15826: ANA Report Cards Grade A Bullshit…?

 

Advertising Age reported on report cards—the first Cultural Inclusion Accelerator Report Card issued by ANA’s Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing. The evaluating event graded top networks in terms of multicultural programming. Receiving ‘A’ ratings were Univision, Telemundo and BET. On the other end of the scale, networks landing ‘D’ marks were AppleTV and Showtime. For how long will ANA continue to acknowledge the underrepresentation, underspending and underwhelming divershitty performances of its membership? An Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing executive stated, “We see more progress in Hollywood than we are seeing among advertisers.” Somebody please ask Will Smith to visit Adland…

 

Inclusive Programming Has Made Small But Hopeful Progress, ANA Finds

 

ANA’s Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing releases its first Cultural Inclusion Accelerator Report Card

 

By Parker Herren

 

In tandem with this year’s Upfronts presentations, ANA’s Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing released its first Cultural Inclusion Accelerator Report Card, scoring multicultural sentiment for top networks’ programming.

 

The report card scores each network with a letter grade based on survey responses from over 68,000 viewers across six demographic segments—Asian, Black, Hispanic, LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities and White Non-Hispanic—evaluating 700 titles based on their inclusivity of cultural values, representation and celebrations, pride, respect, identification, authenticity, unbiased, respect, positive role models for each group.

 

Multicultural representation has been a front-of-mind issue for the media and marketing industry, especially since the rise of movements including Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate over the past years.

 

As audiences grow to expect on-screen representation beyond stereotypical tropes, the report serves in part to rank networks, streamers and content with the greatest reach among diverse consumers, with top-scored shows upping viewer preference for brands 1.6 times that of those at the bottom, said Carlos Santiago, co-founder of AIMM and partner in Cultural Inclusion Accelerator.

 

“It is important to advertisers because they are interested in matching highly relevant content with their highly culturally relevant and accurate portrayals in their ads,” Santiago said.

 

The Cultural Inclusion Accelerator Report Card found that while progress has been made in inclusive programming, it has been slow overall. The report’s entire “A” tier is made up of networks such as Univision, Telemundo and BET, which cater specifically to underrepresented audiences, while many traditional linear channels—CBS, ABC, NBC—lie in the “B” grade. Besides Peacock and Disney+, which reside in the “B” tier, a majority of top streamers including Netflix, Hulu, Paramount+ and Amazon received “C” ratings. The lowest score, “D,” was given to just AppleTV and Showtime.

 

“The grades give us a sense of how well those networks are curating creators’ content,” said Santiago, specifying that the measure includes upcoming programming and the cultural relevance of current shows. CBS represents a highlight case study from the list. The channel progressed from a “C-” rating in 2021 to a “B+” on the current list.

 

CBS is an example that “general networks have the ability to really transform themselves to more accurately bring in and embrace all consumers in the U.S.—not only diverse consumers, but all consumers,” Santiago said. While the numbers still aren’t in step with cultural desire for diverse representation, averaging a small increase of 3 points since last spring on average, he said any growth is still a cause for hope, even for the lowest ranking networks.

 

Santiago noted that AppleTV and Showtime have had successes in representation before, such as “Ted Lasso” and “The L Word,” and to bring up their scores, they should “bring that same sense of very intentional curation of what is available from creators ... They can do it. They’ve done it before.”

 

The Cultural Inclusion Accelerator Report Card listed specific shows that ranked highest among individual demographics for cultural relevance. Hulu’s “Killing Eve” ranked highest for Asian audiences, “Abbott Elementary” on ABC for Black viewers and Netflix’s “House of Flowers” among English-speaking Hispanic watchers. LGBTQ+ audiences gave top scores to HBO Max’s “Legendary,” while People with Disabilities chose “Deaf U” on Netflix and White Non-Hispanic people went with “Ghosts” on CBS. The winner among the general population was “All Rise,” which was canceled by CBS after two seasons and will continue on OWN this summer.

