LINEA ABIERTA | THIS WEEK | PREVIOUS PROGRAMS

Linea Abierta Programs for January 2006

Monday, January 2nd

PROGRAM # 4700 - 12:00 PDT
THE YEAR IN PREVIEW. Radio colleagues join the first edition of the year to comment on anticipated developments for 2006. Lucas Benítez, representative of WCIW Radio Conciencia in Immokalee, FL talks about the fair food campaign taking on fast-food giant McDonald’s Corp. He also talks about the prospects for immigration reform. Ricardo García, executive director of KDNA in Granger, WA comments on expected curbs to the importation of Thai farm workers, the mid-term U.S. elections and the growing Latino voting clout, the historic émigré vote in Mexico’s presidential election, the anti-immigrant bills in Congress, and the nomination of Yakima School’s Benjamin Soria as Superintendent of the Year for Washington State in 2006. Alfredo Figueroa, founder of KERU in Blythe, CA comments on the passing of Chicano music pioneer Lalo Guerrero and former elder congressman Edward Roybal. He also talks about efforts to protect the earth in 2006.

Tuesday, January 3rd

PROGRAM # 4701 - 12:00 PDT
IMMIGRATION EDITION – NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS. Attorney Rosalba Piña hosts this edition from Chicago. Piña gives suggestions on how to make and keep resolutions for this year to succeed in the road to permanent residency and citizenship. Among the tips, Piña advises to file income tax returns and keep receipts showing a residence address.

Wednesday, January 4th

PROGRAM # 4702 - 12:00 PDT
TEXAS EDITION – THE BORDER ON 2006. Attorney and political analyst Carlos Spector-Calderón hosts this edition. Spector-Calderón talks about Línea Abierta’s anticipated coverage of the U.S./Mexico border during 2006. He comments on good and not-so-good news stories to watch for in the year to come.

PROGRAM # 4703 - 12:00 PDT
PUERTO RICO EDITION. Meet Wanda Colón Cortés, the host in WRTU, Radio Universidad de Puerto Rico, who brings interviews and commentary on news developments with an emphasis on issues about women and peace in the Caribbean basin. Listeners are encouraged to call in.

Friday, January 6th

PROGRAM # 4704 - 12:00 PDT
MEXICO EDITION. Host Martha Elena Ramírez and the “Voz Pública” program continue a tradition of civic radio journalism. Ramírez hosts this edition live from Mexico City, providing as usual news and interviews from Mexico and voices from participant listeners.

Monday, January 9th

PROGRAM # 4705 - 12:00 PDT
MARUCHAN NATION. Mexico has been described as "Maruchan Nation" after the country has become Latin America's largest consumer of that popular brand of instant ramen noodles. Traditional taste in Mexico is changing. Healthful home-cooked rice, beans and tortillas are being displaced by fat- and sodium-heavy instant ramen. This is leading to high levels of obesity, diabetes and heart disease among the rural poor. This program is a live simulcast in conjunction with the twelve-station network of Radio Michoacan in Morelia.

Guests: Dr. Jane Delgado, president and executive director, National Alliance for Hispanic Health, Washington, DC; Dr. Bertha Dimas Huacuz, National Journalism Award recipient, community Indian health advocate, Santa Fe de la Laguna, Michoacan; Nestor Martinez, California LEAN Project, California Department of Health, Sacramento, CA.

Tuesday, January 10th

PROGRAM # 4706 - 12:00 PDT
YO SOY JOAQUIN. Agustin Lira, singer and co-founder of El Teatro Campesino in 1965 in Delano, keeps the Chicano movimiento songs and theater tradition alive in the San Joaquin valley. Lira, Patricia Wells and members of Teatro de La Tierra are working on a dramatization of Rodolfo Corky Gonzales' epic poem "Yo Soy Joaquin". Some of Lira's songs have recently been captured in the album "Rolas de Aztlan", a CD celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Delano Grape Strike. Lira and Wells speak about their recent work, which includes an autobiography by the co-founder of the particular theater genre focused on farm workers struggles.

ALSO, LAST DAYS FOR ABSENTEE BALLOTING. News correspondent Marco Vinicio Gonzalez files a story from Tijuana about paper hurdles faced by Mexican emigres who apply for voter registration in the last moments of an application period to request absentee ballots. Listeners comment on the legal and material obstacles they face to vote from abroad in the upcoming presidential elections.

Wednesday, January 11th

PROGRAM # 4707 - 12:00 PDT
TEXAS EDITION - THE BORDER FENCE. A House proposal plans to build a 700-mile-long high-tech fence along the border with Mexico, including the section between Laredo and Brownsville and proponents would like the fence to stretch along the entire border. The bill is scheduled for a debate in the Senate next month. Host Carlos Spector-Calderon discusses this and other border control measures and the resistance they are meeting from civil-rights groups.

