Estrella Media (formerly known as Liberman Broadcasting, Inc. from 1987 to October 14, 2019 and LBI Media, Inc. from October 15, 2019 until February 2, 2020) is an American media company based in
Burbank,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, owned by
private equity
In the field of finance, the term private equity (PE) refers to investment funds, usually limited partnerships (LP), which buy and restructure financially weak companies that produce goods and provide services. A private-equity fund is both a ty ...
firm HPS Investment Partners, LLC. Estrella Media primarily caters to the
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
-speaking
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
community, owns television and radio stations in several of the top Hispanic markets, and is the parent company of the
Estrella TV
Estrella TV () is an American Spanish-language broadcast television network owned by the Estrella Media subsidiary of HPS Investment Partners, LLC. The network primarily features programs, the vast majority of which are produced by the network ...
network.
History
José Liberman, and his son Lenard founded the company in 1987, as Liberman Broadcasting, Inc.. Between them, they had more than 55 years of operating experience in the broadcasting industry. The father/son pair co-founded radio and television clusters in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
and
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, and in the late 1990s to early 2000s, expanded their assets to include broadcast properties in
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
and
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
. Although their television stations were considered part of the Liberman Television Network, they were still classified as
independent station
An independent station is an independent radio or terrestrial television station which is independent in some way from broadcast networks. The definition of "independence" varies from country to country, reflecting governmental regulations, market ...
s and by 2006, the company had adopted a consistent branding for its three television stations under the brand "Estrella TV" (or "Star TV"), mirroring the
television system
In Canada, a television system is a group of television stations which share common ownership, branding and programming, but which for some reason does not satisfy the criteria necessary for it to be classified as a television network under Cana ...
model in the
Canadian television industry. Liberman expanded the Estrella TV format to other markets where it acquired television stations, featuring much of the same programs as those aired by the Los Angeles, Dallas and Houston outlets (some of which aired in different timeslots than they did on KRCA, KMPX and KZJL).
In 1999, Liberman formed a production division within its LBI Media unit to produce original programming content that would be distributed to the stations, focusing on a mix of variety series, sketch comedy, scripted drama and music programs,
talk show
A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...
s and
game show
A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...
s. One of its earliest programs, the reality game show ''Gana la Verde'' ("Win the Green"), caused controversy after several immigrant advocacy groups (including the
American Immigration Lawyers Association
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), founded on October 14, 1946, is a voluntary bar association of over 15,000 attorneys and law professors who practice and teach immigration law. AILA member attorneys represent U.S. families see ...
, the Central American Resource Center, the Latina Lawyers Bar Association and the Mexican American Bar Association) and California
U.S. House Reps. Xavier Becerra
Xavier Becerra ( ; ; born January 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 25th United States secretary of health and human services since March 2021. Becerra previously served as the attorney general of California from Jan ...
,
Hilda Solis
Hilda Lucia Solis (; born October 20, 1957) is an American politician and a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for the 1st district. Solis previously served as the 25th United States Secretary of Labor from 2009 to 2013, as par ...
and
Linda Sánchez
Linda Teresa Sánchez (born January 28, 1969) is an American politician and former labor lawyer serving as the U.S. representative for . A member of the Democratic Party, Sánchez was first elected to Congress in 2002. She serves on the Ways an ...
complained that the format – which debuted in July 2004, and featured
illegal immigrants
Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwa ...
competing in extreme ''
Fear Factor
''Fear Factor'' is an American stunt/ dare game show that first aired on NBC from 2001 to 2006 and was initially hosted by comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan. The show was adapted by Endemol USA from the original Dutch series titled ''Now or ...
''-style competitions for the opportunity to win one year of legal assistance from an immigration attorney to help them obtain a
green card
A green card, known officially as a permanent resident card, is an identity document which shows that a person has permanent residency in the United States. ("The term 'lawfully admitted for permanent residence' means the status of having been ...
– put its participants in danger of deportation by immigration authorities aware of the show.
