REBECCA AGUILAR BREAKS SILENCE AND FIGHTS BACK IN BLOGSITE

You can't keep an award-winning reporter too quiet for long. Rebecca Aguilar breaks her silence, against her attorney's will, and speaks out on the incident to former Dallas Morning News, now turned TV critic Ed Bark blog site, Uncle Barkey's Bytes.

Aguilar details how the whole brouhaha has affected her and how the Television station she has worked for nearly 20 years has disappointed her. "I'm bruised, honey. Yeah, I'm bruised." She also reveals the real story on her communication with the 70-year old man. "I am known for asking questions that I think bring back deeper answers, but I treated this man with utmost respect. In fact, some of the questions I asked him on-camera I had asked him already in our conversations on the phone. That's why you don't see him alarmed . . . I knew that he felt comfortable with me, and I felt comfortable with him. I know from experience when people don't want me around."

Read the interview here.

Gilbert Bailon to Leave Al Dia, Dallas Morning News

Gilbert Bailon, publisher and editor of Al Día and president of the American Society of Newspapers Editors, and hall of fame recipient for the Network of Hispanic Communicators announced today that he is leaving Al Dia and The Dallas Morning News, effective November 9 to become the new editorial-page editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

From the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch" ...

"We are very fortunate to have a journalist of Gilbert's caliber leading our editorial page, building the newspaper's long-standing tradition of advocacy for our region," said Post-Dispatch publisher Kevin Mowbray in announcing the appointment today.

Bailon, 48, said the editorial staff "will continue to build on our vital role as public servants in a free society and to help the readers stay informed to improve their lives."

Before joining the Morning News there, he was a reporter for the Los Angeles Daily News, the San Diego Union-Tribune and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

- Read the story in the paper and Gilbert's plans

Dallas Morning News Also Drops Story on Rebecca Aguilar Saga

This story was a little harder to find. It was posted by The Dallas Morning News media critic Tom Maurstad this weekend and also elaborates on the 'force' of the response by KDFW Ch 4 and the NAHJ recommendation. 

"You can disagree with the professionalism of her interview tactics," Rafael Olmeda, President of NAHJ said. "But the punishment is all out of proportion to her offense, and that it's directed at only one person is patently unfair."

Read the story here.

Read the Opinion Editorial from the DMN here.

NCLR Throws Middle Finger at Kansas City, Pulls Out of 2009 Conference

You don't like us? Well then you won't miss our money and have your convention empty that weekend. 

“The National Council of La Raza’s board voted this afternoon to yank its 2009 convention from Kansas City in protest of a park board appointee belonging to a group it believes is hostile to Hispanics.

The board followed the recommendation of local La Raza affiliates, who had asked the board to pull the convention. Two months ago, the head of La Raza, Kansas native Janet Murguía, told Mayor Mark Funkhouser that if his appointee, Frances Semler, didn’t step down from the park board, La Raza would likely pull the convention.
The convention had been expected to fill more than 5,000 hotel rooms, with an economic impact to the city of more than $5 million.

Pull the middle finger and read more.

Rebecca Aguilar Saga Continues: Star-Telegram Editor Drops Story

Finally, a printed and published - non-blog account of the Rebecca Aguilar saga. Star-Telegram's Spanish language paper, La Estrella, editor David Sedeño posted an account of the brouhaha titled "
A matter of ethnicity and journalistic ethics," which he details the full facts of the situation.

He also gives much needed background on Rebecca Aguilar's successful journalism career, information that the "pitchfork" bloggers often (or purposely) omit from their rants. The story ran on Sunday's opinion section. Click here to read the piece.

Welcome to the Party NAHJ - Organization Get's a BLOG - Guess which story is first...

Hey NAHJ great to see you guys on the Blog neighborhood. It's been a few weeks for us and it's been fun and wacky. Done right, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Blog will be a good outlet for quick noticias and chisme and also updates on the group.

So congrats on the move and we look forward to reading your Blog posts and even sharing Blog drops and urls. Remember to keep it updated and don't let Blog posts get cobwebs.

Read the NAHJ Blog.

NAHJ POSTS LETTER TO URGE CH 4 TO REINSTATE REBECCA AGUILAR

As expected, NAHJ tonight posted a 3 page letter that urges Dallas' KDFW-TV Fox 4 to reinstate reporter Rebecca Aguilar immediately.

The letter follows a day-long storm of blogs on her "aggressive" reporting skills. 

 "NAHJ affirms that journalistic principles, not special-interest driven community response, should determine if a reporter stays on the air."  The report also scolds Ch 4's treatment as she was "escorted" out of the Fox 4 studios. 

The letter also states that no action was taken to the news editor and others who also let the story air - unedited. 