 

Despite the small progress from the entertainment industry, Santiago offered a reality check for marketers: “We see more progress in Hollywood than we are seeing among advertisers,” he said. “The fact that at a time when consumers’ expectations are rising, even though we saw just 3 points [growth], that signals that there is progress, that there is movement in the right direction.”

13785: El Chapo Crapo.

Adweek published a story displaying cultural cluelessness on the trade journal’s part—and discriminatory exclusivity on the advertising industry’s part. The article headline read: “This Agency Proved You Don’t Have to Be a Spanish-Language Shop to Work Across Cultural Lines.” So the typical Latino agency is now being labeled a “Spanish-Language Shop”—as if dialect is the primary distinguisher for multicultural marketing enterprises? Wonder what Adweek would call a Black agency. Urban-Slang Shop? Jive Firm? Ebonics Agency? And why is it newsworthy that a White advertising agency “proved” it’s possible to do work ordinarily assigned to non-White shops? Hell, it’s becoming increasingly common for White advertising agencies to snatch the crumbs from minority advertising agencies. Grey, BBDO, 72andSunny, The Richards Group, GSD&M and Saatchi & Saatchi are just a few of the White advertising agencies posing as multicultural marketers. In the Adweek article, Mistress is the agency that utilized on-staff minorities to produce a campaign for Univision. The Los Angeles-based shop boasts a staff that is “international” and “over-indexing on Spanish speakers,” according to Mistress Partner Christian Jacobsen. “Everybody has to operate in ways that reflect the consumer. America’s changing.” Yes, but the advertising industry is not changing—at least not in regards to diversity. Agencies like Mistress, however, are over-indexing on bullshit speakers.

This Agency Proved You Don’t Have to Be a Spanish-Language Shop to Work Across Cultural Lines

Mistress calls on bilingual creative talent for Univision promo

By T.L. Stanley

Univision wanted to make a big splash with its ripped-from-the-headlines series, El Chapo, about the rise and ultimate fall of one of the world’s most notorious drug lords.

As part of the promo push, network execs envisioned an extensive millennial-targeted digital campaign to hype the scripted drama about Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, a rags-to-riches cartel king so infamous he was profiled in Rolling Stone by actor Sean Penn.

The caveat for agency Mistress was that the work had to be solely in Spanish.

Los Angeles-based Mistress, which doesn’t market itself as a multicultural agency, drew from its bilingual creative team to come up with more than 200 pieces of content for a social media effort that eventually logged 28 million impressions and nearly 4 million video views. It mixed folklore, memes and modern imagery, using lucha libre fighting, marionettes, news footage and narco tombs to brand the Mexico-set series and engage young mobile-centric audiences.

Mistress is one of many agencies working across cultural lines, like Anomaly on Telemundo’s 2018 FIFA World Cup account, showing “there’s no longer a wall” between general market and specialty firms, said partner Christian Jacobsen, who describes the Mistress workforce as “international” while “over-indexing on Spanish speakers.”

“Everybody has to operate in ways that reflect the consumer,” Jacobsen said. “America’s changing.”

Agencies can reap the rewards when they change with it, as 180LA demonstrated by winning two Grand Prix at Cannes recently for its “Boost Your Voice” campaign. The shop credited its diverse employee pool, specifically point person Karla Burgos, for the program that turned Boost Mobile retail locations into polling places for the 2016 election.

Y&R North America, Huge and TBWA\Chiat\Day, among others, have recently hired or advanced Latino execs to chief creative and ecd roles, marking at least a few diversity gains in advertising.

Mistress’s creative director on the El Chapo project was Lixaida Lorenzo, a native of Puerto Rico and a vet of Hispanic-focused agencies, whose team recreated a drug trafficker’s mausoleum for an Easter egg-filled Facebook 360 video and hired artist Dan Payes to make customized marionettes of the show’s gangsters. The puppets starred in videos, viewed more than 1 million times, pulling strings and being manipulated, an overarching theme of the series.

