Does this "Los Angeles, Mexico" TV station billboard really exist?

[Reeder]

Is this billboard really there?

http://worldnetdaily.com/images2/mexicobillboard.jpg

[Reeder]

It's late..I'm tired..

This should have been in GQ.

But perhaps a debate will erupt.

If it's real I think the billboard is BS and Clear Channel should be smacked down.

[Civil Guy]

...I dunno... that sky behind the billboard looks a little, well, *blue* for it to be anywhere in LA...

[scotandrsn]

The 605 is at least 25 miles long. I don't recall seeing that billboard on the sections I've driven recently, but there are plenty of spots on the 605 where the smart money is on keeping your eyes on the vehicles around you instead of the ads.

[rjung]

I can't recall seeing the billboard or not the last time I drove on the 605, but offhand it doesn't seem particularly unusual. While the "Mexico" bit could be interpreted as an anti-immigration slur, I suspect it was just the network's ad department trying to be clever -- it doesn't seem particularly unusual from the other Hispanic TV billboards I've seen.

[BobT]

Channel 62 in L.A. is pretty much all infomercials with the exception of the news broadcasts. I would imagine that it gets pretty small ratings for it news. Two other Spanish language stations likely do a lot better.

If the photo was taken recently the cloudy skies behind it would be expected.

[MEBuckner]

Moderator's Note: Well, without getting bogged down in some huge philsophical discussion, either the billboard exists, or it doesn't, so off to GQ this goes.

[MEBuckner]

(And I also renamed the thread.)

[Hyperelastic]

It's absolutely real (LA Times, subscription required).

The advertiser is unapologetic. He's playing to the widespread, openly expressed feeling of Mexican triumphalism among recent immigrants and their radical activist enablers. This triumphalism, patriotism, nationalism, whatever you want to call it, is entirely justified. Los Angeles has been turned into a Mexican city; the mayor says so. When Vicente Fox says jump, local politicians say, "How high?" (Note: It's un-American to complain about this. After all, we are a nation of immigrants .)

The truth can come out in interesting forums sometimes, can't it?

[ShibbOleth]

Originally Posted by Hyperelastic

The truth can come out in interesting forums sometimes, can't it?

Yeah, El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula has always been an American city. I pity those first Spaniards in 1977, and later Mexicans, who arrived into the United States, only to find work as menial laborers. Where do they get off with these treasonous billboards?


Sometimes you come to the United States; sometimes the United States comes to you.

[Hyperelastic]

Originally Posted by ShibbOleth

Yeah, El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula has always been an American city. I pity those first Spaniards in 1977, and later Mexicans, who arrived into the United States, only to find work as menial laborers. Where do they get off with these treasonous billboards?

In an interesting update to your post, I have recently received a message via the tele-graph announcing that Mexico has, after a valiant struggle, lost the Mexican War.

[kayT]

As a hijack, a billboard on the east 10 freeway advertises visiting Mexico and says "Colorful pinatas, only in Mexico."
Perhaps they should come to, oh, San Pedro for a backyard barbeque....

[Troy McClure SF]

What's offensive about mentioning that there's lots of Mexicans in LA?

or

How is the billboard a slur against immigration, deserving of a smackdown?

[Mr. Moto]

Originally Posted by Hyperelastic

In an interesting update to your post, I have recently received a message via the tele-graph announcing that Mexico has, after a valiant struggle, lost the Mexican War.

-- . -..- .. -.-. --- / .... .- ... --..-- / .- ..-. - . .-. / .- / ...- .- .-.. .. .- -. - / ... - .-. ..- --. --. .-.. . --..-- / .-.. --- ... - / - .... . / -- . -..- .. -.-. .- -. / .-- .- .-. .-.-.-

[Hyperelastic]

Originally Posted by Mr. Moto

-- . -..- .. -.-. --- / .... .- ... --..-- / .- ..-. - . .-. / .- / ...- .- .-.. .. .- -. - / ... - .-. ..- --. --. .-.. . --..-- / .-.. --- ... - / - .... . / -- . -..- .. -.-. .- -. / .-- .- .-. .-.-.-

..-. ..- -.-. -.- .. -. / .- / .-- . .-.. .-.. / - --- .-.. -.. / --..-- / / -... ..- -... -... .-

[pulykamell]

Originally Posted by Troy McClure SF

What's offensive about mentioning that there's lots of Mexicans in LA?

or

How is the billboard a slur against immigration, deserving of a smackdown?

