4 February 15-21, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | news | letters | coNteNts | Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | HOLD THE SAZÓN WLRN Sundial host says he was fired for being too Latino. BY FRANCISCO ALVARADO O n Mondays through Thursdays for the past seven years, Miamians tuned in to Sundial, WLRN radio’s midday show, which offered in-depth inter- views of local luminaries and ce- lebrities who personify the Magic City’s flavorful diaspora. But according to the show’s former host, Carlos Frías, Sundial had too much sazón, or Spanish seasoning, for the local National Public Radio affiliate’s liking. On February 6, days after he and his pro- ducers were unceremoniously fired from WLRN and their show was canceled, Frías filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employ- ment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Frías, a veteran Cuban-American journal- ist, alleges that he, lead producer Leslie Ovalle Atkinson, and associate producer Elisa Baena were let go because he’d complained to the station’s human resources department about discrimination against them and their fellow Latino guests at WLRN, Miami’s only public radio station. The complaint, first reported by Axios, al- leges that Frías’ supervisor presented him and his team with a spreadsheet in August of last year highlighting the ethnicity of Sundial guests “who had mentioned something about having Latino or Hispanic roots during an episode.” According to the complaint, the supervi- sor, Caitie Switalski Muñoz, told Baena the show was “sounding very Latino.” Muñoz, WLRN’s director of daily news and original live programming, did not respond to an emailed request for comment. John LaBonia, WLRN’s CEO, and Peter Maerz, the station’s vice president of radio, likewise did not respond to requests for com- ment. Instead, Maerz, who is also named in Frías’ complaint, provided New Times with a press release that stated, “WLRN acknowl- edges Carlos, Leslie, and Elisa for their strong contributions and positive impact on the South Florida community.” The fact that the Hispanic employees were ousted en masse shows that the trio faced discrimination based on race and na- tional origin, argues Frías’ lawyer, William Amlong. Amlong tells New Times he is also looking into whether WLRN infringed on his client’s First Amendment rights. “[Frías] has been complaining for a while that he felt there was some anti-Latino senti- ment going on there,” Amlong says. “To say that a radio show that is supposed to be report- ing on culture in Miami is too Latino is like saying that the Yankees are too New York.” According to 2020 U.S. Census figures, 66.2 percent of Miami-Dade County resi- dents speak Spanish at home. Frías, a two-time James Beard Award win- ner who left the Miami Herald for WLRN in late 2022, broke the news on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, on Monday, Feb- ruary 5. “WLRN abruptly canceled Sundial and let our whole team go,” Frías tweeted. “It’s my first time out of work since I was 19. If you’re looking for a journalist with 30 years experi- ence, 2 James Beards, a share of a Pulitzer, ex- perienced in all media, please DM. I’m eager to work again soon.” Frías posted a photo of himself, Atkinson, and Baena enjoying ice cream in front of a vi- brant painting of Cuban salsa icon Celia Cruz. Sundial Has Gone Down Before This isn’t the first time Sundial has gone dark. As New Times previously reported, following the broadcast of its July 19, 2022, episode, the show vanished from the airwaves, its only trace a daily tweet proclaiming, ‘No Sundial today.’ Gone was the daily program and the familiar voice of its host, Luis Hernandez. That time, the station addressed the abrupt shutoff only after New Times’ Alex DeLuca started making inquiries, tweeting, “Luis Hernandez, the longtime host of WL- RN’s afternoon program, Sundial, is moving on to a new chapter in his career. Luis will be missed by his WLRN colleagues and his many listeners. We wish him all good things for his new adventures.” WLRN CEO LaBonia later emailed New Times, explaining that the show would be back. “The hour-long Sundial program is tak- ing a brief hiatus while we identify a new host and do some reimagining of the series,” La- Bonia wrote. Hernandez, who had been at the station since 2014, declined to comment on what had transpired. “At this time, I do not have any comment on the changes to Sundial or my de- parture from the station,” he wrote in a text message. “All I will say is that it has been an honor to serve this incredible community these last eight years.” Five months later, in December of that year, the station an- nounced it had hired Frías, who left his job as the Miami Herald’s food editor, to join the station. Back in 2017, Sun- dial replaced Topical Currents, a program hosted by Joseph Cooper and Bonnie Berman that had fo- cused on Miami civics and politics for 18 years. Upon Cooper’s retirement that year, WLRN discontinued his show rather than continue Topical Currents with Berman at the helm. Currents was a newsy show that some- times leaned heavily on covering Miami’s La- tino community, Cooper tells New Times, adding that WLRN’s management could have worked out a compromise with Frías and his crew rather than getting rid of them. “This was an arts and culture show, so it’s obviously going to be more Hispanic,” Coo- per says. “I don’t see what the big deal was.” “Cultural Comfort Zones” The Sundial archive remains available on the station’s website, save for the program’s final show from Thursday, February 2, which features the Ukrainian-born couple who designed the poster for this year’s Coconut Grove Arts Festival. Only two of the final ten episodes of the show featured Hispanic guests. “Only about half the guests [during Frías’ tenure] were Latino, but that is the culture of Miami,” Amlong says. “It is a very Hispanic community. If you are going to report about Miami-Dade County, you have to realize that.” After the spreadsheet meeting with Mu- ñoz, Frías sought clarification from Maerz, according to the EEOC complaint. Maerz al- legedly told Frías that “we had to be consid- erate of people’s cultural comfort zones.” “I understood [that] to mean white people were being made uncomfortable by how di- verse our show was (as is our Miami home),” Frías wrote in the complaint. “I was told by another employee he had received several calls from regular station callers asking, ‘Is this still WLRN? I’m hearing all this Spanish on the radio.’” In December, Frías posted on social media an email from a listener that he “considered racist.” A few days later, he alleges in the complaint that WLRN vice president of news Sergio Bustos scolded him for “airing our dirty laundry.” Frías claims he took down the post at Bustos’ insistence but still received his “first ever discipline (a reprimand in my per- sonal file) in 30 years as a journalist.” Frías filed a complaint and met with WL- RN’s human resources representative on Jan- uary 22. Eleven days later, following Sundial’s February 1 broadcast, Bustos fired him and his producers, allegedly telling them, “We’re going in another direction.” In its press release, WLRN said Sundial was canceled so the radio station could “focus more resources on WLRN’s award-winning newsroom.” According to the statement, the radio station plans to expand its investigative journalism team, boost news stories for daily newscasts and features, and expand on more digital stories on WLRN’s website. Fans of Sundial voiced their disappointment in replies and reposts to Frías’ statement on X. “You three did incredible work and kept Miami informed, inspired, and entertained,” wrote Axios reporter Martin Vassolo. “What?! How is this possible?” Miami- Dade County poetry ambassador Nicole Tall- man lamented. “This was one of my favorite segments on WLRN. I’m so sorry to hear this, Carlos. Anything I can do to help?” “Sundial with @Carlos_Frías was a true public service,” tweeted Islandia Journal publisher Jason Katz. “One of the realest things in Miami. This one hurts.” “Miami needs shows like Sundial,” chimed in Miami activist Grant Stern. “Sad to see them canceled so abruptly.” Late in the day on February 7, WLRN news anchor Catalina Garcia said she had quit in solidarity with Frías and his team. [email protected] Carlos Frías claims he was told his radio show was too Latino for WLRN’s Miami audience. Screenshot via YouTube | METRO | PULLQUOTE : IN THIS SPACE NO SHORTER THAN FIVE LINES, NO LONGER THAN EIGHT LINES