“We wanted to tap into that rich Mexican storytelling history,” said Scott Harris, partner and ecd. “And everything needed to be vetted and authentic.”

Univision considered a number of agencies for its nascent franchise (three seasons of El Chapo are planned), and execs said they didn’t want to limit themselves or take an expected marketing approach.

“We knew there was an opportunity to bring in new audiences,” said Silvia Garcia, svp, the net’s media planning and multiplatform strategy. Mistress “understood that this series would appeal across languages and cultures,” and its work “built out the world of El Chapo in a way that helped drive ratings, awareness and a deeper connection with our audience.”

Among the El Chapo assets on Instagram and other platforms: portraits of the main characters made out of money, gun smoke and simulated blood spatter, and “lucha de la droga” posters pitting warring villains against each other, Mexican wrestling-style.

The real-life Guzman, a twice-escaped prisoner, was re-arrested in 2016. His extradition to the U.S. early this year ahead of the show’s April launch gave the Mistress team even more fodder, and they used developments in his case and news footage for up-to-the-minute videos on YouTube and Facebook.

Original content, not clips from the series, drove the campaign and set it apart from being “purely promotional,” Jacobsen said. “It extended the mythology.”

It also broadened the campaign’s reach to English speakers, who made up about 40 percent of the Twitter engagement, execs said, noting the fluidity in today’s TV fans, including second-generation American-born viewers and their comfort level with both English and Spanish.

The nine-episode run of El Chapo, a raw and often cheeky first-time collaboration between Univision’s Story House Entertainment and Netflix, pulled the broadcaster out of a ratings slump, with its finale reaching 3.5 million viewers. It’s now airing with English subtitles on Netflix, and the second season debuts on Univision in September.

12683: Adios To Artificiality…?

The Associated Press reported Taco Bell is following up its salt reduction efforts with an attempt to get rid of artificial flavors and colors in its menu items. Of course, the move will not affect soft drinks or co-branded products like the infamous Doritos Locos Tacos. Univision’s new campaign tagline—Todo Es Posible—would be disproved by the goal of removing the artificiality from Taco Bell.

Taco Bell to get rid of artificial flavors, colors

By Associated Press

Call it the Chipotle effect.

Taco Bell and Pizza Hut say they’re getting rid of artificial colors and flavors, making them the latest big food companies scrambling to distance themselves from ingredients people might find unappetizing.

Instead of “black pepper flavor,” for instance, Taco Bell will start using actual black pepper in its seasoned beef, says Liz Matthews, the chain’s chief food innovation officer.

The Mexican-style chain also says the artificial dye Yellow No. 6 will be removed from its nacho cheese, Blue No. 1 will be removed from its avocado ranch dressing and carmine, a bright pigment, will be removed from its red tortilla strips.

Matthews said some of the new recipes are being tested in select markets and should be in stores nationally by the end of the year.

The country’s biggest food makers are facing pressure from smaller rivals that position themselves as more wholesome alternatives. Chipotle, in particular, has found success in marketing itself as an antidote to traditional fast food, although some question the meaningfulness of some of its claims. In April, Chipotle announced it had removed genetically modified organisms from its food, even though the Food and Drug Administration says GMOs are safe.

Critics say the purging of chemicals is a response to unfounded fears over ingredients, but companies are nevertheless rushing to ensure their recipes don’t become marketing disadvantages. In recent months, restaurant chains including Panera, McDonald’s and Subway have said they’re switching to ingredients people can easily recognize.

John Coupland, a professor of food science at Penn State University, said companies are realizing some ingredients may not be worth the potential harm they might cause to their images, given changing attitudes about additives.

Additionally, he noted that the removal of artificial ingredients can be a way for companies to give their food a healthy glow without making meaningful changes to their nutritional profiles. For instance, Coupland said reducing salt, sugar or portion sizes would have a far bigger impact on public health.

