R A D I O     B I L I N G U E

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                              CONTACT:

October 15, 2008                                                                                      Alma Martinez

                                                                                                                 (559) 455-5753

                                                                                                   almam@radiobilingue.org

STATION MANAGERS - The Latino Voter series is available as audio-on-demand on www.kqed.org and www.radiobilingue.org and as podcasts on Radio Bilingüe's Web site.  You may also obtain mp3 versions via e-mail.

The Latino Vote, a special feature series with KQED, to air on Radio Bilingüe

(October 15, 2008) -- Latino voters in California -- their concerns, aspirations, anxieties, and dreams – are the focus of a six-module series in English produced in collaboration between Radio Bilingüe and KQED based in San Francisco that begins airing next week.

The series, part of Radio Bilingüe's Hacia el Voto 2008 year-long election project, will air over the community-based network’s airwaves October 21, 22, 23, 28, 29 and 30 at 5 p.m. PDT. The modules will simultaneously run online via webcast on www.radiobilingue.org.

A team of news reporters and producers from Radio Bilingüe and KQED, Northern California Public Broadcasting, Inc, which owns and operates several public radio and television stations, have joined forces to produce each piece.

The series of five-minute-long features is currently airing on KQED's acclaimed news magazine, The California Report. Stories already aired include the following topics: Family Politics, First-time Latino Voters, Noncitizens Get Out the Vote and Watsonville's Latino Leaders.

The series also is available as audio-on-demand on both web sites, www.kqed.org and www.radiobilingue.org and as podcasts on Radio Bilingüe's web site.  Interested stations may also obtain mp3 versions via e-mail.

A summary of the first four features:

• The Latino Vote, Part 1: Family Politics

More than one million Latinos registered to vote in presidential primaries across the country this year. Latino organizations recently launched a nationwide effort to register another two million before the November election. This show examines Latino civic involvement in California and takes a look at how younger Latinos are influencing their families to participate in the political process.

• The Latino Vote, Part 2: First-time Latino Voters

A record number of Latinos have registered to vote since the last presidential election. Now, the campaigns of both Barack Obama and John McCain are strategizing on how to win their votes. This show examines the Latino voter registration movement and how the campaigns are trying to reach this growing constituency.

• The Latino Vote, Part 3: Noncitizens Get Out the Vote

In the Central Valley, a number of Latino immigrants who are unable to vote because they're not yet citizens or are undocumented are still finding ways to engage in politics. This third part of the groundbreaking series on the Latino vote looks into how noncitizens are encouraging those eligible to cast their ballot in November.

• The Latino Vote, Part 4: Watsonville's Latino Leaders

Latino voters are expected to play a major role in the outcome of the 2008 election, but for many years Latinos in California felt shut out of local politics and government. That began to change 20 years ago when a voting rights case forced the town of Watsonville to elect city council members by districts.

Hacia el Voto 2008 began airing in January in Chicago through “Línea Abierta on the Road” -- a special itinerant series originating from the home site of partnering stations throughout the nation and heard on Radio Bilingüe’s network of 100 affiliates in the U.S. 

The program has visited eight cities and aired 15 shows in collaboration with local public media outlets – in addition to gavel to-gavel coverage of the two political conventions this summer and more than forty hours of weekly talk shows -- taking on the issues relevant not just to the Latino communities locally, regionally and nationally but the electorate in general.

The series is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Mitchell Kapor Foundation and ZeroDivide. Additional funding is provided by The California Endowment, the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the James Irvine Foundation.

The Northern California Public Broadcasting owns and operates public television stations KQED 9 (San Francisco), KTEH 54 (San Jose), and KQET 25 (Watsonville/Monterey); public radio stations KQED 88.5FM (San Francisco) and KQEI 89.3FM (Sacramento); NCPB's Education Network (EdNet); and the Interactive platforms KQED.org and KTEH.org.

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