Univision, Telemundo and the Writers Guild

Don't expect the Writers Guild strike that began Monday to have much impact on Spanish-language television. "We are not currently being affected by the strike," said a spokeswoman for the Miami-based Telemundo network. "Telemundo is not a signatory to the Writers Guild basic-minimum agreement."

Miami media consultant Julio Rumbaut, who works closely with Spanish-language TV, said almost none of the telenovelas that dominate its programming are written in the United States. "The writers for Televisa, which supplies Univision, are mostly in Mexico, and the writers for Telemundo mostly in Mexico," Rumbaut said. "So there really isn't going to be much effect on them from the strike."

Comments

[Elizabeth]

How come Telemundo doesn't have a contract with the Writer's Guild? NBC, its parent company, does. It's bad enough that most performers, writers, directors used by Telemundo and Univision for their telenovelas are foreigners with temporary work permits who are being brought here to take away jobs from U.S. hispanic artists. But for NBC/Telemundo to give the protection of a union contract ONLY to their anglo artists and not to their Hispanic counterparts is clear discrimination. Where is La Raza? Why doesn't the Herald look into this?