Taco Bell and Pizza Hut are owned by Yum Brands Inc., which had hinted the changes would be on the way. At a conference for investors late last year, Yum CEO Greg Creed referred to the shifting attitudes and the desire for “real food” as a revolution in the industry.

Representatives at KFC and Yum’s corporate headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky were not immediately available to comment on whether the fried chicken chain would also be removing artificial ingredients.

Pizza Hut says it will remove artificial colors and preservatives by the end of July.

Taco Bell says it will take out artificial colors, artificial flavors, high-fructose corn syrup and unsustainable palm oil from its food by the end of 2015. It says artificial preservatives will be removed “where possible” by 2017. The moves do not affect fountain drinks or co-branded products, such as its Doritos-flavored taco shells.

Brian Niccol, the chain’s CEO, said price increases are based on a variety of factors, and that the company would work to keep its menu affordable.

“I do not want to lose any element of being accessible to the masses,” Niccol said.

When asked whether the changes would affect taste, a representative for Taco Bell said in an email that “It will be the same great tasting Taco Bell that people love.”

12670: Everything Is Possible? Not.

Adweek reported Univision is launching a new branding campaign titled, “Todo Es Posible”—which translates to “Everything Is Possible.” The line does not apply to Latinos being adequately represented in the advertising industry.

Univision Tells Its Audience That ‘Everything Is Possible’

‘Todo Es Posible’ campaign includes inspiring stories

By Chris Ariens

Univision will launch a new uplifting branding campaign today called “Todo Es Posible” (everything is possible).

The new campaign, which Univision teased at its upfront presentation last week, is a multiplatform initiative the network says will “bring to life the core values of the Univision Network brand and the journeys of Hispanics in the U.S.”

“Our viewers not only tune in to watch our programming, but they invite us into their homes, their families and their lives,” said Jessica Rodriguez, chief marketing officer at Univision Communications.

The multiyear campaign begins with seven spots showcasing inspiring stories. They will be accompanied by a dedicated website and social storytelling across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Viewers will also be able to join the conversation by using the hashtag #TodoPosible.

“This campaign touches on the powerful brand affinity Hispanics have for Univision Network and reflects the core values that make up not only our network but the audience and communities we serve,” Rodriguez said.

Univision is the leading Spanish-language broadcaster in the U.S. and, on some nights, the most-watched network in any language on broadcast TV.

10908: Univision In-Casa Agency.

From The New York Times…

Univision to Form an Internal Advertising and Media Unit

By Tanzina Vega

Univision Communications, in its quest to unify the look and feel of the network and its properties, is expected to announce on Monday the creation of the company’s first internal advertising and media agency. The new unit, Univision Agency, will create promotional content for all Univision properties, including broadcast, radio and digital, and provide research and creative services for internal and external clients.

“It’s a recognition that we are growing and that we have many new assets that we have to media-plan for,” said Randy Falco, the president and chief executive of Univision Communications. “We have to try harder than most of our English-language counterparts,” he said. “Many in the buying communities don’t watch what we put on or don’t feel the passion for the content that we put in.”

The unit will control $500 million in advertising inventory across all of the network’s platforms. The agency, based in Miami, will have 65 employees, including current staff and new hires. Jessica Rodriguez, Univision’s executive vice president for program scheduling and promotions, will lead the agency.

It was important “for us to really not have disparate voices,” Ms. Rodriguez said. “Instead of working in silos, we’re all going to have a centralized approach.”

10810: Translating The Rebranding.

From The New York Times…

A Spate of Rebranding for Spanish-Language TV

By Tanzina Vega

It’s a race to be the best of the second best. On Monday, Univision, the dominant Spanish-language network in the United States, will announce a new name and look for its second-largest network, TeleFutura. The move is a direct shot at Telemundo, a rival for second place among domestic Spanish-speaking viewers.

