cable
Cable may refer to:
Mechanical
* Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof
* Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
television network
A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or multichannel video programming distributo ...
. It was launched on February 25, 2004, and catered to the Latino community with exclusively English-language programming. It ended operations on September 30, 2015, when its programming merged with
Fuse
Fuse or FUSE may refer to:
Devices
* Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current
** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles
* Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protect ...
; the channel space was replaced with the new channel concept, FM.
History
Beginnings as a production company (1997–2003)
Founded by American entrepreneurs
Jeff Valdez
Jeff Valdez (born January 31, 1956) is an American producer, writer, and studio executive who created the category of Latino Programming in English. The films and TV shows written and produced by Valdez have been syndicated in more than 40 countri ...
and Bruce Barshop, Sí TV was established in 1997 as a
production company
A production company, production house, production studio, or a production team is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and ...
to develop, produce and distribute original English-language entertainment aimed primarily at a Latino audience. In 1998, the company produced two half-hour bilingual programs – the talk show ''Cafe Ole with Giselle Fernandez'' and the comedy series ''Funny Is Funny'' – for the Spanish-language cable channel
Galavisión
Galavisión is an American Spanish-language pay television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. The network is unrelated to the earlier Mexican channel of the same name, though both broadcast Televisa-produced programming.
As of February 2015, a ...
. The two series, which dealt primarily with Latino culture in the United States, helped boost Galavisión's audience share on weekends in the 18–34 Latino demographic by 83%. When Sí TV and Galavisión parted ways in August of that year, Valdez sold the shows into national syndication in 52 markets, drawing solid ratings in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
,
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
,
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
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
.
On March 10, 1999, Sí TV announced plans to launch the first English-language cable network aimed at young Latinos. Valdez expressed interest in debuting the channel during the first quarter of 2000. George A. Greenberg of Newberger Greenberg & Associates, a media advisory firm that helped develop the
Sci-Fi Channel
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Launc ...
prior to its August 1992 launch, said the network was expected to initially be available to approximately 6 million U.S. homes. Greenberg estimated that it would cost about $30 million to get Sí TV "up and running" and another $70 million to operate it for its first three years. According to ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' columnist Kevin Baxter, although Latinos make up 11% of the population of the United States, and "their numbers are growing six times faster than the population at large", there have been few attempts to develop programming of "relevance to the acculturated segment of that community". Esther Renteria, chairwoman of the
National Hispanic Media Coalition
The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) civil rights organization that was founded to eliminate hate, discrimination, and racism towards the Latino community.
NHMC collaborates with other social justice organizations ...
, stated that: "I think there's a need for Sí TV, but whether it's too soon or not, I don't know".
Sí TV's production of the
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
sitcom ''
The Brothers García
''The Brothers García'' is an American teen sitcom created by Jeff Valdez, Mike Cevallos, and Gibby Cevallos. It was among the first projects of Sí TV, an effort to produce programming featuring Latino characters that are aimed at a diverse au ...
'' (which ran from 2000 to 2004), made television history as the first English-language sitcom with a cast and creative team of writers, directors and producers made entirely of Latinos. In January 2003, it was announced that Sí TV would be launched nationally on satellite provider
Dish Network
DISH Network Corporation (DISH, an acronym for DIgital Sky Highway) is an American television provider and the owner of the direct-broadcast satellite provider Dish, commonly known as Dish Network, and the over-the-top IPTV service, Sling TV. A ...
at the beginning of that summer. Valdez stated that: "For years, people have ignored the young demographic that doesn't speak Spanish but needs a voice and wants a place to call home".
Launch as a cable television network (2004–10)
Sí TV was launched as a
cable
Cable may refer to:
Mechanical
* Nautical cable, an assembly of three or more ropes woven against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof
* Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a hel ...
network
Network, networking and networked may refer to:
Science and technology
* Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects
* Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks
Mathematics
...
on February 25, 2004, becoming the first exclusively English-language cable channel catering to the Latino community. It became a
bicultural
Biculturalism in sociology describes the co-existence, to varying degrees, of two originally distinct cultures.
Official policy recognizing, fostering, or encouraging biculturalism typically emerges in countries that have emerged from a histo ...
alternative to Spanish-language networks such as
Univision
Univision () is an American Spanish-language free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the Latino public and includes ...
and
Telemundo
Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language Terrestrial television, terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Television and Streaming#NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a divi ...
