Subject: Press Release

RADIO   BILINGÜE

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 11, 2010

EDITORS:  A media availability hour will be at 4 p.m. following the live programs on Monday, Jan. 25, in the studios of KWIT (4647 Stone Avenue -- studio: 712.276.3690).

Línea Abierta on the Road series on the economy
resumes Jan. 24-25 in Iowa

Special live broadcasts from Iowa Jan. 24 and 25 will make up the third stop on Radio Bilingüe’s year-long series "Facing the Crisis," an in-depth coverage on the economic downturn and its impact on Latinos.

The Línea Abierta on the Road series, which kicked off in El Centro and Yuma in November, will broadcast from sister stations KWIT and KOJI in Sioux City, public FM stations based at Western Iowa Tech Community College.

Air times for the  live Iowa shows will be 8 p.m.–midnight Central Time (6–10 p.m. PST) on Sunday, Jan. 24, and from 2–4 p.m. Central Time (noon – 2 p.m. PST) on Monday, Jan. 25.

Host Samuel Orozco, executive producer of the series, will be joined by KWIT’s Isaac Quiñonez. The co-host, who has a BA in mass communications from Briar Cliff University, airs a weekly bilingual musical program, “Frontera Sur,” on KWIT-FM/KOJI-FM.

Línea Abierta is assembling a team to go into the heart of Iowa to unveil compelling stories about the role of Latino newcomers in the recession and economic recovery, Orozco said.

“This Midwestern state has made headlines that show the convergence and clash of immigration and the economy,” he said. “While the boom of Latino newcomer business is credited with revitalizing the economy of small towns, one of these towns, Postville, was the site of the largest deportation raid in U.S. history.”

And, Orozco noted, voters in Iowa have sent an unwelcome message to immigrants by passing an English-only law before also giving President Barack Obama a decisive victory when he began his unlikely but successful quest two years ago to become the first ethnic minority president of the U.S.

Launched in September, Radio Bilingüe’s new national series “Frente a la Crisis/Facing the Crisis” is a comprehensive, special multimedia series that is chronicling the effects of the economic crisis in the Latino community, particularly unemployment. It airs on Satélite Radio Bilingüe’s nationally distributed news and talk services, Línea Abierta and Edición Semanaria de Noticiero Latino.

Línea Abierta broadcasts daily at noon and Edición Semanaria airs weekly on Fridays at 4 p.m. PST-- each featuring weekly episodes of the series over a twelve month period.

The series also is examining other elements of the crisis’s fallout such as access to food, shelter and healthcare, and mental health issues associated with job loss, home loss and deepened poverty.

The national coverage includes special visits by the Línea Abierta team to broadcast stories in the communities hardest hit by unemployment and foreclosures with remote broadcasts originating from selected partner public stations. The live broadcasts will portray on the national airwaves outstanding efforts at the local level, including community-organizing initiatives; citizen ideas and government programs to help workers and homeowners get out of the economic crisis.

The Sioux City stop for the on-the-road-tour -- with funding in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and The California Endowment – entails three stories:

Latino Business Boom. A look at how the arrival of Latinos is changing the landscape of entire communities in Midwest towns. Main Streets and downtowns in rural Iowa are now lined with Latino businesses.  Also, Latinos are becoming farmers faster than any other population group in this state. Despite their contribution to stimulate the local economy, Latino newcomers face a number of obstacles, including lack of access to credit and a backlash from anti-immigrant sectors who in 2002 succeeded in passing Iowa’s English Language Reaffirmation Act, an English-only law. 

Obama’s First Year. One year after being inaugurated as president, Barack Obama delivers his first State of the Union address. Two years ago this month, Iowans delivered the first primary victory for Obama. This victory was crucial as an ethnic minority candidate showed success in a state that was 96% white. Editors of Iowa Latino newspapers and grassroots activists are invited to discuss the State of the Union address and the Obama presidency, the primary election process, the changing face of the electorate in Iowa and the inauguration of Pedro Rodriguez as the first Latino councilperson of Denison, a neighboring town.

The Raid in Postville. Twenty months ago, Postville, Iowa was the scene of the largest immigration raid in U.S. history. The federal raid against Agriprocessors meat plant resulted in the arrest of nearly 400 workers, a company in bankruptcy, separated immigrant families, a crippled local economy and a city government in financial trouble. Línea Abierta on the Road revisits the immigration trial and the outlook for this town. Local journalists, human rights advocates, detained immigrants, Postville residents and city and federal officials are being invited to participate in this live roundtable.

The Línea Abierta on the Road series brings to the forefront the strength of Radio Bilingüe’s community radio national network and its partnerships with other stations such as KWIT-KOJI, which airs within a 100 mile radius of Sioux City. The two stations have aired Radio Bilingüe and Línea Abierta for several years and are currently broadcasting the Latino community network on their HD digital channel. 

For more information, contact Alma Martinez at 559.455.5753 or visit www.radiobilingue.org or KWIT 800.251.3690.

###

About KWIT, Sioux City Public Radio

KWIT FM-90.3-KOJI FM90.7 airs from the campus of Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City, Iowa. With 100,000 watts of power, KWIT-KOJI brings public radio to Siouxland communities within a 100-mile radius of Sioux City, including Northeast Nebraska and Southeast South Dakota.

About Radio Bilingüe

Radio Bilingüe is a community-based radio network with a satellite system that reaches 125 affiliates throughout the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico as well as its own six stations in California. Radio Bilingüe provides audiences with news, information and cultural programming from its award-winning programs Noticiero Latino and Línea Abierta. Programming is also available via webcast on Radio Bilingüe Internet: www.radiobilingue.org. The network’s online service features links to program audio archives, podcasting multimedia files, timely news transcripts, several interactive blogs, hyperlinks to relevant organizations and more. 

Funds for Radio Bilingüe's news services are provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, The California Endowment, the James Irvine Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, The California Wellness Foundation, the ZeroDivide Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.