FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2014
Strong Latino, Consumer Voices Join TVfreedom.org
The Hispanic Institute, Entravision Communications Corporation, ZGS Communications and the Media Alliance Aim to Hold Pay-TV Providers Accountable for Rising Cable Bills, Pay-TV Blackouts and Punitive Early Termination Fees
Washington, D.C. – TVfreedom.org announced today that four well-respected and diverse organizations have joined its coalition. The Hispanic Institute, Entravision Communications Corporation, ZGS Communications and the Media Alliance have joined local broadcasters, community advocates, network television affiliate associations, multicast networks, manufacturers and others to fight for TV fairness on behalf of U.S. consumers.
Having these four members join the Coalition highlights the importance of Latino and culturally diverse communities working together to stand up to rising cable bills, pay-TV blackouts and punitive early termination fees. As pay-TV providers expand their efforts to use their own customers as bargaining chips in retransmission negotiations with broadcasters, TVfreedom.org will continue to advocate for policies and initiatives that protect the public interest and preserve the tremendous benefits that broadcasters provide to the local communities they serve.
“TVfreedom.org is committed to protecting the interest of consumers who are fed up with rapidly escalating cable bills, pay-TV blackouts and punitive early termination fees that have effectively stopped many unhappy pay-TV consumers from switching to competitors in the immediate aftermath of significant service disruptions,” said Robert C. Kenny, director of public affairs, TVfreedom.org. “Our broad-based, 27-member coalition is demanding accountability from the pay-TV industry, which is raking in record profits at the expense of TV viewers across America.”
“In the retransmission debate, the critical voice of the Latino consumer has been lost. High monthly cable and satellite TV bills are causing many Latino consumers to give up these services. And, among Spanish-speaking households, quality content on networks such as Univision and Telemundo are attracting more viewers to rely on over-the-air broadcast TV,” said Gus West, president of The Hispanic Institute. “Preserving access to this TV content on multiple platforms and ensuring a system that continues to invest in this type of programming well into the future is critical to the Hispanic community.”
“We have a profound and enduring commitment to support the Latino communities we serve, and we believe TVfreedom.org shares our values of striving to meet the needs of our communities and providing them with programming that entertains, informs and educates Hispanics of all ages,” said ZGS Communications CEO Ronald Gordon. “The addition of our organization to the TVfreedom.org coalition emphasizes the importance of culturally diverse communities in this debate, as well as the important role we must play to preserve broadcast TV for future generations of Hispanic Americans.”
“As a public interest organization, we support the pro-consumer principles of TVfreedom.org to protect against abusive cable fees and create quality content while promoting policies that support television stations” public service activities,” said Tracy Rosenberg, Executive Director of the Media Alliance. “Weakening retransmission consent rules reduces the revenues available for station’s local programming and community service. More than 59.7 million American viewers – 41 percent of which are minorities – depend on free, broadcast television. Meeting the needs of these diverse communities is a key goal of Media Alliance and is one of the main reasons we joined TVfreedom.org.”
Visit TVfreedom.org for the latest news on the retransmission consent debate or follow us @TVFreedomOrg.
About Us
TVfreedom.org, is a coalition of local broadcasters, community advocates, network television affiliate associations, multicast networks, manufacturers and other independent broadcaster-related organizations committed to helping protect consumer interests, ensure emergency and weather related programming access, promote the value of broadcast-TV programming, and preserve a fair and free video marketplace. In the coming weeks and months, the coalition will look to add to its charter membership and will work closely with consumer and community groups, as well as public safety and law enforcement organizations.