R A D I O B I L I N G Ü E
Latino Community Radio Network
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 18, 2009
CONTACT:
Kenia Chavez
Marketing Coordinator
559. 455.5763
Linea Abierta on the Road series kicks off Nov. 23-24
from El Centro and Yuma – ‘epicenters of the recession’
Radio Bilingüe’s year-long series "Facing the Crisis," an in-depth coverage on the economic downturn and its impact on Latinos, hits the road next week with four hours of live broadcasts from El Centro in California’s Imperial County and Yuma in Arizona’s Yuma County -- economically ravaged areas tagged as “the epicenters of the recession.”
The Linea Abierta on the Road series visits the two most economically stressed counties in the nation Nov. 23 and Nov. 24 to shed light on the problems Latinos face there and the efforts to overcome their challenges.
On Monday, the first two shows will air live at noon and 1 p.m. PST, from the studios of KUBO, Radio Bilingüe’s own station in downtown El Centro. This border area in the heart of Imperial County -- considered the most stressed county in the nation -- is being called “the capital of the recession.”
On Tuesday, Nov. 24, the series resumes in Yuma at noon in partnership with public station KAWC-AM, which will host the live Linea Abierta broadcast in Yuma County -- the second hardest-hit by the recession in the country.
U.S Representative Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) is scheduled to be interviewed live for the Yuma broadcast.
Launched in September, Radio Bilingüe, Inc.’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. -- 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.
Next week’s kick off of that road campaign -- with major funding by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and The California Endowment -- goes right to the epicenter of the recession in the border areas of El Centro and Yuma.
“We hope to provide a voice for those most hurting, those hit the hardest, by this Great Recession,” said Samuel Orozco, executive producer of the series.
“We will report on both the experience of struggle and survival among the hardest-hit populations -- low-income, less-educated, Latino workers -- as well as outstanding local efforts, projects and ideas to develop new jobs, retrain workers and promote economic recovery,” he said.
El Centro reported the highest unemployment rate in the nation - 30.1 in September. Adjacent Yuma reported 24.2 per cent.
“Imperial County is considered the most economically stressed county in the nation, followed by Yuma County,” Orozco said. “Calculations for economic stress are based on three factors: unemployment, foreclosure and bankruptcy rates.”
Monday’s show in El Centro, “Imperial: Epicenter Of The Recession,” will offer a close look at how Latino workers and their families manage to survive the crisis and the challenges they face to access the safety net and pay for food, housing and medicine – such as a worker who lost income and health insurance and went into bankruptcy, and the mortgage counselor who saved this worker’s home from foreclosure.
Then at 1 p.m. PST., the show “Capital Of Renewable Energy” will feature Imperial County leaders who are vowing to turn this economically-devastated area into a booming new economy by using the dry, sun-drenched lands of the Sonoran desert, known for their dust storms and scorching heat, for a source of an endless fuel supply: solar energy.
Listeners will hear how local leaders are traveling worldwide promoting the Imperial Valley as “the renewable energy capital of the world.”
On Tuesday, the spotlight shifts to Yuma county -- the second hardest-hit by the recession in the country with depression-like unemployment and foreclosure rates hurting Latinos the worst -- beginning at noon PST with “Yuma: Epicenter Of The Recession.”
This special Línea Abierta on the Road edition explores the impact of the economic downturn on Latinos in Yuma and examines what it means for Latinos to live in the second most stressed county, what help is available for those who are hurting and what signs of hope are in sight.
Rep. Grijalva and other guests join this edition of the series “Facing the Crisis” to discuss efforts to bring new jobs and economic recovery to this struggling area. The Arizona Congressman is co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
At 1 p.m. PST Tuesday, the show “Yuma: No Yobs Aquí’” will be a live roundtable that will examine the role migrants and neighboring Mexico are playing in the economic recovery and the prospects for immigration reform legislation.
It portrays the account of a local businessman who posted the sign “No Yobs Aqui” in front of his shop to discourage Spanish-speakers from approaching him to ask for a job -- insulting local residents and epitomizing a symbol of the walls that need to be removed in this border town as part of the economic recovery that would benefit all.
The Linea 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 KAWC, Yuma Public Radio, which has its studios and transmitters located on the main campus of Arizona Western College in Yuma.
“This networking is a vital partnership that helps us achieve our mission to reach into our communities and provide a forum for residents to have their voices heard both with professional journalistic reports as well as in their own words,” Orozco said.
For more information, contact Kenia Chavez at 559.455.5763 or visit www.radiobilingue.org.
*Media hours will take place on Nov. 23 and Nov. 24 from 2:00p.m. to 2:30p.m. or by prior request.
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About KAWC, Yuma Public Radio
KAWC, Yuma Public Radio, is licensed as a non-commercial, educational radio station. KAWC's licensee is the Arizona Western College District Governing Board. With studios and transmitters located on the main campus of Arizona Western College in Yuma, KAWC AM-1320 began broadcasting on July 11, 1970. KAWC FM-88.9 was added in 1992. KAWC simulcasts the FM and AM service over the Internet at kawcradio.org. During its overnight service, KAWC-AM carries five hours of Spanish-language programming from Radio Bilingüe.
About Radio Bilingüe and KUBO 88.7 FM
KUBO (88.7 FM), "Radio Sin Fronteras" is a community radio station licensed to Calexico, California. It serves the Imperial Valley and the city of Mexicali, Mexico with a bilingual format. The station is currently owned by Radio Bilingüe, Inc. KUBO broadcasts Linea Abierta, Noticiero Latino, and other flagship services of 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 and the National Endowment for the Arts.