The new name for the network will be UniMás. The network will offer new content and a consumer marketing campaign aimed at a younger, male Latino demographic. The rebranding of TeleFutura is also the latest effort from Univision to connect all of its properties under the Univision brand. The moves will be announced at an industry event in New York City on Monday, and the revamped network will make its debut on Jan. 7.

“We have been focused on making TeleFutura the undisputed No. 2 Spanish-language network in the U.S. behind Univision,” César Conde, the president of Univision Networks, said in an interview. “This new brand positioning is going to really identify and connect UniMás with the main mother ship brand of Univision.”

The rebranding of TeleFutura is just one of many Spanish-language television changes this year.

Many of the efforts may appear to be geared toward consumers, but they are also an attempt by the networks to attract dollars from advertisers wanting to cater to the growing Hispanic marketplace.

“Media companies are being forced to change because audience behavior is changing pretty radically,” said Karl Heiselman, the chief executive at Wolff Olins, the advertising agency that worked with Univision on a redesigh of its tulip logo, unveiled in October. “The Hispanic market is not the old stereotype of the past at all. It’s incredibly young and tech savvy.”

The Univision parent company presented a refreshed three-dimensional version of the green, blue, red and purple tulip logo, along with a new tag line “The Hispanic Heartbeat of America.”

“There was a huge opportunity for Univision to tell a more relevant contemporary story, not only to their audience but to a new audience and to their advertisers,” said Jordan Crane, a creative director at Wolff Olins. “When it was first done, the world was more flat. Now we have so many different platforms that this identity has to live on.”

In November, Univision announced a new logo for its Galavisión unit to celebrate that network’s 33rd anniversary. The new logo included a line underneath clearly identifying Galavisión as “A Univision Network” and connecting it further to the parent company. The new logo was designed by PMcD Design and featured an orange “G” and the tagline in gray.

At Advertising Week this fall, Telemundo announced a major rebranding effort of its own, including a new fire-red “T” logo that replaced its 11-year old blue “T” logo. The network, owned by NBCUniversal, will start the campaign this month with marketing initiatives including commercials featuring network personalities. The ads will run on networks like A&E, Bravo, CNBC, Lifetime and MTV. The network’s morning show, “Un Nuevo Dia,” will be live from Times Square on Dec. 10.

“It is the year of the brands in the Hispanic space,” said Jacqueline Hernández, the chief operating officer for Telemundo. “When you’re doing a brand refresh, your goal is to keep, maintain and attract.”

The new campaign, created by the DixonBaxi Creative Agency, features bold hues of yellow, purple, blue and red and centers on the Spanish word “te,” the informal pronoun for “you,” with phrases like “Te sorprende” and “Te informa” (It surprises you. It informs you).

But despite all of UniVision’s branding efforts, content is still king. And while Univision attracts a significant portion of domestic Spanish-language television viewers, TeleFutura will have some catching up to do if it expects to compete with Telemundo. According to data from Nielsen, from Sept. 24 through Nov. 25, Univision averaged 3.7 million viewers in prime time, Telemundo had 1.2 million viewers and TeleFutura had 710,000.

Univision hopes to counter that momentum by striking content partnerships that hit close to Telemundo’s turf, including a multiyear agreement with the Colombian production company Caracol Televisión, which at the end of this year will cease to offer Telemundo first right of refusal on content.

Univision will also benefit from a new agreement with RTI Colombia, which distributes content through the Univision partner Televisa. Telemundo owns a 40 percent share in RTI, but new shows including “Quien Eres Tú” (Who are you?), from RTI, and “Made in Cartagena,” from Caracol, will make their debut on UniMás. A third dramatic series, a boxing-themed show called “Cloroformo” from Televisa, is also part of the new production slate.

While the network is setting its sights on edgier, alternative content, many of the shows will still feature the essential ingredient in many Spanish-language series: romance.