Color me confused, as well. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be offended by here.

[Schnitte]

Originally Posted by pulykamell

Color me confused, as well. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be offended by here.

Me too. Where's the problem? Do you mean this billboard offenses Mexicans living in L.A. by alluding that there are so many - too many - Mexicans in that city? Or does it offense Americans by implying a Mexican triumph over U.S. born citizen ("Hey, we took over the city! It's not American any more!")? When I saw the picture the first time, I simply sat here thinking "So what?"
Just regard it as what it is - an advertising joke and nothing more (and, Reeder: An example of someone exercising freedom of speech, so no reason for any action against the author of the billboard).

[pulykamell]

Originally Posted by Schnitte

Me too. Where's the problem? Do you mean this billboard offenses Mexicans living in L.A. by alluding that there are so many - too many - Mexicans in that city? Or does it offense Americans by implying a Mexican triumph over U.S. born citizen ("Hey, we took over the city! It's not American any more!")? When I saw the picture the first time, I simply sat here thinking "So what?"
Just regard it as what it is - an advertising joke and nothing more (and, Reeder: An example of someone exercising freedom of speech, so no reason for any action against the author of the billboard).

I read the billboard as a sort of "for Mexicans, by Mexicans" advertisement for a Mexican news program--yout know, a news program that focuses on local Los Angelean news, but with an emphasis on issues that would interest their Mexican viewership.

[even sven]

There are a lot of Americans who believe that Mexican immigrants are part of a non-military "army" that is "invading" with the ultimate goal of destroying American culture and perhaps annexing America's land in to Mexico. They tend to see signs of established Mexican culture in America as evidence of that invasion.

They cannot comprehend the idea of a living Mexican culture that is within America and entirely American-- in their mind there is one America, and it doesn't speak Spanish-- even in areas where Spanish was spoken for years before the first English speaking folks showed up. They can't really grok the idea that having a Mexican-American culture is a valid option and that Mexican culture is native to here.

So they take this billboard to be a sort of secret communique (after all, if they wern't talking about us behind our back, they'd use English, right?) that the Mexicans have destroyed part of America and claimed Los Angeles for their own. They may also see it as a call to arms, along the lines of "Berlin, Judenfrei" or "America, the Islamic Republic."

Of course, I think it's no more offensive than a sign for a station playing Italian love songs saying "San Francisco, Italy" or a Hindi Music stations saying "Houston, India."

[scotandrsn]

Originally Posted by Hyperelastic

It's absolutely real (LA Times, subscription required).

The advertiser is unapologetic. He's playing to the widespread, openly expressed feeling of Mexican triumphalism among recent immigrants and their radical activist enablers.

From you linked article, here's all material representing quotes by the station who put up the ads

The station's owners said the billboards were not intended to provoke controversy but were simply a way to reach out to the region's Spanish-language viewers and tell them there was a place where they could get news and information relevant to their lives.

"All we are saying is, 'It's your city, your town, your team,' " said Andrew Mars, vice president for sales for Liberman Broadcasting. "We are a team that's educating and informing the Spanish-language marketplace."

Executive Vice President Lenard Liberman said Noticias 62 was a popular news program in Los Angeles and noted that people of Mexican descent made up a large portion of the city.

"We tell the story behind L.A.., and we tell the story behind Mexico," he said. "If they find that offensive, I'm sorry. But you just have to drive around L.A. to know that this is a Hispanic city."

Burbank-based Liberman Broadcasting owns 16 Spanish-language radio stations and four television stations around the nation. The company leased the billboard space from Clear Channel Communications, which began putting up the ads last week. There are roughly 75 posters with the same message going up around the region, said Tony Alwin, a senior vice president for Clear Channel.

