Univision Radio Network confirmed on Tuesday the cancellation of popular Spanish-language talk show "Piolín Por La Mañana," hosted by Southern California-based Eddie "Piolín" Sotelo, according to the Washington Post. Monica Talan, a Univision spokeswoman, announced the show has been dropped, but declined to provide further information.
Although the reasons why the show, which aired on KSCA-FM (101.9), was cancelled weren't made public, news site La Prensa pointed out "Piolín Por La Mañana" listernership in Southern California declined last year. The LA Times said that the increasing competition suffocated the show. Other programs, like Ricardo "El Mandril" Sanchez's show of regional Mexican music on radio station KLAX-FM (97.9) took the number one spot in the L.A.-Orange County market, according to Arbtitron.
While "El Mandril" was listed as No. 1 in June, Sotelo's show was No. 6, according to the ratings published by the Washington Post.
During its peak period of success, the show reached 3.5 million listeners each morning and would eventually host important figures as guests, including President Barack Obama, among other politicians, La Prensa reported. Its success explains why many believe low ratings weren't significant enough for Sotelo's show to be cancelled. Dolores Ines Casillas, a professor at University of California who is writing a book about Spanish-language radio, said Sotelo was "extremely well-known."
"It happened so quickly. His show still was incredibly popular," Sotelo told the Washington Post.
Mexican-born disc jockey, whose nickname means "Tweety Bird", joined the station in 2004. He has distinguished himself as an activist in defense of immigrants' rights and was one of the public figures that convened the March 25, 2006 march in Los Angeles, where over 500,000 people protested peacefully against a measure that stated being illegal was a major crime, reported La Prensa.
Sotelo was a native of the state of Jalisco who arrived to the U.S. as a teenager without papers. He became an American citizen in 2008, an event that was covered by the media. Sotelo insisted Hispanics follow his path so they could vote.
His program was known for being a "madhouse blend of satirical sketches, irreverent commentary, double-entendre wordplay and interjections by wacky characters," said LA Times. "The program is boisterous, irreverent and chaotic, more squawk show than talk show. The host is a mash-up of Oprah, Jerry Springer and Cantinflas," the paper published in a 2007 profile.
Univision spokeswoman informed that music will be played in the absence of "Piolín Por La Mañana."
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
