Trouble at MundoMax: rumors of a network beginning to fail

[Samantha 2878]

MediaLife Magazine today had a long report on MundoMax, the network you probably stopped caring about once all the local newscasts bid farewell. And it's not good.

 

The network has no affiliate in New York, after WPXO-LD opted to flip to América TeVe effective Monday (it lost its PR affiliate the same day). Phone calls aren't being returned. Someone inside told MediaLife that the network is about to lose other affiliates.

 

Some other ad sellers speculate that MundoMax could be waiting to complete its upfront to determine its fate.

[mardek1995 200]

Wasnt it already beginning to fail by the time Fox decided to drop out of MundoFox (now MundoMax)?

[The Frog 395]

Someone inside told MediaLife that the network is about to lose other affiliates.

Yup. KFWD is switching to SonLife on the first of September. Someone edited KFWD's wiki page stating that MundoMax is moving to KTXD, but that remains to be seen. KFWD is not long for this world anyway, come the spectrum auction. KTXD may be in the same boat.

[mrschimpf 2065]

RCN just isn't a bold-faced name in Spanish television like Televisa or Azteca are, and they were just too far south to understand what an American audience likes on Spanish over-the-air television. Their stubbornness in trying to create an "RCN del Norte" in MundoFox/MundoMax probably helped in Fox fleeing the partnership last year, and losing all their sports rights outside of the 'desperate-to-find-a-home' Golden Boy didn't help at all. They also went wayyy too dark in their opening schedule which basically killed the family audience outside of their game shows, and they were just terrible in trying to get any carriage on a cable system.

 

They already have an OK cable channel, Nuestra Tele. RCN should just cut their losses and move on from this.

[Samantha 2878]

And they're about to lose another affiliate. XHRIO's flipping to The CW on October 2 in a convoluted maneuver — they're also bringing forward their Mexican-mandated virtual channel change to the 2nd from the 27th, but in doing so, they're going to 15 (not 54 as they have been assigned).

 

They also dumped Fox from 2.2 today, which means people are having reception issues again in Brownsville (it can be difficult to get low-powered TV signals to both McAllen and Brownsville). This just after the IFT actually authorized them to keep broadcasting Fox as a subchannel (my personal suspicion is that Entravision had no desire to meet all the RTC and INE requirements that this brought with it).

[DirtyHarry 719]

Yup. KFWD is switching to SonLife on the first of September. Someone edited KFWD's wiki page stating that MundoMax is moving to KTXD, but that remains to be seen. KFWD is not long for this world anyway, come the spectrum auction. KTXD may be in the same boat.

 

Don't laugh, but SonLife is on my cable system and I find myself watching it a little every now and then. Jimmy Swaggart can't sing worth crap, but was jamming on the piano one night and it sounded pretty good.

 

Again, don't laugh.

[Samantha 2878]

Looks like XHRIO's switch was part of a larger loss of all of Entravision. Entravision carried MundoMax in San Diego, Yuma, El Paso, Laredo, and RGV. All are gone.

 

Given the markets involved, this is actually a fairly big loss for the network.

[mrschimpf 2065]

It clears out the border. It's like they're yanking the welcome mat and making you go through some dingy hallway to get to the front door; not a good impression at all.

[justin2kx 229]

It seems inevitable that mundomax will fold. Where will those shows land if ever? unimas? nbc universo?

[Samantha 2878]

It clears out the border. It's like they're yanking the welcome mat and making you go through some dingy hallway to get to the front door; not a good impression at all.

 

Yup, MundoMax is no longer available on the border.

 

On May 12, KYVV went silent (proof in the FCC filing!). KYVV served the San Antonio DMA from Del Rio (Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila) and was co-owned with KMCC, the MundoMax station for Las Vegas. KMCC was probably among the better local affiliates in the MundoFox era and even had begun to build an audience for its local news, but the end of national news, rebrand and sudden program changes crippled that effort. KMCC is still on air.

 

There is no STA on file with the FCC for KYVV, so the KidVid report is illustrative.

[Samantha 2878]

It seems inevitable that mundomax will fold. Where will those shows land if ever? unimas? nbc universo?

 

It's a lot of Turkish imports, biblical dramas and game shows, if I remember correctly. One or two of the highest-rated shows might be able to find homes elsewhere, but I think a lot of the network will go into ruins.

 

As for the affiliates, MundoMax's primary challenge is relying on LPTVs ahead of the incentive auction reckoning. It is left with precious few full-power stations, which may end up scrambling for alternative programming.

