(646) 731-3801   (646) 731-3804

Press Release

EDITORS: Representatives will be available in Chicago for media interviews January 14th and 15th following the shows. (See attached invite below)

Radio Bilingüe and Radio Arte Partner with HITN TV for Groundbreaking Multimedia Election Coverage at

WRTE Chicago Station January 14th-15th

 (January14, 2008) -- Radio Bilingüe will kick off its new election coverage radio series, “Hacia el Voto 2008,” from WRTE Radio Arte in Chicago January 14th and 15th with a new partner -- the Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network (HITN-TV) in New York, the first national Latino public television network in the US, who will simultaneously broadcast the live program on their television network.

“HITN, with access to more than 20 million households, joins Radio Bilingüe and WRTE in a movement by the three Latino community-based media organizations to provide a wider voice and dialogue for the Latino community during the 2008 national elections,” said Jose Luis Rodriguez, HITN founder and president. “This historic, multimedia partnership demonstrates that we can work together to ensure our community has access to informational tools that will help its members participate meaningfully in the nation’s democratic process and make a significant difference.”

Hugo Morales, Radio Bilingüe founder and executive director adds, “This partnership is a milestone for the Latino community because three major Latino media organizations are joining forces to provide their audiences with pertinent information about pressing issues affecting their lives.  By joining forces with HITN in our goal to provide the best communication and coverage possible, we succeed in bringing the most up-to-date and relevant information to the Latino public through three major media outlets – television, radio and the Internet.”

 “Hacia el Voto 2008” is a year-long election coverage radio series, including special coverage at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, that will air the next 12 months on Radio Bilingüe’s award-winning daily talk show, Línea Abierta, from 3  to 4 p.m. EST. 

The two live shows that will air in January will be made possible through the direct collaboration from young radio producers from WRTE, a youth-driven radio station in Chicago. The January 14th, 2 pm EST, broadcast will focus on the youngest voters, exploring issues that fuel youth’s fervor to participate as well as those factors that discourage young people from casting their ballot.  On January 15^th, 2 pm EST the broadcast will address the needs and perspectives of immigrant youth as it pertains to the elections. 

HITN, in turn, will capitalize on its reputation of encouraging live audience participation by providing the Radio Bilingue 1-800 number for HITN viewers to call in to discuss information and provide feedback relevant to the Latino community’s political representation in this 2008 elections.

In addition, both the radio and TV versions of these programs will be available on the web, on http://www.radiobilingue.org, and on http://www.hitn.tv.

Funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Radio Bilingüe’s new bilingual weekly elections program also will include a special itinerant series, “Línea Abierta on the Road,” that begins with Monday’s inaugural WRTE show.  These remote broadcasts will include live town hall meetings, roundtable discussions and special reports originating from the home sites of partnering stations such as WRTE.

About Radio Bilingüe, Inc.

Founded in 1976 and taking the air in 1980, Radio Bilingüe owns six full-power FM stations in California, serves over 100 affiliate stations via satellite, and provides live webcast, podcast, and text news service through its Internet site. Radio Bilingüe provides audiences with news, information and cultural programming from its award-winning programs Noticiero Latino and Línea Abierta. The network also distributes selected programming acquired from partnering networks in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Europe and Latin America. Radio Bilingüe is available on HD and several major English-language public radio stations throughout the U.S. offer the bilingual programming on the second-channel service to its Spanish-speaking communities.

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, Lumina Foundation for Education, and the Nathan Cummings Foundation.

About HITN, Inc.

Founded in 1983, the NY-based HITN is a national private non-profit organization and the first public service television network offering educational, enriching and empowering content to the nation's fastest growing Hispanic population. HITN’s mission is to provide a network of non-commercial telecommunications facilities to advance the educational, social, cultural, and economic aspirations of Hispanics in the United States.

About WRTE, Inc

90.5 WRTE-FM (Radio Arte), an initiative of the National Museum of Mexican Art, is a bilingual, youth-driven public radio station that works to advance the voices of our mutli-layered society. Radio Arte has provided professional skills & leadership training for youth & adults since 1997 and is Chicago’s only Latino owned radio station. With a commitment to first voice, Radio Arte has established itself as a premiere station for its innovative mix of on-air & public programs that are authentic to the young Mexican/Latino experience.

RELATED LINKS

Radio Arte: www.radiobilingue.org 

HITN: www.hitn.org

WRTE FM 90.5 RadioArte: www.wrte.org

Corporation for Public Broadcasting: www.cpb.org