Univision cancels Cuban conductor Pepe Forte's program

January 15, 2021

The Univision network decided to remove from its lineup the program 'El ático de Pepe', a space that was directed by Cuban José 'Pepe' Forte and that was also broadcast on Radio Mambí and WQBA 1140-AM.

This is a new layoff carried out by the news network that is going through a restructuring moment due to the sale of the company's majority shares and the decline in audiences.

Herald Cortina, former state legislator and veteran of the Bay of Pigs, lamented Univision's decision, because 'El ático de Pepe' was a program that gave voice to Miami's political exile and other organizations demanding Cuba's freedom.

"There is a void left by the traditional voices of the Cuban exile. The loss of Cuban conservative voices can have strong repercussions on the audience. These are corporate decisions that are made. It has to be an economic problem," he said to El Nuevo Herald.

For his part, Pepe Forte himself, upon signing off on his broadcast last Monday, told all his listeners that he could not be upset because changes were being made at the corporate level.

"No one can get angry even though this reality affects you, me and the station. As happens in the corporate world, these are changes in directives," Forte expressed during his program.

But José Forte was not the only one fired by Univision, as they also canceled the radio programs of José Alfonso Almora, Humberto Cortina and Father Alberto Cutié.