According to several NAHJ officers bloggers have, for the most part, are raising pitchforks and torches mainly because of her recent award winning Hispanic award - believing this will fuel the anti-Hispanic sentiment.

Meanwhile KDFW has continued to meet over this matter, as well as others,  and instructed editors and staff to keep quiet on this issue for the time being. 

In order to quiet down the brouhaha, KDFW legal team has also requested that all video footage from YouTube be removed. A staff is currently sifting through all the keywords to find any occurances and issuing copyright emails. 

As for action. The station has stated that her "indefinitely suspended" is just that -- and Rebecca Aguilar's bio has NOT been removed from the current staff. But, after repeated calls, will not discuss when the "suspension" will be over. 

KDFW insiders say they have received a barrage of calls, some of them extremely vulgar, but sources say "management will not be bullied" by bloggers. 

As for the statement, the station now says this is matter is private matter and therefore will not be discussed publically. No decision has been made for Viewer's Voice or even if they will air the comments from the callers. We will keep you posted.

By the way, overnight ratings for KDFW news at 9 pm for Thursday are slightly up and higher than normal, says one source.

Read NAHJ LETTER. 

NAHJ REQUESTS RESPONSE FROM CH 4, STATION PREPARING AN APOLOGY

The cranky gun owner heard around the blog world.

Or just a slow news day. The temporary 'suspension' of Rebecca Aguilar is now rolling through several blog sites.

While most sites are being critical of her actions, few question the role of the editor or other staff at KDFW Fox 4. Until now. The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) is now requesting an inquiry into her "suspension" and a written response from KDFW FOX 4 and also questioning the 'reporting' tactics of KDFW Fox 4 in general ( ala Becky Oliver reporting ).

Meanwhile sources at KDFW FOX 4 say the station has received a flood of calls and is preparing an apology to viewers for the incident for some of the "tactics" used in the story. Look for the apology to air tonight at the 9 p.m. news or during the Viewer's Voice segment on Friday nights. As for Rebecca, the station isn't saying anything except that it is only a suspension.

CHANNEL 4 SUSPENDS REBECCA AGUILAR

From the DALLAS OBSERVER BLOG-

"KDFW Suspends Rebecca Aguilar After Controversial "Ambush"

Monday night, KDFW-Channel 4 ran a piece about 70-year-old James Walton, owner of Able Walton Machine & Welding in West Dallas, who, early Sunday morning, shot and killed and man trying to break into his business. What made Walton's story so extraordinary was that it was the second time he'd killed an intruder in three weeks. As it happens, Walton also lives at his place of business. Read more. "

Former Mexican president Fox Throws Middle-Finger at U.S. Government

A promotional stunt.. or just some observations from an outsider. Vincente Fox will be in town today pumping his new book Revolution of Hope: The Life, Faith, and Dreams of a Mexican President. 

The Dallas Morning News scores a interview with the former leader who pretty much criticizes President Bush and also the immigration nazis. 

""What is happening in Irving, Texas, is disturbing, deeply troubling," he said. "It shows that the anti-immigrant mood that I confronted in the U.S. Congress has now reached the public at large."... "Many of the people from my hometown of San Cristóbal are people I grew up with, honest, hardworking men I played marbles with as kids, and who later had to migrate to North Texas, Dallas. Of course it hurts when these cities deny the people you grew up with and treat [them] like criminals."

 Read the story.

Columnist Says Spanish TV is Worthless

This is real investigative reporting in action...

Advertising Age columnist spent some time watching Spanish-language TV and found out how crappy the programming really is. 

"We now have more of nothing to watch. Or rather, there are now more Spanish-language "choices" serving me -- and my people -- with the same crap we are used to: dating contests, gossip and paparazzi shows, court fights, reality TV, wrestling and, of course, lots and lots of T&A. In a nutshell: the exact same things I grew up watching on Mexican TV, now expanded and proudly Made in the USA. (Just for the record, none of this means English-language TV is beaming with fantastic viewing choices, but for what concerns us here I will focus solely on television that targets U.S. Hispanics.)  Read more.

Gringos no Longer Without "Americanized Tacos" in Mexico

You Quiero... Gringo Tacos.. Breaking news, Mexico to reopen Taco Bells. Because original tacos are just not good without the processed meat and the chalupas and melty-melty-melty heart killer tacos. 

Mexicanos can get their hands on the gringo-type tacos this week in Monterrey, Mexico and their are plans open more. 

Company officials say they know they'll have a tough time selling traditional foods, so their new slogan in Mexico is "Taco Bell is something else or "Es otra cosa." Apparently to prevent comparisons with traditional mexican dishes.

"Some of the names have been changed to protect the sacred: the hard-shelled items sold as “tacos” in the U.S. have been renamed “tacostadas.” This made-up word is a play on “tostada,” which for Mexicans is a hard, fried disk of cornmeal that is always served flat, with toppings." - Associated Press.

