The host of popular Miami radio show 'Sundial' filed a federal complaint against his former employer, saying he was the subject of discrimination after the program was abruptly cancelled and he and his team of Latino journalists fired.
Axios Miami reported on Wednesday that Cuban-American Carlos Frías' discrimination complaint alleged that, among other things, an editor told a member of his team that the show was "sounding very Latino."
He recalled that last August the editor created a spreadsheet to show producer Elisa Baena how many guests on the show were Latino or Hispanic.
When Frías asked for clarification, he was told that WLRN, the Miami-based NPR members station, had to consider people's "cultural comfort zones." As of 2020, over 70% of Miami's population was Latino.
The issue was followed by a series of other incidents, one of which was from vice president of news Sergio Bustos, who criticized him for "airing our dirty laundry."
Not long after, Frías filed a complaint with human resources, pointing to a concern about a "culture of discrimination" against Spanish speakers, Latinos and Hispanics at the radio station. He and his team were fired less than two weeks after, with his lawyer claiming that the decision "was nothing short of punitive."
WLRN, didn't answer to a request for comment but said in a prior statement that the show had a "positive impact on the South Florida community."
The controversial firing comes a few weeks after a series of layoffs in Univision, a dominant force in the Hispanic media market and the leading Spanish-speaking TV network in the United States, and a similar decision by Telemundo in December.
Univision laid off around 200 employees in several departments in January, claiming that "the evolution of the media landscape has required us to implement efficiencies and cost-cutting measures to meet existing demands and, in turn, strengthen our business for the future."
The layoffs at TelevisaUnivision have significantly impacted its Sports division, affecting personnel across various locations including Miami, the national U.S. offices, and Mexico City.
One week later, the Los Angeles Timesannounced the layoff of 112 newsroom employees, one-fourth of its newsroom staff, marking a historic moment for the 143-year-old institution and significantly affecting its Latino coverage.
Sources within the LA Times revealed to the Latin Times that the De Los section, dedicated to the burgeoning Latino community of Los Angeles, faced a staggering reduction, losing 75% of its staff.
Los Angeles Times en Español, which served as a crucial platform for Spanish-speaking Angelenos, faced the dismissal of its editor. The remaining staff of both the Spanish edition and De Los falls under the leadership of Fidel Martínez.
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