[TheRolyPoly 1847]

Strongest MundoMax station is actually in my home market, WGEN-TV Channel 8. Still airs Noticias MundoMax 8 a las 5:00 y 10:00pm.

[Samantha 2878]

Strongest MundoMax station is actually in my home market, WGEN-TV Channel 8. Still airs Noticias MundoMax 8 a las 5:00 y 10:00pm.

 

If a Spanish network can't make it in Miami, they can't make it anywhere. Glad to see someone's hanging on with local news.

[ChesapeakeTV 310]

@WSVNFan @Raymie [URL='http://www.mediamoves.com/2016/01/news-staff-laid-off-as-mundomax-8-miami-cancels-newscasts.html']Are you quite sure WGEN is still airing news?[/URL] Unless that report was false, or they restarted... If they did die, the last local operation on a MundoMax station went with it. I'm willing to bet the network will too within the next few years - or less.

[Samantha 2878]

I *thought* they had, but I figured I'd defer to the local. TitanTV does seem to show them still having a newscast, and indeed they do still have 5pm and 10pm newscasts.

 

I honestly will be surprised to see the network make it to the next TV season, if not fold outright at the end of the year. When all the dust settles from the auction, many of the network's affiliates will not be able to exist.

[Eat News 4738]

"Growth" of Hispanic viewership pretty much came to a halt about 2 years ago. There are quiet estimates of 1 to 1.5 million less viewers in the USA.

The USA may just be over saturated at this point in the opinion of some veteran Spanish TV A.E.'s

[TheRolyPoly 1847]

I live in Miami and I swear on everything that WGEN-TV 8 is still airing local news at 5:00 and 10:00pm plus public affairs show Brown y Compania on Saturdays at 11:00am.

[The Frog 395]

That's it for MundoMax.

 

Now there’s no question. MundoMax is done.

 

The network has all but stopped producing new programming, sources tell Media Life, and it’s not renewing contracts with its affiliates.

 

In late summer, it became apparent that MundoMax’s struggles were serious. It lost its New York City affiliate, and rumors of a shutdown began floating. By last month, sources say, the network began informing stations it intends to close.

 

MundoMax will apparently stay on the air until at least December.

 

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/mundomax-gone-soon/

[Samantha 2878]

Ha muerto la cadena...

 

Now all that's left are stations that need programming and fast. Estrella TV is likely going to absorb some of the lost stations, but not every market is that lucky.

[LTSC1980 99]

Q.E.P.D, MundoMax.

 

Ha muerto la cadena...

 

Now all that's left are stations that need programming and fast. Estrella TV is likely going to absorb some of the lost stations, but not every market is that lucky.

 

Yep, SonLife take over KFWD

[mrschimpf 2065]

Ha muerto la cadena...

 

Now all that's left are stations that need programming and fast. Estrella TV is likely going to absorb some of the lost stations, but not every market is that lucky.

 

Many of the stations with MundoMax (re: the ex-Bustos stations) dumped Azteca for MundoFox because it was backed by a 'name'. I expect quite a few crawl-backs to Azteca (WTSJ, the old WBWT in Milwaukee had a short re-affiliation last year while the new DTV America ownership took over to test the new DT tower), though a few are definite spectrum bait waiting out the string. But Estrella has made major strides and will probably get some more stations out of it.

 

ETA Nov. 23 - Indeed, WTSJ came back home to Azteca at the start of November.

[Samantha 2878]

It's finally official. The network will fold on November 30.

[Asomrjsurf 6]

No replacement announced yet for 62.2. LA's coming Sonlife.

[Samantha 2878]

It's still unclear where KMOH/KEJR will go. The Cox program guide lists MundoMax programs beyond November 30, so it's anybody's guess.

 

KMOH could potentially have been spectrum bait, sitting on a low-UHF frequency halfway between Phoenix and Las Vegas.

[mrschimpf 2065]

It's still unclear where KMOH/KEJR will go. The Cox program guide lists MundoMax programs beyond November 30, so it's anybody's guess.

 

KMOH could potentially have been spectrum bait, sitting on a low-UHF frequency halfway between Phoenix and Las Vegas.

 

The big problem with these stations is they submit boilerplate schedules that go two months out (they likely view it as a needless obligation like the public file or E/I more than a requirement since the schedule never usually changes), so on-air confirmation may be the only way to see what goes on December 1.