. According to Sean O'Neal of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'', the channel is marketed toward audiences who "enjoy a Spanish flavor without all the actual Spanish". Sí TV's target audience of young adults aged 18–34 are "presumably those who have long since assimilated into American convention", and who "don't necessarily have any particular fealty to the sort of programming that goes to great lengths to remind them of their heritage – unlike their first-generation parents or grandparents". Within three months of its launch, Sí TV had seven million subscribers nationwide.
In April 2004, Sí TV announced that it had secured more than $60 million in financing from a large group that includes "major pay" television distributors and several private equity investors, including
Time Warner
Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States.
It was originally established in 1972 by ...
,
EchoStar Communications
EchoStar Corporation is an American company, a worldwide provider of satellite communication and Internet services through its Hughes Network Systems and EchoStar Satellite Services business segments. EchoStar is based out of unincorporated Arapa ...
and DND Equity Partners. That August, Sí TV hired Rori Peters (who began her career in commercial banking, was previously a vice president at
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
, worked for
Court TV
Court TV is an American digital broadcast network and former cable television channel. It was originally launched in 1991 with a focus on crime-themed programs such as true crime documentary series, legal analysis talk shows, and live news cove ...
and served as a 2002 national chairperson for Women in Cable) as its vice president of affiliate relations. In this role, she was responsible for developing the department and increasing the network's subscriber base. In August 2005, the network appointed Michael Schwimmer (a former top lieutenant at EchoStar Communications) as its
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
. In April 2006, Valdez stepped down as head of programming of Sí TV. Edward R. Leon, the network's senior vice president of production, assumed the additional role of acting head of programming.
During the 2008 presidential election, Sí TV teamed up with voter registration organization, Voto Latino, to mount a "Crash the Parties" contest to pick two Latino "political junkies" to serve as reporters for the channel at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. Video entries were judged by the public and a panel, including
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
anchor
Rick Sanchez
Rick Sanchez is one of the two eponymous characters from the Adult Swim animated television series ''Rick and Morty'' and resulting franchise. Created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon and voiced by the former, Sanchez is a misanthropic alcoh ...
, actress
Rosario Dawson
Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama ''Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include '' He Got Game'' (1998), ''Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in Bl ...
,
Craigslist
Craigslist (stylized as craigslist) is an American classified advertisements website with sections devoted to jobs, housing, for sale, items wanted, services, community service, Gig worker, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums.
Craig Newmark ...
's
Craig Newmark
Craig Alexander Newmark (born December 6, 1952) is an American internet entrepreneur and philanthropist best known as the founder of the classifieds website Craigslist. Prior to founding Craigslist, he worked as a computer programmer for companie ...
, former Texas congressman
Henry Bonilla
Henry Bonilla (born January 2, 1954) is a former congressman who represented Texas's 23rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. He was defeated in his bid for re-election by Ciro Rodriguez, a former Democratic mem ...
,
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
's Steve Grove and
Republican National Hispanic Assembly
The Republican National Hispanic Assembly is an American political organization founded in 1967 which seeks to promote Hispanic-American issues and interests within the Republican Party, and the Party's interests and candidates within the Hispan ...
chairman Danny Vargas. The contest awarded Sí TV national impact. Sí TV and Voto Latino also hosted a series of registration events in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
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, subdivision_type = Country
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,
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 ...
,
Sacramento
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
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 ...
. According to SNL Kagan, in 2009, the network was estimated to have earned more than $15 million in net ad sales revenue.
Relaunch as NUVOtv (2011–13)
On January 18, 2011, Telemundo ad sales veteran Craig Geller was named Sí TV's senior vice president of advertising sales. Of his move, Geller stated that: "It's the right time in the right market and Sí TV is the right network. The marketplace is poised for explosive growth and the 2010 Census will validate the fact that bicultural Latinos are absolutely the fastest-growing demo in the U.S." He further stated that the job "was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up". He commented: "Having been a student of the marketplace for as many years as I have, I recognized that the network is ready to take a huge leap forward. At the same time, our audience is growing tremendously. The time has come for advertisers to embrace these consumers, in a culturally relevant way, and the place to do that is Sí TV".
