San Fernando : Council Targets Liquor Ads on Telemundo

The San Fernando City Council has taken a national Spanish-language television network to task over the network’s liquor advertising practices.

The council recently passed a resolution denouncing the network Telemundo for airing advertisements for El Presidente Brandy.

With the exception of Telemundo, which began broadcasting the brandy ads in February 1994, television networks in the United States don’t allow hard liquor advertising, under a long-standing agreement with distillers.

Councilman Raul Godinez introduced the resolution, adopted unanimously at the City Council’s meeting last week, urging Telemundo to “discontinue all broadcast advertisements for hard liquor from its network.”

The resolution also called for a letter to be sent to Telemundo, expressing the council’s opposition to the advertisements “and affirming this city’s commitment to the public health and safety of its community.”

In its resolution, the council noted that Latinos suffer disproportionately high rates of alcoholism, that Latinos constitute 83% of San Fernando’s population, and that a majority of San Fernando residents view Spanish-language broadcasting.

The San Fernando-based community organization Pueblo Y Salud has opposed Telemundo’s airing of the liquor ads since 1994.

In July, the group linked up with the Los Angeles Commission on Alcoholism, other agencies and church groups at a protest outside the offices of Telemundo’s station in Glendale, KVEA Channel 52, which serves Los Angeles. About 100 people protested.

Telemundo officials have said they have a right to air the liquor ads and that the network does so responsibly, broadcasting the ads only during adult programming after 10 p.m.

The San Fernando City Council resolution follows action taken by the Los Angeles County Commissioners, who in January 1995 sent a letter to the network urging an end to broadcast of such commercials.