It's not the first attempt. Back in 1992, Taco Bell's stores failed in Mexico less than two years after opening. Read more.

Next Chapter Meeting : Wednesday, Oct 10 at Star-Telegram/Arlington

Next Hispanic Communicators meeting on Oct. 10 in Arlington

The next Hispanic Communicators meeting will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10, at the Star-Telegram office, 1111 W. Abram, in Arlington.

At that meeting, we will consider two proposals from Dianne Solis of The Dallas Morning News. They are:

Should the Dallas-Fort Worth Network of Hispanic Communicators become a chapter of NAHJ? Should the chapter be known as a) DFW chapter of NAHJ b) Network of Hispanic Communicators, DFW chapter of NAHJ

Also update on the Journalism Workshop and the Celebrating John Gutierrez-Mier: An Evening of Platica and Recuerdos will be discussed.

John Gutierrez-Mier Tribute - Details

Celebrating John Gutierrez-Mier:
An Evening of Platica and Recuerdos, Saturday October 27, 2007, Fort Worth, Texas.

Even in the days before his death, John was optimistic. After his heart surgery in early August, he was still coordinating with the transplant folks at Medical City. He talked about what he would do after he got a new heart – maybe leave North Texas, definitely volunteer to teach English to immigrants.

He also wanted a big party to celebrate his new heart.

John knew even the August surgery carried risks. But he often said: "I’m too young to die. I want to live. And if I'm going to die, at least I want to die fighting.”

So before his surgery, he made funeral plans with family and friends. If he died, he wanted a life party, the kind of despedida where friends and family could come together to tell stories. (There are no shortages of John stories!)

So in honor of John Gutierrez-Mier, we invite you to join us October 27th, for an evening party to toast our dear Juanito. His family – including primos and tias – plan to attend.

Party with a Purpose: The D/FW Network of Hispanic Communicators has created the John Gutierrez-Mier scholarship. In case you’ve been wondering how to pay tribute to John, this would be a wonderful way to honor his commitment to mentoring.

If you plan to attend, we ask you to PLEASE RSVP ASAP to elaine_aradillas@yahoo.com. This will help the planning efforts muchisimo.

Those of you who want to share a short toast – as in a 3-5 minute eulogy, story, recuerdo – please email us at jgm.memorial@gmail.com, so we can add your name to the program.

THIS IS THE PLAN:

October 27th, 7 – 10 p.m. – Celebrating John Gutierrez-Mier: An Evening of Platica and Recuerdos. At the Sanders Theatre in the Fort Worth Community Arts Center, 1300 Gendy St., Fort Worth, TX 76107.

We will be hosting a silent auction, all proceeds going to the John Gutierrez-Mier scholarship, which will go to a deserving young journalist.

The after party will be held at a nearby hotel, details coming soon. We’re also inquiring about group rates so we can all stay in the same hotel and we can make it easier for those looking to share a room. For hotel information, email Marissa Alanis at malanis_77@hotmail.com.

WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU: (And if you can’t make it to Ft. Worth, don’t feel left out. You can still help! See below.)

1. We need your donations to help pay for the venue and food. Please make checks payable to the Network of Hispanic Communicators (memo line: JGM memorial), and mail them to P.O. Box 222313, Dallas, Texas 75222-2313

2. If you’d like for your contribution to go straight to the scholarship, please write JGM scholarship on the memo line.

3. We are also looking for auction items. We’re aiming for practical stuff (and really anything you want to donate): such as margarita blenders or margarita mix, Spurs T-shirts, jewelry, whatever you think can score us some cash for the JGM scholarship and memorial. For silent auction information, please email Cynthia Garza at cyndisan@gmail.com

And in honor of John, get ready to party!

KERA WORKING TO BRING SPANISH DIGITAL CHANNEL TO NORTH TEXAS

Look for some major changes to come to KERA Ch 13 in the months to come. One major change will be a new Spanish-language network on the digital channel 13.2. 

The network, V-me, is expected to go on the air( digitally) and offer a mix of Spanish-language children’s and adult programming with an educational focus. One-fourth of the programming will be original to the network, including a one-hour, nightly one-on-one interview program, “Viva Voz,” that is designed as a national platform for discussion of issues important to Latinos. KERA Channel 13 will also be able to include local community affairs programming. Read more at www.v-me.tv

BELO Announces Spin off of Newspaper Companies, Al Dia, Quick and TXCN Safe for Now

Yet another way to confuse readers - BELO is lifting the paws off slightly and creating a separate television and newspaper businesses by spinning off the newspaper business into a publicly-traded company called A. H. Belo Corporation ("A. H. Belo").

