A Oscuras Pero Encendidos

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A Oscuras Pero Encendidos (loosely translated into "In the Dark But Turned On") was the first late night variety show produced for the Hispanic market in the United States. The "live" show, launched in 1995 by Miami, Florida station WJAN, was a combination of celebrity guests, games, practical jokes, and audience participation. It differed from traditional American late night shows with the inclusion of sexy co-hostesses, interactive phone games, and a variety of vaudeville acts. For its six year run, the nightly show was hosted by Paul Bouche. In 1997, the show won a Suncoast regional Emmy Award in the Entertainment Series category.

The show developed a cult following in Miami and in 1997, Univision owned Galavisión started transmitting the series via cable television, allowing it to reach all Spanish-speaking markets in the United States. In 2000, Telemundo picked up the program for transmission in open-air stations reaching other Hispanic markets, including Puerto Rico.^[1]

The show was one of the first to experiment with both "late night", a time period seldom exploited by the Spanish language television networks, and the production of local Spanish language entertainment television for audiences of Caribbean descent. Until 1995, all entertainment offerings were geared to an audience of Mexican descent, which resides predominantly on the West Coast. Until 2001, A Oscuras Pero Encendidos was the only local Spanish Language entertainment production in South Florida. Currently there are three local stations in the city of Miami producing over 30 shows locally.

In 2007, La Boca Loca De Paul was launched as a syndicated late night variety show for the US Hispanic market and Latin America. Also hosted by Paul Bouche, this show retains many elements of A Oscuras Pero Encendidos.^[2]