FCC APPROVES $12B SALE OF UNIVISION STATIONS

The FCC today approved the sale of Univision Communications Inc. to Broadcasting Media Partners Inc., headed by Haim Saban, for $12.3 billion.

The approval included requiring Univision to agree to a $24 million consent decree to resolve pending license renewal applications where petitioners allege that certain Univision stations failed to comply with the FCC’s children’s programming requirements.

In pending license renewal proceedings for WQHS Cleveland and KDTV San Francisco, the Office of Communication of the United Church of Christ and the National Hispanic Media Coalition argue that, by relying on the Spanish-language telenovelas Complices Al Rescate, Vivan Los Ninos and Amy, La Nina De La Mochila Azul, certain Univision stations failed to provide sufficient programming specifically designed to serve the educational and informational needs of children (core programming) throughout significant periods during their most recent license terms.

In 1996, the commission established specific criteria for evaluating whether a program qualifies as “core programming,” and a processing guideline of three hours of core programming a week. Univision owns and controls 24 broadcast television stations, including WQHS and KDTV, that aired the Spanish-language telenovelas cited by UCC and NHMC.

The commission said that “not only have the FCC and Univision negotiated the terms of a consent decree that resolves the children’s programming issues raised in both proceedings, but Univision has further agreed to a detailed plan that will ensure future compliance.”

The item and consent decree are available online at www.fcc.gov.