10392: Tuning In For Latino Viewers.

From The New York Times…

Networks Struggle to Appeal to Hispanics

By Tanzina Vega and Bill Carter

Sofia Vergara is probably the most recognizable Hispanic actress working in English-language television. She is one of the stars of “Modern Family,” the highest-rated scripted show on network television, and she has parlayed her celebrity into commercials for brands like Pepsi and Cover Girl.

Despite her popularity, “Modern Family” is not a hit with Hispanic viewers. Out of its overall viewership of 12.9 million, “Modern Family” drew an average of only about 798,000 Hispanic viewers in the season. That audience accounts for only about 6 percent of the show’s viewers — less than half of what you might expect given the 48 million Hispanic television viewers that Nielsen measures.

The same pattern can be seen on other top network shows: “Two and a Half Men” on CBS averaged 611,000 Hispanic viewers out of an average total of 14.6 million viewers. “Grey’s Anatomy” on ABC averaged 583,000 out of 10.9 million. “Glee” on Fox averaged 518,000 out of 8.7 million. And “NCIS” on CBS averaged 509,000 out of 19.1 million.

The numbers encapsulate the problem facing English-language television executives and advertisers: they desperately want to appeal to the more than 50 million Latinos in the United States (about three-quarters speak Spanish), especially those who are young, bilingual and bicultural, but those viewers seem to want very little to do with American English-language television.

They do, however, continue to watch Spanish-language networks in huge numbers. In May, on the final night of the most recent season of “Modern Family,” far more Hispanic viewers were watching the top Spanish language show that week, the telenovela “La Que No Podía Amar,” on Univision, which attracted 5.2 million viewers.

“We’re part of the fastest-growing demographic in the country,” said Randy Falco, the president and chief of Univision. The company recently entered into a partnership with ABC News, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company, to create a 24-hour news channel to serve Hispanic viewers.

Read the full story here.

9363: Cracking On Bad Headlines.

Not too sure about this Univision ad running in the event guide for Advertising Week 2011. Seems like the headline promotes targeting Latinos while potentially alienating Blacks.

9275: Univision Comes To Madison Avenue.

From The New York Times…

Univision Steps Up Courtship of Madison Avenue

By Stuart Elliott

The television network watched most by Spanish-speaking Americans is seeking to make every one of its days with advertisers, not just Saturday, “gigante.”

The network is Univision, part of Univision Communications, which is known for programs aimed at Hispanics like its long-running live variety show, “Sábado Gigante” (“Giant Saturday”).

Univision is introducing this week what executives are calling their most ambitious effort to woo marketers and agencies that remain reluctant to run commercials in a language other than English.

The effort includes an advertising campaign, by an agency named Blanco-Lorenz Entertainment Branding, with a budget estimated at more than $1 million.

The campaign describes Univision as “the new American reality,” declaring that the best way to reach the growing market of Hispanic consumers is to run commercials in programs that are culturally relevant to them – that is, created with them in mind and broadcast in Spanish.

That is true, the ads assert, even for Hispanics who speak English as well as Spanish. The ads promote Univision’s soccer coverage, reality shows and its long-form serialized programs known as telenovelas or novelas.

The campaign uses humor to make its case. For instance, novelas are known for their plots and characters that are larger than life. So an ad about advertising on Univision’s novelas carries the headline “It’s time to crack the whip” and shows a woman dressed in Western garb who is wielding a whip.

The ad, in print and online versions, talks about the ability of Univision’s prime-time novelas to deliver to advertisers more bilingual Hispanic viewers, ages 18 to 49, than hit shows on English-language TV networks like “American Idol,” “Dancing With the Stars,” “Modern Family” and “The Voice.”

In a social media element of the campaign, Univision is offering computer users a chance to insert photographs of themselves in scenes from its shows. The choices include a novela wedding, a reality talent competition and a scene in which one novela character slaps another.

