A new cable channel, Fusion, is hitting the airwaves this October, and Jorge Ramos is warning Republicans that the new channel will be on their case, all the time, about immigration until reform becomes a reality.
“We’re going to come out on Oct. 28th, and if the House doesn’t approve immigration reform by then, then there’s going to be a new, very loud voice in Fusion, talking about immigration every single night until immigration reform passes,” Ramos said in an interview with The Huffington Post.
Fusion will be a joint ABC News-Univision effort that will be programmed in English and aimed at English-speaking Latinos (especially younger Latinos). Ramos–who currently anchors the nightly news program “Noticiero Univision” and hosts the Sunday news show “Al Punto”–will host a primetime segment. Ramos is also a very influential advocate of immigration reform, and his comments that the new channel will “own” the issue upon its launch should worry House Republicans who believe they can stall away the pressure for immigration reform until the pressure to pass a bill dies down.
That’s not going to happen, Ramos said. As he told the Huffington Post, Latinos and consumers of Spanish-language news are very cognizant of the fact that there is only one reason why immigration reform has not yet passed, and that’s because of John Boehner and his House Republicans:
All the pressure — and it is not only at Univision –- but in all the Spanish-language media, is on Republicans. Especially when it comes to immigration. It’s a very well-informed audience who knows every single detail about immigration reform because we talk about it every single day. So now all the pressure is on Republicans.
Pointing out that 16 million Latinos are expected to vote in 2016–up 25% from 2012, Ramos compared the importance of Latinos as a TV demographic to their significance as political kingmakers:
What’s happening politically is also happening on TV. You can’t win the White House without the Latino vote and you can’t win the ratings war without Latinos anymore. It’s a parallel universe and it’s happening at the same time. The same way in which the number of Hispanic voters is growing, the number of Latinos watching television in English is growing. For political parties, and for television networks, and for digital platforms, it’s a matter or survival. If you don’t have Latinos, you’ll die. That simple.
While Fusion will mostly be targeting Latinos who prefer to consume the bulk of their news in English, it’s also likely to draw attention from mainstream English media who–because of the immigration issue–are paying more attention to Spanish-language news than ever. House GOPers should sit up and pay attention, as well, to learn more about how their anti-immigrant delay tactics are playing with one of the fastest-growing voter demographics in America.
