R A D I O B I L I N G Ü E
Latino Community Radio Network
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
January 13, 2008 Alma Martinez
(559) 455-5753
Historic inauguration featured in 8-hour package Jan. 19-22 on Línea Abierta
(January 13, 2009) -- The historic inauguration of the first person of color to occupy the highest office in the United States will be broadcast live on January 20 by Radio Bilingüe’s Línea Abierta as part of an 8-hour, 4-day package that culminates the year-long election coverage program, Hacia El Voto 2008.
Running from Jan. 19-22 and beginning at noon (Pacific) each day, the special, extended Presidential Inaugural program will feature news and analysis leading up to and following the historic moment when Barack H. Obama takes the oath as the 44th U.S. President, becoming the first African-American to do so.
As the nation turns its attention to Washington D.C., where millions are expected to attend various Inaugural festivities, the West Coast-based Línea Abierta will team up with Hacia El Voto partner HITN-TV, a national cable and direct satellite TV network based in New York, as well as with correspondents on the scene to discuss such topics as the Latino role in Obama's historic victory in November and immigration reform.
The special programming kicks off at noon (PT) on Monday, Jan. 19, with two one-hour shows as President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden use the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to promote community service by volunteering in the Washington area.
The first hour will feature news correspondents filing stories on inaugural events and interviews with participants as well as calls from radio and web listeners.
In the second hour, "Inauguration Day and Voices from the Barrios," HITN-TV will provide a forum direct from Chicago and San Juan, Puerto Rico airing voices from citizens on their expectations about this historic moment. Línea Abierta joins this special broadcast on a tape-delayed basis.
On Inauguration Day (Jan. 20), when crowds fill the National Mall in the nation’s capital, two-hour coverage of the Swearing-In Ceremony showcases sounds and observations from Capitol Hill, where Obama and Biden take their Oath of Office; Elizabeth Alexander reads a poem; and President Obama delivers his first Inaugural speech.
In the second hour, the Inaugural Celebration begins with a parade from Capitol Hill to the White House as Línea Abierta’s special report includes stories filed by news correspondents in Washington, commentary by political analysts and listener calls.
On Wednesday (Jan. 21), the “Immigration Reform Action” segment takes center stage on Línea Abierta with thousands of Latinos who are expected to descend on the Inaugural festivities also rallying at the Immigration and Custom Enforcement Agency's Washington D.C. headquarters to express their feelings about immigration reform and other issues that fueled Latinos' fervor to cast their ballots.
News reports and interviews with participants in the rally will key in on Latino voter turn-out in record numbers during this election that formulated a decisive factor in electing Obama to the White House.
This two-hour segment also opens the phone lines to encourage listener's opinions and provide a radio/web forum.
The weeklong programming culminates Thursday (Jan. 22) with a look at ”The First One Hundred Days" when President Obama will put forth his legislative agenda. This special, two-hour edition will examine how Obama will stay consistent with his campaign promises as he follows through with action to address the most critical problems and pressing issues facing the nation. The show, featuring a public forum with live audiences, will encourage participants and listeners to comment on priorities for the new Obama Administration.
Funding for this finale in the Hacia El Voto series is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Mitchell Kapor Foundation and ZeroDivide primarily. Additional funding is provided by The California Endowment, the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, the James Irvine Foundation and the William Hewlett Foundation.
Línea Abierta, and its companion programs Noticiero Latino and Edición Semanaria, are distributed by Satélite Radio Bilingüe, which is owned and operated by Radio Bilingüe, Inc. Línea Abierta's toll-free call-in line is: 800-345-4632. Live feeds and audio archives can be heard on www.radiobilingue.org
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About Radio Bilingüe
Radio Bilingüe is a community-based radio network with a satellite system that reaches 100 affiliates throughout the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico as well as its own six stations in California. Programming is also available via webcast on Radio Bilingüe Internet: www.radiobilingue.org. The network’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.
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, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, the Mitchell Kapor Foundation and the ZeroDivide Foundation.