart and Jorge L. Quiles, known as “Rocky” and “Frankie Jay.”
SuperXclusivo was was brought down by activists accusing its host, Antulio “Kobbo” Santarrosa, of anti-gay slurs. A wide-ranging call for a boycott cost WAPA-TV several advertisers and ultimately led to the show’s cancellation and Santarrosa’s abrupt departure on Jan. 8.
Though Lo sé todo is still in its early days, viewers seem to have given it the OK. It finished the ratings at No. 1 among 18-to-49-year-olds in its time period with an average share of 27.2%, topping Telemundo’s Dando Candela and Univision’s El Chavo del Ocho, according to ratings figures provided by WAPA-TV. Lo sé todo was also No. 1 among men 18-49 with a 29.7% audience share, compare to Telemundo’s 19.4% and Univision’s 24.3%, WAPA-TV said.
WAPA-TV expects those strong numbers to lure back the advertisers who’d backed out of SuperXclusivo.
“We’ve had very positive feedback from our advertisers so far,” WAPA-TV president Jorge E. Ramos said. “Of course all advertisers want to see performance, but we’re very excited about the show’s potential and are confident it will perform well as it continues to develop. We’re also looking forward to bringing in new advertisers who were reluctant to advertise with SuperXclusivo when it was on the air.”
Bloggers and activists have yet to weigh in on the new show, though commenters on the show’s Facebook page have called it “more of the same.”
Lo sé todo features Sylvia Hernandez and Jessica Serrano, former reporters for SuperXclusivo, which was Puerto Rico’s highest-rated program during its 14-year run on WAPA-TV.
“We are confident Lo sé todo will be a hit with our viewers, and that it will deliver the ratings WAPA has always enjoyed during that timeslot,” Ramos said.
