'Jose Luis Sin Censura' comes under fire; GLAAD, NHMC want FCC to shut down show for indecency violations

by Joe Flint

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the National Hispanic Media Coalition want the Federal Communications Commission to shut down "Jose Luis Sin Censura," a raunchy talk show that might best be described as a Spanish-language version of Jerry Springer's program.

"We want it off the air," said NHMC President and Chief Executive Alex Nogales, who called the show "pornography" "Jose Luis Sin Censura" is carried by Liberman Broadcasting's Estrella TV.

The show, which airs in the afternoons across the country, including on KRCA-TV in Los Angeles, often turns into a shouting match between young men who often insult each other with anti-gay slurs. Fists fly as well.

"We are put at risk by this content," said Jarrett Barrios, President of GLAAD.  "This is far and away the most outrageous and defamatory television show."

"They encourage people to go and beat up the people who are declaring themselves to be gay," Nogales said.

When guys aren't calling each other names, scantily clad women get into the act. One clip that GLAAD and the NHMC sent to the FCC shows a young woman giving what looks to be a tutorial on lap dances to the men in the studio audience.

Although some of the language on the show is bleeped, much of is not. To make things easier for the FCC, the almost 200-page complaint includes a dictionary of the Spanish words that are heard regularly on "Jose Luis Sin Censura" that GLAAD and the NHMC find particularly offensive.

Liberman Broadcasting Chief Operating Officer Winter Horton declined comment on the complaints of GLAAD and the NHMC.

Nogales has expressed concern in the past about the FCC's willingness and ability to enforce indecency regulations when it comes to Spanish programming. In a news release announcing the filing to the commission, Nogales expressed concern about a "pattern of weak FCC enforcement" against Spanish-language broadcasters.

"I think there is a question of whether the FCC is capable of handling complaints about Spanish-language programming," said Jessica Gonzalez, NHMC vice president of policy and legal affairs.

Asked for a response, the FCC forwarded examples of fines it had issued to Spanish-language broadcasters for indecent content in the past, and a spokesman said in an e-mail that the agency reviews all complaints and will take action when appropriate.

-- Joe Flint


ORIGINAL SOURCE