KMEX to Protest Replacement by Glendale Station

The latest round in the battle of Spanish-language TV stations in Glendale will take place Tuesday at the City Council meeting.

Representatives of KMEX, which earlier this month was replaced on the Sammons Communications cable system with KVEA, plan to attend the meeting flanked by viewers who miss their station.

“We are going to show up and make our feelings known directly to the City Council,” said Michael Martinez, general manager of KMEX, the oldest and highest-rated Spanish-language station in the Los Angeles area. “But I don’t know if it will do any good.”

City officials formally requested that Sammons replace KMEX, which has its studios in Hollywood, with KVEA, which is based in Glendale.

But the switch, which took place Feb. 1, has angered some Spanish-speaking residents of Glendale and the other cities served by Sammons, including Burbank and La Canada Flintridge. “KMEX is such a big station that it is able to be a national and international link for Hispanic people,” said Alicia Lloreda, a high school teacher who has lived in Glendale since 1968.

“KVEA is just a local operation. It’s like we had Connie Chung replaced by Hal Fishman. I am sure he is a wonderful newsman, but the difference is in facilities, in being nationwide.”

The local angle was what the city had in mind when it requested that KVEA, which has broadcast in Spanish since 1980, be put on the Sammons system.

“KVEA has been an excellent corporate citizen in Glendale,” said Ray Cruz, executive assistant in the city manager’s office. “They have participated in local events like our community forums; they have put out local announcements; they participated in our cultural diversity month.

“They serve our community specifically.”

Officials at KMEX, which has been broadcasting in Spanish since 1962, contend that the switch shows a callous attitude toward Latino television viewers.

“Because we are Spanish-speaking television, they think they can take us for granted,” said Larry Gonzalez, KMEX’s station manager.

“It all comes down to an issue of choice,” Martinez said. “We believe Spanish-speaking people deserve a choice on their cable system.”

Martinez did not, however, protest to Sammons when KMEX was the only choice on the system, he confirmed.

The final decision on the matter lies with Sammons, which can by law choose the channels it wishes to carry without interference with the city.

“We put on KVEA because the city wanted it,” said Shirley Orr, general manager of the cable system. “We only have 40 channels, and I don’t have room for more than one Spanish-language service. We can’t add another until we have more channel capacity.”

Orr said Sammons is now planning a channel expansion, which will not be operational for at least two years.