Guests: Maria Jimenez and Teodoro Aguiluz, immigrant advocates, CRECEN, Houston, TX.

PROGRAM # 4708 - 12:00 PDT
PUERTO RICO EDITION. Meet Wanda Colón Cortés, the host in WRTU, Radio Universidad de Puerto Rico, who brings interviews and commentary on news developments with an emphasis on issues about women and peace in the Caribbean basin. Listeners are encouraged to call in.

Friday, January 13th

PROGRAM # 4709 - 12:00 PDT
MEXICO EDITION. Host Martha Elena Ramírez and the “Voz Pública” program continue a tradition of civic radio journalism. Ramírez hosts this edition live from Mexico City, providing as usual news and interviews from Mexico and voices from participant listeners.

Monday, January 16th

PROGRAM # 4710 - 12:00 PDT
FOOD SEGREGATION. On Martin Luther King Jr.’s holiday, this health edition discusses how poorer and colored neighborhoods pay higher prices for their food. While wealthier areas have access to healthier foods, the low-income barrios have a high prevalence of fast-food outlets and liquor stores and find it hard to find fresh and affordable fruits and vegetables. Experts also comment on a new study revealing that teens in California continue addicted to junk food and sodas heavy on fat and sugar.

Guests: Jeremy Hofer, Hunger and Nutrition Project, Fresno Metro Ministries, Fresno, CA; Laura Brainin-Rodríguez, coordinator, Project Lean, California Department of Health, San Francisco, CA; Lupe Alonso-Diaz, executive director, Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, Sacramento, CA.

Tuesday, January 17th

PROGRAM # 4711 - 12:00 PDT
IMMIGRATION EDITION. An influential conservative Republican and a civil-rights advocate warn the Republican leadership that if congressional leaders continue their hard-line rhetoric against immigrants, the party will become isolated from the Latino electorate and will pay it at the ballot box. Attorney Rosalba Piña, from Chicago, facilitates this conversation, beginning with the recording of a heated exchange between Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito on citizenship birthrights. Piña also provides legal advice to listeners.

Guests: Roberto de Posada, Chairman, The Latino Coalition, Washington, DC; Michelle Waslin, director of research on immigration policy, National Council of la Raza, Washington, DC.

Wednesday, January 18th

PROGRAM # 4712 - 12:00 PDT
TEXAS EDITION – ILLEGAL RE-ENTRY. Growing numbers of immigrants are ending up in U.S. jails after a federal law made it a crime for deported immigrants to re-enter the U.S. without a permit. As denials of admission and deportations at the border continue to increase, more and more immigrants are expected to face harsher prison terms. Carlos Spector-Calderón hosts this edition from El Paso, TX.

Guest: William Maynard, public defender, El Paso, TX.

PROGRAM # 4713 - 12:00 PDT
PUERTO RICO EDITION. Wanda Colón Cortés, the host in WRTU, Radio Universidad de Puerto Rico, comments on current news developments.

Friday, January 20th

PROGRAM # 4714 - 12:00 PDT
MEXICO EDITION. Host Martha Elena Ramírez and the “Voz Pública” program continue a tradition of civic radio journalism. Ramírez hosts this edition live from Mexico City, providing as usual news and interviews from Mexico and voices from participant listeners.

Monday, January 23rd

PROGRAM # 4715 - 12:00 PDT
FAST FOOD NATION. A new movie focusing on the fast-food industry is in production and scheduled for distribution in major theaters later this year. Renowned actress Yareli Arizmendi, a cast member, joins this edition to talk about the health risks of the national favorite meal, the easy-to-eat hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries and sodas. She also talks about the toll fast food is having on the waistline and the heart of Mexicans on both sides of the border.

CITIZENS AGAINST OBESITY. Local government officials joined forces with leaders in academy and philanthropy to work on a dream of healthy communities in this area, known as the Appalachia of the West. Driven by citizen councils, the project is planning to push for public parks, green areas, running trails, and farmers markets in farm working towns.

Guests: Dr. Ed Moreno, director, Central California Public Health Partnership, director, Fresno Co Department of Community Health, Fresno, CA; Dr. George R. Flores, senior program officer, Health Disparities Program, The California Endowment, Los Angeles, CA.

Tuesday, January 24th

PROGRAM # 4716 - 12:00 PDT
RIO GRANDE. This long-celebrated river, symbol of greatness and fertility, is now among the most endangered in America. The river is drying out and being polluted by industrial waste dumping and urban raw sewage. What's being done to save it? This is a LIVE broadcast from XERF 1570 AM, the super-power station that reaches Southern Texas from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico.

