AT&T, Time Warner Drop Offensive Show

Two major companies have pulled their advertisements from José Luis Sin Censura, a Spanish-language television show, because of its homophobic and misogynistic content.

AT&T and Time Warner Cable announced plans Thursday to withdraw advertising, according to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the National Hispanic Media Coalition, which together spearheaded the campaign against the controversial show. The organizations, with the support of 30 other groups, also filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission earlier this year.

Additionally, officials with KCTU in Wichita, Kan., told GLAAD the station dropped all of the programming it received from Estrella TV, including José Luis Sin Censura, after finding the content objectionable.

Ron Nutt, president and general manager of KCTU, said, "It became clear that much of its content was so objectionable that, at one point or another, half of its viewership had called us with a complaint. They are going for sensationalism. If an English-language network put out this content, they would be asking for trouble."

Another station, WSVN in Miami, decided to pre-empt José Luis Sin Censura shortly after receiving a letter from GLAAD and NHMC.

According to GLAAD, the February FCC complaint documented more than 20 episodes that aired between June 18 and December 7, 2010, containing images and language that are usually censured in English-language shows. The language included expletives, antigay slurs, and anti-Latino slurs. The program also frequently features blatant nudity and female guests involved in violent fights. Audience members are regularly shown shouting antigay epithets and profanity at guests. Since the complaint was filed, further offensive content has been shown on the program.

José Luis Sin Censura airs twice a day during the week in more than 30 markets in the U.S.

A GLAAD-led protest against the show in 2005 prompted KFC, Chevrolet, and Nissan to pull advertising. GLAAD issued a call to action against it in June 2010 after multiple guests were attacked with homophobic slurs in Spanish. Nearly 1,000 people signed a petition to Lieberman Broadcasting Inc., which produces the show.