Liberman Broadcasting, which operates Spanish-language stations in Los Angeles, Houston and other cities, has settled a complaint over the show “Jose Luis Sin Censura,” agreeing to pay $110,000 in fines to the FCC for airing indecent and profane material.
Liberman already dropped the show in 2012, after several orgs including the National Hispanic Media Coalition and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation filed complaints that anti-gay, anti-Latino and misogynistic content was being aired. The orgs noted that the program “frequently featured female nudity,” and female guests were shown in violent fights.
The FCC has issued few indecency sanctions in recent years, the most recent of which was a sanction against Fox’s “American Dad” in 2010. Last spring, then-FCC chairman Julius Genachowski announced that the agency had reduced an extensive backlog of complaints and he proposed that the agency concentrate only on “egregious” cases. It’s unclear what direction his successor, Tom Wheeler, will take.
As part of the settlement, Liberman will appoint a compliance officer, create a compliance manual and institute annual employee training, among other steps.
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Liberman stations cited in the complaint include KRCA-TV in Riverside-Los Angeles; KPNZ-TV in Ogden, Utah; KMPX-TV in Decatur, Texas; and KZJL-TV in Houston.
“I hope this is an indication of the return of the FCC as a steward of the public interest under its new chairman, Tom Wheeler, and that other bad actors will be held accountable when they use their broadcasting privileges to inflict harm on our communities and our children,” Alex Nogales, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, said in a statement.
