WAPA putting La Comay on tape delay

WAPA TV’s “SuperXclusivo” and its puppet host La Comay are being on tape delay after years of leading the local TV ratings as a live show.

WAPA TV chief Joe Ramos told the Huffington Post on Thursday that the show will be taped before each broadcast.

“We’ll review it before it goes on the air,” Ramos said. “With a window of one for two hours we can minimize the offensive comments that may affect portions of the community.”

The program has been derided for being over-the-top sensationalist and for broadcasting derogatory comments against women and gays, but “Super Xclusivo” remains the main news source for thousands in the U.S. territory and hundreds of Puerto Ricans in Florida and New York. Much of the island comes to a stop every afternoon to watch La Comay not only talk small-town gossip but also expose government and business corruption scandals.

Leading national Hispanic organizations voiced support this week for a boycott of “SuperXclusivo” that was spurred by comments by the gossip show’s puppet host La Comay regarding the slaying of publicist José Enrique Gómez Saladín.

The boycott was launched via social media after what critics perceived as defamatory comments made by its main character La Comay (voiced by comedian Antulio “Kobbo” Santarrosa) and has led several national and local advertisers to drop support for the program and the station.

Ramos has already issued an apology for any offense caused by the comments, which basically echoed other reports about the killing in Spanish-language media outlets in Puerto Rico. He acknowledged in a New York Times interview that pulling the plug on the ratings juggernaut SuperXclusivo has been considered but that the wildly popular show will remain on the air.

“There are things we can do to make the program more positive,” Ramos said Thursday. “We are open to proposals and that is why we asked the boycott group to suggest alternatives.”

Courtesy of Caribbean Business.
< http://www.caribbeanbusinesspr.com>