On August 4, 2006, Liberman Broadcasting reached an agreement with
Entravision Communications
Entravision Communications Corporation is an American media company based in Santa Monica, California. Entravision primarily caters to the Spanish-speaking Hispanic community and owns television and radio stations and outdoor media, in several of ...
to buy the company's five Dallas-area radio stations. On May 30, 2007, Liberman Broadcasting announced that it would expand into
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
through its purchase of
KPNZ (channel 24) in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
from Utah Communications, LLC for $10 million (although it would continue to operate as an English language independent station from after the purchase was finalized that November until February 2008); then on July 19, 2007, Liberman bought KWIE (now
KRQB
KRQB (96.1 MHz) is one of four Southern California FM radio stations branded as "Que Buena" and which all play Regional Mexican music. Its owner is Estrella Media. KRQB shares the same weekday morning show as the three Los Angeles-area Que Buen ...
and at the time maintaining a
Rhythmic CHR Rhythmic may refer to:
* Related to rhythm
* Rhythmic contemporary, a radio format
* Rhythmic adult contemporary, a radio format
* Rhythmic gymnastics, a form of gymnastics
* Rhythmic (chart)
The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, a ...
format) in the Los Angeles suburb of
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...
from
Magic Broadcasting
Magic Broadcasting, LLC is a company which owned and operated five radio stations in Alabama and two in California.
History
Magic Broadcasting, LLC, formerly Styles Media Group, LLC, was founded in 1989. The name was changed to Magic Broadcasting ...
for $25 million. On August 18, 2008, the company purchased low-power station
KVPA-LP
KVPA-LD, virtual channel 42 (UHF digital terrestrial television, digital channel 34), is a low-power broadcasting#Television, low-powered Estrella TV-owned-and-operated station, owned-and-operated television station city of license, licensed to Ph ...
(channel 42) in
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
,
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
from Latin America Broadcasting, Inc. for $1.25 million.
On January 27, 2009, at the
National Association of Television Program Executives
The National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) is a professional association of television and emerging media executives. The organization was established in 1963.
NATPE implements its mission by providing members with educati ...
(NATPE) Convention in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, Liberman Broadcasting announced that it would turn the Estrella TV concept into a full-fledged national network that would launch at a then-yet-determined date later that year, which would be targeted at adults between the ages of 18 and 49 years old. Liberman had explored the possibility of developing a national network in 2007, when it raised $200 million in capital to acquire additional television stations and expand programming production.
The network was originally scheduled to launch on July 1, though its debut was subsequently delayed to September 14, 2009.
On February 3, 2010,
LeSea Broadcasting
Family Broadcasting Corporation, formerly known as LeSEA Broadcasting, is an American Christian television network. Founded by Lester Sumrall in 1972, Family Broadcasting Corporation is headquartered in South Bend, Indiana, and broadcasts Chris ...
announced the sale of KWHD to Liberman for $5.75 million; the station became an Estrella TV owned-and-operated station following completion of the sale, under the callsign
KETD
KETD (channel 53) is a television station licensed to Castle Rock, Colorado, United States, broadcasting the Spanish-language Estrella TV network to the Denver area. Owned and operated by Estrella Media, the station maintains offices on East Jam ...
, on June 1.
On February 22, 2010, Liberman Broadcasting acquired W40BY (now
WESV-LD
WESV-LD, virtual channel 40 ( UHF digital channel 31), is a low-powered Estrella TV owned-and-operated television station licensed to Chicago, Illinois, United States. The station is owned by Estrella Media. The station transmits from the Willi ...
) Chicago from
Trinity Broadcasting Network
The Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) is an international Christian-based broadcast television network and the world's largest religious television network. TBN was headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, until March 3, 2017, when it sold its ...
, intending to convert it to serve as the Estrella TV O&O for the market. The sale was closed on December 6. On January 23, 2012, Liberman Broadcasting announced the sale of KNTE-FM (96.9, now
KXBJ
KXBJ (96.9 FM) is a radio station licensed to El Campo, Texas, United States, serving the Texas Gulf coast area. The station is currently owned by Hope Media Group (formerly KSBJ Educational Foundation).
The station simulcasts Contemporary Chri ...
) in the Houston suburb of
El Campo, Texas
El Campo is a city in Wharton County, Texas, United States. The population was 12,350 at the 2020 Census, making it the largest city in Wharton County.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.5&nb ...
to the KSBJ Educational Foundation for $2.1 million; the sale was completed that April. Subsequently, on May 2, Liberman pared back its Houston-area radio cluster further with the sale of KJOJ (880, now
KJOZ
KJOZ (880 AM) is a radio station, paired with 3 FM relay translators. Licensed to Conroe, Texas, KJOZ primarily serves the northern Houston, Texas metropolitan area. The station broadcasts a Tropical music format.
