Following the abrupt cancelation of his show Sundial, Miami journalist Carlos Frías has filed a federal complaint against his former radio station claiming racial discrimination. WLRN, an NPR member station run by Miami-Dade County Public Schools, fired Frías and his show staff on February 2.
Frías had hosted Sundial since 2022, which debuted on WLRN in 2017. The Cuban American claims the show’s cancellation and his firing came only days after he complained to human resources about the station’s racial biases.
The complaint, filed with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Florida Commission on Human Relations, says Program Director Caitie Muñoz admonished a producer over Sundial, “Sounding very Latino,” and that the program should be more considerate of “cultural comfort zones.”
Frías also claims Muñoz kept a running log of Hispanic and Latino guests on the show, as compared to other ethnicities.
In a joint statement, Muñoz, WLRN News VP Sergio Bustos, and VP of Radio Peter Maerz said, “The change was made to focus more resources on WLRN’s award-winning newsroom, mainly boosting news stories for daily newscasts and features, along with bolstering the expansion of digital stories.”
WLRN anchor Catalina Garcia quit the station following station management’s discussion with staff over the lawsuit, according to the Miami Herald.
Following the news of Sundial‘s end, Frías received an outpouring of support as others shared their experiences with WLRN. Simón Cázares posted on Twitter/X, “I freelanced for WLRN this summer. They promised me work through the new year then randomly fired me the next week saying they “changed their mind.” Its clear management is a mess and discrimination against Latino journalists is rampant. I stand with you @Carlos_Frias“
If the case was taken to court, Frías’s attorneys told The Washington Post that they would likely push for his job to be returned along with back pay.
