Fresno, CA. Radio Bilingüe will broadcast a full-day live coverage in Spanish on the plight of the thousands of farmworkers displaced by the devastating freeze in the citrus crops.

One month after the January freeze, thousands of low-income families are having a hard time getting the most basic emergency aid, such as food or shelter.

Radio Bilingüe will open its call-in lines to hear from freeze-stricken workers and their families. They will be encouraged to give their stories on the needs they face after being displaced and the hurdles they have found when seeking emergency aid. Federal, state and local officials, will be invited to provide a report on government plans and proposals to bring a timely response to the families most in need. Members of local relief agencies will also be invited to advise listeners on how to apply for immediate assistance, such as food and housing support.

In addition, Radio Bilingüe will directly refer or connect individuals in need with offices of public assistance for immediate help. This radio service organized in collaboration with community-based organizations will answer questions in areas such as utility payments, housing payments, food stamps, groceries and clothing, health care, temporary jobs, unemployment insurance, and more.

The special day-long coverage will include the following:

- Linea Abierta, a national public radio network call-in show, will broadcast an extended two-and-a-half hour program beginning at 11 AM PST.
Call 1-800-345-4632

- Musical programs from 6 AM to 6 PM will air interviews with local relief workers, and farmworker advocates. In addition, listeners in need of information will be encouraged to call in at 1-800-200-5758.

This radio project is part of the agricultural worker health initiative Poder Popular, a community collaborative to improve the lives of farm workers, with an emphasis on Tulare and Monterey counties, home to some of the largest farm working populations in California.

Radio Bilingüe ownes six full-power radio stations in California, serving the Central, Salinas and Imperial valleys and the Mendocino county area. In addition, through its satellite service Satélite Radio Bilingüe, the Latino public radio network with headquarters in Fresno and San Francisco, CA, distributes news, information and cultural programming to affiliate stations around the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico. Radio Bilingüe also has a live audio service online at www.radiobilingue.org.


Funding for this non-profit service is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, The California Endowment,the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, the James Irvine Foundation, the Community Technology Foundation of California, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

 

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