The online fun, called “It’s You on Univision,” will be available, beginning on Wednesday, at univision.net/itisyou.

Many marketers “are working up to” increasing the amount of money they spend to advertise on Spanish-language television, said David Lawenda, the president for advertising sales and marketing at Univision. But there are “still some holdouts that haven’t,” he added, and the campaign is aimed at them.

Mr. Lawenda called the campaign “our most robust” such initiative to date, citing the size of it as well as its presence in digital as well as print media.

The campaign will also have live aspects, including a sponsorship of the annual Advertising Week in New York City, scheduled for Oct. 3 to 7; a series of Webinars for marketers and agencies; and a contest with a unique prize: a chance to see a novela in production.

The campaign comes after Univision Communications reported its most successful results ever in the annual “upfront” market for the sale of commercial time. It is called that because it takes place before the season begins.

For the 2011-12 season, Univision sold an estimated $1.7 billion to $1.8 billion worth of commercial time – about on par with a venerable English-language broadcast network, the NBC division of NBCUniversal.

The idea behind the campaign is “to go beyond the cold numbers” that make a case for advertising on Univision, said Pedro Blanco, chief creative officer at Blanco-Lorenz in Miami.

For example, the content of telenovelas may seem “over the top from far away,” Mr. Blanco said, “but what’s really over the top are the results” from buying commercial time on Univision.

“We acknowledge to the uninitiated or the holdout that when you’re approaching a market you can’t relate to” it may seem difficult, he added, and “Univision is building that bridge” to make it easier.

Referring to the ad devoted to Univision’s soccer coverage, which carries the headline “Hard headed,” Mr. Blanco said: “If you can’t relate to the passion people feel over a soccer game that ends with a score of 1-0, you’ll find out that something is going on here. Low scores mean high ratings.”

7689: Univision Uniracist.

From The Huffington Post…

Univision TV Owes an Apology for Racist Skit

By Earl Ofari Hutchinson

Univision President and CEO Joe Uva have some explaining to do. On Friday, May 28, Univision aired an outrageous, racially demeaning skit on Despierta America. The show is billed as America’s leading Spanish-language morning show.

The skit was a parody on the upcoming World Cup soccer games in South Africa. Four program participants and hosts dance and mug around the TV set with spears and outlandish Afro hair wigs to a faux jungle music beat. They seem to be thoroughly enjoying their romp through every vile, vicious and offensive stereotype that’s come down the pike on Africans. Even worse, Univision brags about its partnership with the International Federation of Association Football to televise the World Cup games.

The skit is an over the top slap in the face at the unwavering support civil rights leaders have given to Latino organizations and Latino media in their fight against racial profiling and stereotyping in the immigration battle. Al Sharpton, the NAACP, and the Congressional Black Caucus have repeatedly and loudly condemned the draconian Arizona immigration law. And their major point of attack is that the law opens the door wide to racial profiling.

But that’s not all. The skit dredges up another ugly racial skeleton in the often thorny history of black and Latino relations. And that is inter-ethnic racism. Many Latinos refer to dark skinned persons as negritos or little black people. This is not seen as racially offensive, but rather as a term of affection even endearment. For years in Mexico, a popular afternoon telenovela had a comedian in blackface chasing madly after light complexioned actresses in skimpy outfits. Ads have featured blacks in Afros, black face, and distorted features. The most popular screen stars in film and on TV in some Latin countries, and the models featured on magazines and billboards, are white or fair skinned with sandy or blond hair. That’s the standard of beauty, culture, and sophistication that’s held up as the penultimate standard to emulate, and that standard is unabashedly commercialized, and peddled as top commodities in Mexico and other Latin American countries. In 2005, the Mexican government ignited a firestorm when it announced sale of the racially offensive cartoon character Memin Pinguin as a commemorative stamp. And now there’s the Univision skit.