In March 2011, the channel reached approximately 25 to 27 million households, according to its senior
vice president
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...
of marketing Rafael Oller. The network expected to reach 30 million households by the end of 2011; a milestone that would make it eligible to be rated by Nielsen and would therefore be of more interest to advertisers.
On
July 4
Events Pre-1600
* 362 BC – Battle of Mantinea: The Thebans, led by Epaminondas, defeated the Spartans.
* 414 – Emperor Theodosius II, age 13, yields power to his older sister Aelia Pulcheria, who reigned as regent and proclaim ...
, 2011, the network underwent a rebrand and changed its name to NUVOtv ("nuvo" being a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordshttp://www.thecab.tv/php/networkprofiles/12profileData/2012pdf/12NuvoTV.pdf The name change was their part of an effort to tackle the power of the United States' growing Latino population. Oller stated that: "Most everyone is focused on total U.S. Hispanics, but the real story is the bicultural Latino. Three out of four speak English well or very well. These bicultural Latinos self-identify as Latino and American and are looking for culturally relevant programming". In August 2012, nuvoTV announced that they had raised $40 million from current investors, Columbia Capital LLC and
Rho Capital Partners
Rho Capital Partners is a venture capital firm that actively invests in companies related to technology, new media, cleaning technology and healthcare.
Rho Fund Investors, a division of Rho Capital Partners, is a fund of funds (FoF), or fund t ...
Inc., and new investors, Veronis Suhler Stevenson LLC and Tennenbaum Capital Partners LLC.
On September 11, NUVOtv announced a premier partnership with entertainer and entrepreneur
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
, which would focus on appealing the network's programming to a modern, Latino audience that is "growing rapidly and in need of new, high-quality content". Lopez would work on the creative side of the network, managing marketing and program production with her production company,
Nuyorican Productions
Nuyorican Productions, Inc. is an American production company founded by Jennifer Lopez and Benny Medina.
History
Lopez owns the film and television production company Nuyorican Productions, which was launched as early as 2001. It was co-foun ...
, as well as periodically appearing on programs featured on the network's programming. According to ''
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'', with a growing Latino audience, "there is more demand for television programming around that audience. Until now, there have only been a few networks focused on this demographic, and really none focused on providing Latino cultural content in English". Lopez told ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'' that when she was growing up there was very little programming that appealed to her heritage, stating that: "Growing up in the
Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
as a little Puerto Rican girl watching TV and not having a lot to identify with. ''
West Side Story
''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents.
Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid-1 ...
'' was really my favorite thing because it had Puerto Ricans in it". Lopez explained that her partnership with nuvoTV marked a natural step in her career. "I'm in this business and I do know this business on many different levels – in music, in television, in film production, and as an actress, and in so many different ways, even in fashion. It's kind of right up my alley," she said. Lopez was named as
chief creative officer
A chief creative officer (CCO) is the highest ranking position of the creative team within a company. Depending on the type of company, this position may be responsible for the overall look and feel of marketing, media, and branding associated with ...
of the network on May 16, 2013.
Fuse Media (2014–15)
On April 4, 2014, SiTV Media announced that it would acquire cable music channel
Fuse
Fuse or FUSE may refer to:
Devices
* Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current
** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles
* Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protect ...
for $226 million, in a deal which resulted in its former owner,
The Madison Square Garden Company
Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (also known as MSG Sports) is an American sports holding company based in New York City.
MSG Sports manages professional sports teams. These include the National Basketball Association's New York Knicks and t ...
, also acquiring a 15% stake in SiTV. Prior to the official announcement,
Benny Medina
Benny Medina (born January 24, 1958) is an American record executive, talent manager, and television producer.
Early life and education
Medina was born in East Los Angeles, California, of Dominican parents into a poor family. The death of hi ...
(
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
's manager and the network's chief creative officer) stated that if SiTV were to acquire Fuse, there were no immediate plans to make any major changes to the network's programming, emphasizing that Fuse and NuvoTV would be "two different companies with two different identities, audiences and goals."
In 2015, it was announced that NuvoTV would fold into Fuse, as the latter network expands its programming to target an audience dubbed "New Young Americans". After that, NuvoTV continued to premiere new programming. Nuvo TV merged with Fuse TV on September 30, 2015.