History As 900 KMCO
KJOZ start ...
) in
Conroe to Aleluya Christian Broadcasting (a subsidiary of DAIJ Media LLC) for $1 million. On February 11, 2013, Liberman Broadcasting announced the sale of Spanish CHR KTCY (101.7 FM, now
KYDA
KYDA (101.7 FM broadcasting, FM) is a Radio broadcasting, radio station based in the Fort Worth, Texas, and is the local outlet of EMF's Air1, Air 1 radio, airing a Christian Worship format. The station is licensed to Azle, Texas, with a transmitt ...
) in the Dallas–Fort Worth suburb of
Azle, Texas
Azle ( ) is a small city west of Fort Worth in Parker and Tarrant Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,947.
Azle is the home of the Azle Marching Green Pride marching band and the Fighting Azl ...
to the Educational Media Foundation for $6 million.
In September 2016, Liberman Broadcasting was involved in two sexual harassment lawsuits filed with the
Los Angeles Superior Court
The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, is the California superior court with jurisdiction over Los Angeles County, which includes the city of Los Angeles. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States.
The ...
involving two female newscasters. In the initial suit, former Estrella TV anchor/correspondent Adriana Ruggiero (who filed her suit anonymously under the pseudonym "
Jane Doe
John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law enforcement in the United States, such names are ofte ...
") claimed sexual harassment,
wrongful termination
In law, wrongful dismissal, also called wrongful termination or wrongful discharge, is a situation in which an employee's contract of employment has been terminated by the employer, where the termination breaches one or more terms of the contra ...
and
breach of contract
Breach of contract is a legal cause of action and a type of civil wrong, in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party ...
, accusing the network's Vice President of News at the time, Andres Angulo, informed her that Lenard Liberman was unconvinced about promoting Ruggiero—who was appointed as main anchor of the early-evening ''Noticiero Estrella TV'' newscast in 2015—to permanently replace the then-recently deceased
Enrique Gratas
Enrique O. Gratas (born Gratás; November 25, 1944 – October 8, 2015) was an Argentinian journalist and television personality known for being the original host of '' Ocurrio Asi'' on Telemundo, and the former anchor of Univision's ''Última Hor ...
as anchor of the prime time news program ''Cierre de Edicion'' because she did not look attractive enough, had asked her to showcase her cleavage more on-air (a claim Angulo allegedly stated he would deny asking her if she took the case to court), had repeatedly harassed another female employee, and threatened to replace her with fellow anchor Adriana Yañez (who was hired by the network in October 2015) if Ruggiero insisted on receiving a bonus stipulated in her contract. In retaliation for pursuing the bonus, Ruggiero claimed she was excluded from ''Cierre de Edicion'' editorial meetings and “intentionally caused members of the news team to lose respect” for her opinions and abilities. (Ruggiero was replaced as ''Cierre de Edicion'' anchor by Pedro Ferriz Hijar, previously with Mexico's Efekto TV network, and was replaced on ''Noticiero Estrella TV'' by Yañez in January 2016, resulting in her effective dismissal from the network.)
A separate suit filed on June 23 by Karla Amezola—then anchor at Los Angeles flagship KRCA-TV—cited a history of “shameless and disgusting acts” of harassment by Angulo that “continued to escalate in levels of depravity”, stating that he bragged about his sexual experiences and showed her
nude photographs of female co-workers he had slept with to Amezola and other Estrella/KRCA colleagues, had propositioned her for sex numerous times (including telling her that he thought of her while masturbating in his office), had
kissed her against her will and allegedly stroked his
erect penis
An erection (clinically: penile erection or penile tumescence) is a physiological phenomenon in which the penis becomes firm, engorged, and enlarged. Penile erection is the result of a complex interaction of psychological, neural, vascular, ...
while asking her to "turn around" to peer at her buttocks while in Angulo's office. Amezola also claimed Angulo threatened her in 2015 against taking any legal action and warned her that
human resources
Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms include m ...
would not believe her allegations. After filing a complaint to Estrella/KRCA human resources, Angulo and Estrella TV management retaliated against employees who "contributed damaging information,” removing her as 5:00 p.m. anchor at KRCA (while retaining her as 11:00 p.m. anchor) without cause and undertaking measures against employees who came forward as witnesses to Amezola's claims.