Guests: Ignacio Peña Treviño, Mexican Section - International Commission of Boundaries and Waters, Ciudad Acuña; Javier Reyes Salas, Environmental Education Coordinator, Department of the Environment, City of Ciudad Acuña; Francisco Muñiz Hernandez, Community Liaison, Department of the Environment, Ciudad Acuña; Heberto Pérez, General Manager, XERF, Ciudad Acuña.

PROGRAM # 4717 - 1:00 PDT
DEPORTEES. Thousands of immigrants are deported every year to Mexican border towns. As federal agents receive more resources and target immigrants charged with felonies, the numbers of repatriated Mexicans are also growing. This LIVE broadcast from XERF looks into the situation for migrants in the border town of Ciudad Acuña.

Guests: Consul Jorge Ernesto Espejel Montes, Mexican Consulate, Eagle Pass, TX; Fernando Velasco, News reporter, XERF, Ciudad Acuña.

Wednesday, January 25th

PROGRAM # 4718 - 12:00 PDT
THE WAR IN SMALL TOWN USA . Línea Abierta visits Del Río, a border town in Texas home to a large air force base, to hear feelings of local residents about the war in Iraq. As the war's deadly toll grows, the voices of those calling for the U.S. troops withdrawal also grow. What do local Del Rioans think about President Bush' war plan? This is a LIVE broadcast from old town Del Rio.

Guests: Fred García, Chair, Local chapter, American G.I. Forum, Del Rio, TX; Simón Gonzalez, Vietnam Veteran, American G.I. Forum, Del Rio, TX; Jose Martínez, Vietnam Veteran, American G.I. Forum, Del Rio, TX; Ernestina Martínez, City Councilmember, Volunteer for Operation Family Support, Del Rio.

PROGRAM # 4719 - 1:00 PDT
BORDER TOWN LIFE. A conversation with neighbors of Del Rio, Texas in the oldest restaurant in town. Locals comment on life in this small border town, including the use of the Spanish language, federal plans for a border barrier, and more. Topics also include bilingualism in local radio, the flash floods that devastated the old barrio, the restaurant that gained historic landmark status and the story of the late piano player who achieved national acclaim.

Guests: Damaris Carrasco, member of the civilian personnel, Laughlin Air Force Base, Del Rio, TX; Dolly Calderón, owner, Memo's Restaurant, the oldest in town; Diana Abrego, Chair, Casa de la Cultura; Javier Martínez, radio personality, KWMC, Del Rio, XHPL Ciudad Acuna.

PROGRAM # 4720 - 12:00 PDT
PUERTO RICO EDITION. Wanda Colón Cortés, the host in WRTU, Radio Universidad de Puerto Rico, comments on current news developments.

Friday, January 27th

PROGRAM # 4721 - 12:00 PDT
MEXICO EDITION. Host Martha Elena Ramírez and the “Voz Pública” program continue a tradition of civic radio journalism. Ramírez hosts this edition live from Mexico City, providing as usual news and interviews from Mexico and voices from participant listeners.

Monday, January 30th

PROGRAM # 4722 - 12:00 PDT
DUST IN THE AIR. Claiming that large-particle dust from mining and agriculture is not hazardous to health, federal officials want to drop clean-air rules for rural areas. If successful, the new regulations would allow agricultural and mining sources from California and other Western states not to meet federal rules for windblown clouds of dust. A community organizer, an environmental scientist and a federal official join this edition to discuss the science behind this move and the potential impact on rural areas.

Guests: Lina Younes, Hispanic liaison, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC; Dr. Ramon Alvarez, chemist, Environmental Defense, Austin, TX; Susana de Anda, community organizer, Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment, Delano, CA.

Tuesday, January 31st

PROGRAM # 4723 - 12:00 PDT
IMMIGRATION EDITION - MIGRANT CARAVAN TO WASHINGTON. Human rights groups are preparing a national caravan to draw support for migrant rights. The caravan, departing from San Diego and culminate in Washington DC, seeks to lobby and galvanize opposition against the Sensenbrenner bill, an initiative that proposes to charge undocumented immigrants with felony crimes and build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Attorney Rosalba Pina hosts this program from Chicago and provides on-air legal advice. In addition, this program features the recording of an open letter read by Vanessa Cardenas, of the National Immigration Forum, as well as an interview with Felipe Aguirre, councilman for the City of Maywood, on the opposition of this Los Angeles city to Sensenbrenner's bill.

Guests: Enrique Morones, President, Angeles de la Frontera, Coalicion Gente Unida, San Diego, CA; Vanessa Cardenas, National Immigration Forum, Washington, DC; Felipe Aguirre, councilmember, Maywood, CA.

To tune in to this news service, check our Affiliate Stations page to find your nearest station. Also, the audio of these news stories will soon be available live in this same website.

LINEA ABIERTA | THIS WEEK | PREVIOUS PROGRAMS