Not only do I read the word "sorry" in there, contrary to your claims, but nowhere do read any of this triumphalism in what they say.

Did it ever occur to you that at least some of the Mexicans in LA are, in fact, here legally? You know, I've only been out here 8 years, but it sure wouldn't surprise me to find families of Mexican descent who've been here longer . Some of them may even have members who are natural born American citizens!

As such, are trying to say they have no right to be proud of their cultural heritage, or that no local broadcaster should dream of creating programming that appeals to that pride, or that they have no right to market such programming in a way that addresses that pride?

What sort of bullshit fascism is this?

[blowero]

Add me to the "What's the big deal?" camp. My first thought when I looked at the picture was that it's obviously an ad for a Spanish-language news show, and is pointing out that there are a lot of hispanic people in L.A.; You'd have to really be a loser to be offended by that.

[Hyperelastic]

Originally Posted by scotandrsn

Did it ever occur to you that at least some of the Mexicans in LA are, in fact, here legally?

How does that make it "Los Angeles, Mexico"? I spent some time in a small Japanese city with a large population of American expats. Since I'm not an obnoxious moron, I never referred to it as "Utsunomiya, USA". If a guy has such an ethnic chip on his shoulder that he can't stand calling himself American, maybe he should think about moving back to the old country. Except that the old country either sucks, or if it doesn't suck any more, it won't take him.

What sort of bullshit fascism is this?

It's called patriotism. It's still legal.

Originally Posted by even sven

Of course, I think it's no more offensive than a sign for a station playing Italian love songs saying "San Francisco, Italy" or a Hindi Music stations saying "Houston, India."

I'd like to start a station that plays nothing but Sousa marches and put up a billboard advertising it as "All American", with a picture of a white guy saluting the American flag. That'd make you nervous, wouldn't it?

[tomndebb]

I'd like to start a station that plays nothing but Sousa marches and put up a billboard advertising it as "All American", with a picture of a white guy saluting the American flag. That'd make you nervous, wouldn't it?

I think it'd be kind of cool. Of course, the playlist would be sort of short.

Now, if the guy saluting the flag was David Duke or John Tanton or Pat Buchanan I'd be a bit concerned--though not surprised.

[BobT]

This didn't stay very GQ like.

Factually, this is a very small TV station that likely gets slaughtered in the ratings for Spanish language local news casts (they likely would finish a distant third) trying a gimmick to increase its viewership.

I'm sure it has a little.

The local Spanish language paper in L.A. "La Opinion" doesn't appear to have covered this story at all.

[chukhung]

Originally Posted by tomndebb

I think it'd be kind of cool. Of course, the playlist would be sort of short.

If you think 135 marches isn't enough, Sousa also has 15 operettas, 70 songs, and a number of other works to his credit.

[Hyperelastic]

More on the culprits. Liberman Broadcasting, owner of Channel 62, which put the billboard up, has been in the news before. They're in hot water with lesbian and gay advocates for airing TV and radio shows that positively portray violence against homosexuals. Several major advertisers withdrew their ads on the station as a result. Details here.

Then there's the Liberman show "Gana la Verde " ("Win the Green [Card]") where people do Fear Factor-type stuff like eat worms to compete for free services from an immigration lawyer. Apparently the human dignity of illegal immigrants won't be getting in the way of Liberman Broadcasting's bottom line. One would expect that Liberman Broadcasting, which is officially a "Hispanic-owned company" (thus entitling them to special "enhancements" when they have business before the FCC), would steer clear of this sort of thing. But wait a minute - they're not all that Hispanic after all. The Liberman family migrated to Poland in 1492, when they were expelled from Spain. Probably not quite what the government had in mind when it created affirmative action, but hey, it was good enough for the FCC.

So who's still standing up for these exploitative, homophobic, anti-American scumbags?

[Rico]

And LA radio station KFI has responded.

Scroll down to see the KFI billboard.

[Neurotik]

Originally Posted by Hyperelastic

So who's still standing up for these exploitative, homophobic, anti-American scumbags?

I don't approve of the homophobia and all, but I still don't have a problem with the billboard.