A. H. Belo Corporation will own and operate the Company's flagship newspaper, The Dallas Morning News. Belo's (Darth Vader) Decherd said that as a separate public company, the company can better focus on newspapers and online news and information and better able to respond to the diverse and rapidly-evolving needs of customers in the local markets it serves, and with no debt.

Meaning, we can kill off or "sell" off some projects that are not producing well. Look for more TV deals and perhaps a major revamp of TXCN and other online ventures.

He also said the company is working with Yahoo on some online initiatives.

Got it? No then some execs can explain it better.

Hispanic Buying Power Big - According to CNN Report

CNN continues their Hispanic Celebration series today with a story on the buying power. They pinpoint the economic strength of the Hispanic community and detail some trends -- including

• The number of Latino-owned companies grew 31 percent between 1997 to 2002
  
• Study: Hispanic women playing important role in growth
  
• Selig Center: Hispanic buying power will reach almost $1.2 trillion by 2011

Read more.

Univision Launches Campaign to R.I.P. Non-HDTV's

"El tiempo de cambiar de television es ahora," -- Univision today launched a campaign to educate viewers of the new change to HDTV format in 2009 and will be airing thirty-second public service announcements (PSAs) on its broadcast television networks (Univision and TeleFutura), local television stations, radio stations and online site, featuring some of its most popular stars explaining the DTV transition.

They even launched a special web site for viewers to discover that their tv's are no obsolete and will be useless past February 2009.

" I am very proud of the fact that Univision has launched this campaign a full three months before the FCC's schedule, fulfilling our duty to go above and beyond to serve the Hispanic community," said Joe Uva, CEO, Univision Communications Inc. "Our audience puts a great deal of trust in Univision to provide them with timely information regarding events in the nation that affect them, and the DTV transition is something we feel will impact a significant portion of the country's Hispanic community. By addressing viewers' concerns early and often through our education campaign, we are ensuring them that they will be able to continue to rely on Univision as their number one source of information on this subject, as well as other news and information, now and well into the future."

Ok Univision, thanks for the fear tactic, but like when are you going actually launch HDTV programming -- on prime time. And are the Telenovelas from Televisa (Mexico) and Argentina going to be filled with black bars since they are not under the HDTV/DTV deadline?

"The Tube Music Network" (Ch 33.2) Goes Dark

Just like the vacuum tube vanished into history, this morning at 12 am, the Tube Music Network met the same fate. Those of us with new HDTV's digital televisions were treated to a freebie Music Television channel that - unlike MTV - actually played music videos, non-stop. KDAF Channel 33.1 now has a statement "The Tube Music Network has ceased broadcast operation. KDAF plans to bring you new programming on this digital channel in the near future.."

The Tube aired classic and modern music videos and once-in-a while aired commercials and PSA -- but that's once-in-a while wasn't enough because the Tube ran out of cash.

Even an attempt to sell music through the Tube connect the iPod generation never materialized.

We regret to inform you of the fate that has befallen The Tube Music Network. October 1, 2007 The Tube ceased its national broadcast.

Viewers, Artists, Music Companies, Investors, Business Partners, TV stations, Cable companies, Advertisers , Friends and our creative partners @Radical Media - your support of The Tube has always been highly valued and appreciated. The collective efforts of this team, fueled by the letters we received from viewers, sustained THE TUBE as it struggled through the financial limitations that ultimately contributed to its incapacitated state.

Thank you for inviting The Tube Music Network into your life.

The last song played on the network was "A3 - Woke Up This Morning (Chosen One Mix)" - the same song played on the last episode of "The Sopranos."

So besides cash, what really doomed the Music Television channel?

• Music Videos are pretty much dead
• The TV station stuck to it's core and refused to play Hip Hop, Soul or Reggaeton type of music
• No organization of videos - they just played random ones - a 80's rock hour etc, would have helped
  
• No way to request videos
• No advertising or hookups with radio stations
• Competition wih the Cable stale music channels
  

Too bad, this was a good idea that just never really took off. It really never caught on with the young crowd since most of the videos were aimed at older audience.

Azteca America Launches "60-Minutes"-type News Magazine

Time to grab some palomitas - Azteca America (Channel 26 and 44) just launched “Issues: Caras y Voces,” a political forum hosted by veteran Latino journalist Armando Guzmán.

The weekly forum will begin airing tonight October 1 and continue every Monday during the national newscast of Noticiero Azteca America at 5:30 pm CST; and 10 pm CST. The forum will also be transmitted on broadcast television in Mexico through Proyecto 40.

The broadcast premiere will feature Governor Bill Richardson, the first Latino Democratic presidential candidate with real possibilities of being part of the Democratic ticket in 2008. His public service history includes US Congressman, US Ambassador to the United Nations, Secretary of Energy and currently Governor of New Mexico.