Radio
Bilingüe purchased its own building in Fresno in late 1995, installing
state-of-the-art digital studios and production facilities, a move to ensure
the organization's stability and quality of its programming.
In
December 1996, Radio Bilingüe announced the opening of a San Francisco
Bureau to contribute to "Línea Abierta," the nation's only
daily Spanish-language talk show. Guests at our grand opening included Bay
Area friends and supporters and Robert Coonrod, Executive Vice- President
of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), and Frank Cruz, a CPB board
member from Los Angeles. The San Francisco Bureau is the result of a partnership
with the National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB). It brings to
Radio Bilingüe's programming a strong urban voice with a more culturally
diverse perspective. Our new base at Fort Mason Center strengthens our ability
to develop live programming that addresses the needs and concerns of all Latinos,
whether rural or urban, Mexican American or Central American.
In
1997, a partnership with the Mexican Museum in Chicago added a new affiliate
WRTE-FM, another vehicle for Radio Bilingüe's presence in the urban areas.
Radio
Bilingüe completed the installation of 17 satellite downlinks in 1997
that make it possible for radio stations in other parts of the U.S. and Mexico
to access its national Satélite Radio Bilingüe programming. Little
Rock, Arkansas; Blythe, California; Farmington, New Mexico; Salt Lake City,
Utah; Laredo, Texas; and Granger, Washington are some of the communities that
have joined the network. Funding for this important satellite project came
from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Radio
Bilingüe completed the 1996 Noticiero Latino Producers Training Program,
which was funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and has begun
a new cycle with support from the John D. and Catherine T. Mac Arthur Foundation.
By providing in-depth, on-the-job training fellowships to Latino reporters
and producers, this unique program has made a major contribution toward expanding
the pool of skilled Spanish-speaking Latino reporters and independent producers.
Recognizing
the fact that government funding for public broadcasting --including the Corporation
for Public Broadcasting, its primary supporter -- is dwindling, Radio Bilingüe
has increased its efforts to pursue other sources, including foundation grants,
corporate underwriting and individual support. Grants from CPB and the California
Arts Council are helping Radio Bilingüe develop other funding sources.
Radio
Bilingüe has received national recognition, not only for its work as
a Latino organization, but also for its leadership. In 1994, Executive Director
Hugo Morales was honored with a John D. and Catherine T. Mac Arthur Foundation
Fellowship for his lifelong commitment to working to improve the life of Latinos
and people of color.
In
1996, Radio Bilingüe Executive Producer, Samuel Orozco, founder of the
news service "Noticiero Latino" and the daily talk show "Línea
Abierta," was selected to be a Kaiser Media Fellow by the Henry J. Kaiser
Family Foundation, a prestigious national honor recognizing the work of the
country's top professional journalists. Five fellows are selected annually
in this prestigious national competition. Past honorees have included representatives
from the country's top newspaper, television and radio journalists.
In
1996, Radio Bilingüe's Bakersfield station, KTQX, installed a new mountaintop
satellite link that makes this one of the most powerful radio stations in
the U.S., with a radius of 120 miles. Now you can hear Radio Bilingüe
all the way from Fresno, down to Tehachapi.
1996
was also the year of partnerships that would strengthen the quality of our
national programming: WRTU-FM in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Radio Educación
in Mexico City, and radio stations in Oaxaca and Baja California. At the local
level, partnerships with the Calexico School District in El Centro and Kern
County Schools in Bakersfield strengthened the ties with community organizations
and youth.
