Reinventing the Latino Television Viewer: Language, Ideology, and Practiceexamines how the relationship between language, power, and industry practice is reshaping the very concept of Hispanic television. Chávez argues that as established mainstream networks enter the Hispanic television space, they are redefining the Latino audience in ways that more closely resemble the mainstream population, leading to auspicious forms of erasure that challenge the legitimacy of Spanish altogether. This book presents the integration of English into the Hispanic television space not as an entirely new phenomenon, but rather as an extension of two ongoing practices within the television industrythe exploitation of consumer markets and the suppression of Latino forms of speech.

Christopher Chávez is assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon.

Chapter One: Hispanic Television and the Changing Field of Latino Cultural Production
Chapter Two: Audience Reconstruction and the Rise of New Latino
Chapter Three: Mixing, Switching, and Policing Linguistic Boundaries
Chapter Four: English-Language Television and Linguistic Erasures
Chapter Five: The New Hispanic Television Landscape and the False Promise of Democracy