THE DOG DAYS
OF THE SUMMER OF LOVE:

IN THE EYE
OF A POLITICAL STORM

THE MAYOR, MIRTHALA AND
THE REST OF THE STORY
WAITS TO MAKE LANDFALL

(August 1st, 2007 10:20AM PST)

BY ERIC LONGABARDI

The fate of Telemundo reporter Mirthala Salinas and others in NBC/Telemundo station management still hangs in the balance.

For over two weeks now, overblown reports from the likes of the LA Times and the AP have claimed, based on "sources," that the "internal investigation" being conducted by NBC of its own reporter and others was completed and would be announced any day now. The Mayor confirmed his on going relationship with the sometime anchor and political reporter Salinas on July 3rd, when the Los Angeles Daily News was about to publish a story that would expose the mayor’s affair and relationship. The LA Times, has continued to bring up the rear in reporting on this story.

According to the LA Times the announcement of Salina’s fate was supposed to happen a week ago last Monday (7/23/07). As expected here at ERSNews, the day came and went without any new news. Score another exclusive for the LA Times on this story!

ERSNews, on the other hand, had already reported back on July 16th that Telemundo’s official spokesperson had said the news of Salina’s fate and the results of the internal investigation were "nearing completion" and would come "soon." When asked by ERS what "soon" meant in real world terms, weeks, months or years, Telemundo spokesman Victor Franco declined to comment any further. NBC/Telemundo’s notion of "soon" must have meant weeks.

Meantime, sources familiar with NBC/Telemundo tell ERS that news executives such as Telemundo News Director Al Corral have taken to making light of the situation, going as far to be joking with colleagues as to whether or not they would "see him tomorrow." An obvious reference to the possibility that the internal probe by NBC Universal could roll heads higher than Mirthala Salinas. In addition, sources familiar with Telemundo say three top executives, including news director Corral were not present at the station this past Friday, leading to speculation that an announcement would be forthcoming.

This past Wednesday (7/25/07) ERSNews turned its sights on another "relationship" Mayor Villaraigosa was having with another Los Angeles Spanish language media outlet: Univision’s KMEX-TV/34. The Enterprise Report exposed exclusively that the mayor via his press office had been routinely receiving questions in advance to weekly interviews he conducted on the station.

According to sources familiar with Unvision/KMEX and other published media reports, Univision has launched it s own "internal investigation", not in to the ethical issues related to providing the mayor the questions in advance of his interviews, via his deputy press secretary Diana Rubio, as ERS exposed, but into who may have leaked the smoking gun emails to ERSNews!

We here are ERS would implore Univision and KMEX to call off the "witchhunt" dogs and instead turn their resources and efforts into providing its audience with credible and ethical reporting when it comes to the mayor of Los Angeles. The first amendment, freedom of the press and exposing wrongdoing, applies not only to the people Univison/KMEX covers, but to the people who work in the media and their own newsroom as well.

LA Mayor Villaraigosa: working the media circuit at KTLA-TV 60-year bash
(July 31, 2007)

Finally last night, in a show that Mayor Villaraigosa is back on message and making the media rounds and trying to put the still brewing scandal behind him. ERS caught up with the mayor by chance at a local Los Angeles celebration of the 60-year anniversary of the LA’s first broadcast TV news station KTLA. The event held at the Gene Autry Museum in Griffith Park had a chance meeting of ERSNews Co-Editor Roger Scott and the Mayor. The Mayor, of course the exceptionally talented media savvy politician that he is, seemed to know all about ERSNews.com and the Enterprise Report, which of course is a good thing! We hope he tells all his friends about us. We appreciate the mayor and Ms. Salinas giving us a story, served up at the right time to put ERSNews on the public and media radar because of our exclusive investigative reporting on this scandal. Although we’re still in our infancy on the web, we appreciate all the help we can get. Thanks again Mr. Mayor!