The racist skit mocks and demeans Africans and African-Americans and reinforces old, stale and reprehensible stereotypes about Africa and Africans. Uva and Univision should do quick damage control and apologize for it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His new book is How Obama Governed: The Year of Crisis and Challenge (Middle Passage Press).

6915: Hasta La Vista, Univisión…?

From The Miami Herald…

Univisión struggles to overcome recession

By Meg James
Los Angeles Times Service

LOS ANGELES—When Spanish-language broadcasting giant Univisión Communications was sold for $13.7 billion three years ago, the highly leveraged deal was, in the words of one veteran banker, “priced for perfection.”

Given the $10 billion in debt the buyers were assuming, the slightest hiccup in the company’s financial performance would have a cascading negative effect.

The buyers, a consortium of investors including entertainment mogul Haim Saban, were counting on several factors to justify the steep purchase price: the nation’s exploding Hispanic population and the popularity of Spanish-language programming, coupled with the promise of robust advertising growth. They expected to hold the assets for a few years, then sell at a tidy profit.

But it’s not a perfect world.

In the two years since the buyout, the U.S. economy has collapsed, dragging down advertising to media companies. Adding to the economic distress, Univisión has been mired in a costly legal battle with its primary programming partner.

The big payday for Univisión’s owners, which include well-heeled private equity companies, seems far less certain. Instead of riding a high wave to easy profits, Univisión executives have been working furiously to dig the company out of its hole.

WROTE DOWN ASSETS
During the past year, the broadcaster has written down assets by $5.3 billion, and some industry insiders now believe the nation’s largest Spanish-language media company is worth closer to $9 billion—slightly less than what it owes.

In recent months, Univisión has been putting out fires on multiple fronts to shore up its finances and to protect its programming pipeline.

In January, it settled a nagging lawsuit brought by its longtime programming partner, Grupo Televisa of Mexico, which had threatened to strip Univisión of its most popular and profitable shows. The resolution guaranteed Univisión the right to broadcast Televisa’s hugely popular soap operas, including Cuidado con el Angel (Be Careful With the Angel), through 2017.

Two weeks ago, Univisión bought breathing room by refinancing $500 million in debt, pushing back the due date by three years to 2014. The extension means that Univisión no longer has to worry about burning through its cash within the next two years.

CABLE FEES
And during the past few months, Univisión achieved one of its highest priorities—getting cable and satellite TV operators to pay the company to carry its programming. The agreements with Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, AT&T and others should bring Univisión $175 million in 2009, and as much as $350 million annually by 2014.

The cable-subscriber fees help Univisión diversify its revenue and, for now, make up for the decline in ad revenue.

Univisión’s chief financial officer, Andrew Hobson, said the company’s actions during the past six months had put it on a stronger footing and should allow it to weather other economic storms.

“Our balance sheet is now bulletproof for even the most draconian scenarios,” Hobson said. “We don’t feel that we have covenant risks or liquidity risks for at least another five years.”

Still, credit-rating agencies worry that Univisión could default on loans that total $9.7 billion.

“This clears the runway a little bit for them, but we still have concerns about their liquidity and their ability to make their debt-amortization payments,” said Standard & Poor’s credit analyst Michael Altberg, who acknowledged that Univisión had bolstered its position.

“Before their credit amendment, they didn’t have that much of a cushion.”

Barclays Capital debt analyst Andrew Finkelstein said Univisión executives did “exactly what they needed to do for now.”

INCREASING REVENUES
But Univisión’s challenge in the next few years, he said, will be to increase revenue—a difficult task during an economic recession.

Univisión’s predicament is not unusual for a company sold in a leveraged buyout at the top of the market.

In 2006, Univisión’s then-controlling shareholder, billionaire A. Jerrold Perenchio, orchestrated a bidding war for the company.

The Spanish-language broadcaster had been showing dramatic growth, along with the Hispanic population. Univisión’s upside seemed unlimited.