By Juan Montoya
A few months ago, when Jenny Martinez, the news director for KRGV Channel 5, announced her sudden retirement after 38 years of journalism profession and 29 years at the station, she told a reporter she was "forced to step down for undisclosed health reasons."
The reporter was discreet and did not pry or reveal those health issues, but Martinez, whose last name comes from her Hispanic husband, may have had other reasons.
Sources then close to the station said that a new policy being pushed by corporate parent Mobile Video Tapes, of Baton Rouge, La., and owned by the Manship Family, is requiring for all its reporters and news staff in the Rio Grande Valley to be functionally bilingual.
Martinez, although she had the last name, was monolingual English.
The station is part of Manship family media empire and bought the station through Mobile Video Tapes. It's late owner, Charles Manship, developed deep ties to Louisiana State University's School of Journalism which has embraced diversity in journalism..
The station's was owned by President Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird until 1961 when they sold to Kenco Enterprises. Mobile Video Tapes, which was formed by the Manship family, purchased the station from Kenco three years later.
In January 2018, KRGV moved its 10:30 p.m. newscast as part of its newly launched and locally programmed independent station known as "Somos El Valle", which includes a mix of Spanish and English content.
No one at Channel 5 would confirm it then, but some suspected that Martinez's sudden retirement may have been prompted by the parent corporation's efforts at diversity. At least that what some former staff members close to the station's staff are beginning to suspect.
"Jenny isn't one to divulge any insider stuff," said a former Channel 5 staffer. "But the word around the station is that she decided to step down because of the push from the parent corporation to have a fully bilingual staff. The station lost a lifetime of tough journalistic experience when she left."
Around the station, they say, the general feeling was that - given the general tenor from corporate - if someone wanted to apply to replace Martinez, the feeling was "If you're not bilingual don't bother to apply."
Around the station, they say, the general feeling was that - given the general tenor from corporate - if someone wanted to apply to replace Martinez, the feeling was "If you're not bilingual don't bother to apply."
Martinez led and guided scores of reporters in the station’s coverage of public corruption, natural disasters and cartel violence, as well as advocating for the disenfranchised. October 4 was her last day on the job. Zoltan Csanyi-Salcedo, formerly of CBS 4, took over that same day.
Csanyi-Salcedo is also the director of Somos Noticias, digital channel 5.2, Cable 1240. In announcing his new job, the Texas Association of Broadcasters says he is "a 30-plus year news veteran in television and radio in both English and Spanish language broadcasting."“I am looking forward to leading a group of journalists in both English and Spanish. Every day, there are great local stories around the Valley and many that still need to be told in both languages," he said.
He has been a News Director and manager in El Paso, Albuquerque, Dallas, and the Rio Grande Valley as News Director for CBS, NBC, Telemundo and Univision affiliates.
"We know now that true diversity must be a lot more colorful than that. It must be multifaceted. In addition to race and gender, it requires an exposure to different religious beliefs, national origin, sexual orientation and, some would argue, economic class.”
The Manship Family is apparently following LSU's Diversity Plan that is a reflection of the plan put forward by the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communications that states:
"We know now that true diversity must be a lot more colorful than that. It must be multifaceted. In addition to race and gender, it requires an exposure to different religious beliefs, national origin, sexual orientation and, some would argue, economic class.”
"In the past, former diversity standards referred only to race and gender. The current diversity standard uses broader language by also referring by name to ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabilities and underrepresented groups."
That would include language, it would appear. In the implementation of this new plan, will tough, hard-nosed journalism - by reporters who speak any language - be left by the wayside?
12 comments:
DIVERSITY elevated to the level of PERVERSITY...Dina Garza...what a fucking bitch!!
Is hillbilly considered a different language? What about race Neanderthals? They should than apply at KRGV but they won't bunch of lazys they only apply for welfare and food stamps they live in caves so they don't use title 8 housing. lol hahahaha - KRGV!
Totally shameful!!!! Reverse discrimination!!! When is this Country going to learn to co-exist with each other & all their differences!!!
I remember when Channel 4 did the same thing with Hilda and Frank Sullivan who had been there since I was in diapers. Now Nicole leaves? Who is next? Brian? That is why it is so difficult to understand the news when there are journalist that can not speak English correctly or without the sh sound going too long. Nobody knows how to pronounce the word library correctly. The use of tenses is wrong and the choice of pronouns is also wrong - me for I. Does anyone in the control office check on this. Monica on 5 yells like she is at the stadium trying to drown out the noise, and so does that Brenda on Ch 6 with her squealing voice. I mute my TV when she comes on. It is a shame that employees put up with ineptness and make no effort to correct it.
Who cares? no one watches the local news.......
May 2 @6:06...the same unintelligible ranting from the same moron from the barrio of beer and dope...
May 3, 2020 at 6:32 AM Hurt your feelings hillbilly? Go date your sisters and marry your mommy idiot hillbilly. Moron from the Appalachian Mountains at least put on some chanclas idiota.
News people leave these small markets all the time, to look for better-paying jobs in bigger markets like Dallas, Houston, etc., etc.! Newspaper reporters do it too, and always have done it. smh
@9:35 Pinche mojado culo negro rasist! It's not our fault you didn't receive any stimulus check puto! Go find a job washing cars or cutting yards pendejo!
Ah still hurting maricon hillbilly showing your stupidity at least learn to spell a few words and don't worry about all that shit and garbage around your cave pinche coco hillbilly@ May 3, 2020 at 4:25 PM
@7:51 I remember you! You're pinche hillbilly Coco parrot jotito! Lol Tu novio Biden is running for President! You should be helping him campaign pinche Coco hillbilly parrot jotito!
Tenia que salir el maricon de trump mamasela joton how easy to pick your ass hahahahaha lol estupido hillbilly coco maricon de trump.
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