On November 21, 2018, Liberman Broadcasting filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection
Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wheth ...
with the
United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The company—which claimed assets worth between $100 million and $500 million and liabilities worth between $500 million and $1 billion—sought to reduce its overall debt by more than $350 million and secured $38 million in
debtor-in-possession
A debtor in possession or DIP in United States bankruptcy law is a person or corporation who has filed a bankruptcy petition, but remains in possession of property upon which a creditor has a lien or similar security interest. A debtor becomes the ...
financing.
On April 17, 2019, Liberman obtained approval of its reorganization plan from the Delaware bankruptcy court, with the expectation that it would be able to clear its balance sheet within the following several months. As a result, Estrella TV suspended production of the talk show ''Noches con Platanito'' and cancelled its two morning news programs ''Primera Edición'' and ''Buenos Dias Familia''. (The latter two shows—following a four-month run of telenovelas and an encore of the previous weeknight's edition of flagship newscast ''Cierre de Edicion'' in the timeslot—would later be replaced by a new morning news program, ''En la Mañana'', on October 21.) On October 15, 2019, Liberman Broadcasting completed its reorganization plan, turning over ownership of the company—which was formally renamed LBI Media, Inc.—to its first lien lender,
private equity
In the field of finance, the term private equity (PE) refers to investment funds, usually limited partnerships (LP), which buy and restructure financially weak companies that produce goods and provide services. A private-equity fund is both a ty ...
firm HPS Investment Partners, LLC, which sponsored the reorganization plan; the reorganization eliminated more than $350 million of debt from its balance sheet. As part of the corporate reorganization, co-founder/CEO Lenard Liberman divested his equity in LBI, and was replaced as the company's CEO by former
Granite Broadcasting
Granite Broadcasting LLC is a broadcasting holding company in New York City which owns one television station in the United States, in Syracuse, New York. Granite was founded by W. Don Cornwell and Stuart Beck in 1988, and
Communications Corporation of America
Communications Corporation of America (also known as ComCorp) was a broadcasting company in the United States that owned television stations in smaller markets. The company was headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana. It owned and/or operated 20 s ...
Chairman Peter Markham. On February 3, 2020, LBI Media rebranded as Estrella Media, borrowing its name from flagship Spanish-language network Estrella TV.
Estrella-owned stations
Stations are listed alphabetically by state and
city of license
In American, Canadian, and Mexican broadcasting, a city of license or community of license is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator.
In North American broa ...
.
Television stations
Note: ''All stations listed below are Estrella TV owned-and-operated stations.''
Radio stations
Note: ''All stations listed below are owned by Estrella through its radio broadcasting division, Estrella Radio.''
Former Estrella-owned stations
Television stations
Radio stations
(a partial listing)
Programming
Television
The following television shows are produced by Estrella Media and are distributed exclusively to Estrella owned & operated TV stations:
*''En Vivo''
*''Chisme En Vivo''
*''Alarma TV''
*''Noticias 24 Horas''
*''Noticero Estrella TV"
*''Rica Famosa Latina''
*''Encrucijada''
*''MasterChef Latinos''
*''100 Latinos Dijeron''
*''Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento''
*''La Máscara del Amor''
*''Tu-Night con Omar Chaparro''
*''Boxeo Estrella TV''
*''Charreadas En Fuego''
Radio
La Ranchera, La Raza, Que Buena And El Norte feature
Regional Mexican
Regional Mexican is a Latin music radio format encompassing the musical genres from the different parts of rural Mexico and the Southwestern United States. Genres include banda, country en español, Duranguense, grupero, mariachi, New Mexico ...
music, whereas features Luna features Spanish adult contemporary music, Whereas features Joe features
Classic Hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980s ...
contemporary music.
Hola queiro dar mi opinion sobre su programacion todo esta muy bien trato de no perderme ni un progama casi toda su progamacion es perfecte pero ese de chef es una basura no se por que ponen esos progamas y sobre todo majaderos los conductores para mi es un hasco eso a todos mis amigos que les he preguntado piensan lo mismo suerte y hasta luego Atentamente
Pablo Castillo
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Estrella Media
1987 establishments in California
Mass media companies established in 1987
Broadcasting companies of the United States
Television broadcasting companies of the United States
Spanish-language broadcasting in the United States
Spanish-language mass media in California
Companies based in Burbank, California
Oaktree Capital Management media holdings
Estrella Media stations
Radio broadcasting companies of the United States
Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2018
2019 mergers and acquisitions