Does Chavez hate Betty la fea?
(UPDATED WITH BONUS MUSIC) Most Amercians probably resort to Telemundo for the uber-dramatic and extremely formulaic close up scences and ominous music found in every telenovela. But while you may have expected Reymundo to break off his engangement to Daniela so he could elope with her transexual sister, Luisa (formerly Luis, obviously), you may not have noticed that the NBC-owned Spanish-speaking network was off the air during the Venezuelan elections yesterday.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Telemundo (which, by the way, aired the original Ugly Betty. American knock-offs…), garners the attention of 93 percent of Hispanic households in the U.S., is usually the main source of international news for the Latin American population, along with top competitor Univision.
The article claims:
At least six people who identified themselves as members of the National Commission of Telecommunications, which regulates electronic media in Venezuela, arrived Sunday afternoon at the hotel from which Telemundo had been transmitting since Friday, said Iacub.
The officials said the network needed permission to transmit and lacking such could not, he said. Iacub said he was unaware of such a requirement but that the Telemundo journalists were accredited with Venezuela’s national elections council.
And what would a Latin American election be without an unresponsive government? Telemundo employees said that they asked how they could obtain permission but were ultimately told that their coverage wouldn’t be televised.
The government’s response? Well, let’s just say that “no comment” would have been something.
Featured Music:
Bonus Music:
Cardenales Del Exito - “Que Viva El Gobierno”
(Editor’s Note: Not a lot of people know about gaita music, the traditional Venezuelan music genre. Here’s a small taste of not just good gaita, but protest gaita. Go ahead and fire up your Babelfish translator…Here’s a hint: the title loosly translates to “Long Live the Government.”)
