Latino Airwaves: Radio Bilingüe and Spanish-Language Public Radio

Abstract

This article focuses on Radio Bilingüe, a community driven Spanish-language public radio station that serves the information and entertainment needs of one of the most disenfranchised Latino communities across local, national, and transnational borders. The author discusses its establishment as a result of the formation of CPB’s Task Force on Minorities and explains the role Radio Bilingüe plays in helping elevate minority voices in public broadcasting. This case illustrates how a Latino owned and operated radio enterprise empowers traditionally underrepresented Latino communities by providing them a space where they can be heard and represented in culturally sensitive ways.

Notes

^1. The Great Society legislation was a series of domestic programs launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson in an attempt to eliminate poverty and racial injustice in the United States. Notable policies include the Civil Rights Act (1964) and the Economic Opportunity Act (1964).

^2. Mechistas refers to students who belong to the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA), a national Chicano/a student-movement organization formed in 1969. MEChA promotes higher education and study of the culture and history of Chicano identity, and was key in creating and implementing Chicano/a studies across college campuses in the United States.

^3. Radio Bilingüe owned-and-operated FM public radio stations, as of April, 2017, include: KSJV 91.5 Fresno, California; KMPO 88.7 Modesto-Stockton, California; KTQX 90.1 Bakersfield-Lamont, California; KHDC 90.9 Chualar-Salinas, California; KUBO 88.7 Calexico-El Centro, California; KVUH 88.5 Laytonville- Mendocino, California; KREE 88.1 Porterville-Douglas, Arizona; KHUI 89.1 Alamosa, Colorado; KVMG 88.9 Raton, New Mexico; KYOL 91.7 Chama, New Mexico; KQTO 88.1 Hurley-Silver City, New Mexico; and KRZU 90.7 Batesville-Crystal City, Texas (“Stations and services,” 2017).

^4. The concept of radio practitioner is derived from Gumucio Dagrón’s (n.d.) concept of new communicator, which refers to a mix of experience in development, a special sensibility for working with communities, and the knowledge of communication tools and technologies.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sonia De La Cruz

Sonia De La Cruz (Ph.D., University of Oregon, 2014) holds a doctoral degree in Media Studies. Her research interests include international and development communication with emphasis on Latin America, media at the margins, participatory media and social change. She is also a documentary filmmaker and produces socio-cultural documentary films.