R A D I O     B I L I N G U E

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                           CONTACT:

May 12, 2008                                                                                           Alma Martinez

                                                                                                                 (559) 455-5753

                                                                                                                 almam@radiobilingue.org

Oregon’s farm working, Latino hub up next for ‘Línea Abierta on the Road’

(May 12, 2008)- Radio Bilingüe’s next stop for its year-long Hacia el Voto 2008 project is the Oregon Presidential primary in partnership with grassroots station KPCN-LP 96.3FM, Radio Movimiento with two shows in Woodburn leading up to the May 20 election.

“Línea Abierta on the Road” will broadcast at noon (PDT) Monday, May 19, and Tuesday May 20, from the studios of the community radio station that is owned by farm workers group Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN) in Woodburn, affectionately called “Oregon's Little Mexico” because of its high Latino population.

The series is part of Radio Bilingüe’s bilingual program, Hacia el Voto 2008, that began airing in January in Chicago. The year-long election coverage programming, including special coverage at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, will air through January on Radio Bilingüe’s award-winning daily talk show, Línea Abierta. 

The show’s nation-wide sweep swings through another pivotal state where an increasing Oregonian Latino votership could make a difference in the simmering Clinton-Obama showdown.

“The Democratic presidential primary is on overtime, the campaigns are as heated as ever, every popular vote and every electoral delegate counts,” says Samuel Orozco, Línea Abierta executive producer and host. “Oregon voters and particularly the growing block of young Latino voters have a chance to become a player in this election.”

The Oregon primary – with its vote-by-mail system -- is loaded with issues engulfing this northwest state’s fast-changing communities:

• a new law banning undocumented immigrants from getting drivers licenses;

• securing affordable housing -- including such issues as very low Latino homeownership rates and the current home foreclosure crisis’ disproportionate impact on Latinos; and

• accessing health care services.

The first show a day before the primary will feature a forum with Oregon voters focusing on issues impacting the Latino population in the state and especially in the fast-growing Woodburn area. Called by some “Oregon's Little Mexico” because more than half of the town's population is Latino, Woodburn is the largest city in Oregon where a majority of residents are people of color. Still, social services that are available for others in the state are hard to access by these new populations. 

The second mid-day show in Oregon May 20 will focus on Election Day news developments. News reporters will file reports from Woodburn, Portland and Salem on the atmosphere and voter turnout on Election Day while election observers will provide context and perspective on the Latino vote.

While Oregon's Latino population of 10 percent is modest compared with states such as Texas and California, Latino leaders say they expect to see a surge in Latino voters in the May primary and November general election, according to local news reports.

Pew Hispanic Center figures show about 110,000 Latinos, or 4.2 percent of eligible voters, participated in Oregon elections in 2006 but this year’s activism features a last-minute drive to register young Latino voters who are turning 18.

“Línea Abierta on the Road” is a special itinerant series originating from the home site of partnering stations such as KPCN-LP. It is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting as well as the California Endowment, the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation, The Nathan Cummings Foundation, the Mitchell Kapor Foundation and the Lumina Foundation for Education.

KPCN-LP, Radio Movimiento “La Voz del Pueblo” (Movement Radio “The Voice of the People”) was launched in 2006 by Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (Northwest Treeplanters and Farmworkers United). Founded in 1985, this union of farm workers, nursery, and reforestation workers is Oregon’s largest Latino organization.

The election coverage also will be available via web cast on www.radiobilingue.org

About Línea Abierta and Radio Bilingüe

The Spanish-language program Línea Abierta is heard on the community-based radio network’s satellite system that reaches 100 affiliates throughout the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico as well as its own six stations in California. It is also available via webcast on Radio Bilingüe Internet: www.radiobilingue.org. Radio Bilingüe’s online service also features an election spotlight webpage with links to program audio archives, podcasting multimedia files, timely news transcripts, an election interactive blog, hyperlinks to relevant organizations and more.

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LINKS:

 http://www.pcun.org/KPCN/launch%20story.asp