For Immediate Release

Nov. 17, 2011

Contact: María de Jesús Gómez

  559-455-5782 , chuyag@radiobilingue.org

Live National Dialogue on Controversial Alabama Immigration Law

Airing Jointly Nov. 19 by Radio Bilingüe Noncommercial U.S. Network,

KIQI San Francisco-KATD Sacramento & Radio La Jefa, Alabama

Special program this Saturday connecting capital of Montgomery to cities nationwide launches partnership of award-winning national Latino public radio news service and major Nor-Cal Spanish-language AM network.

As thousands of immigrants in Alabama report living in constant fear of arrest and deportation at work, school and other public places in the wake of recent sweeping state legislation, the Radio Bilingüe National Latino Public Radio Network will broadcast a live 2-hour special this Saturday connecting voices from Alabama with audiences throughout the U.S. for a discussion of the law’s impact.  The special also marks the premiere opportunity for Spanish-speaking audiences in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Sacramento to join in the on-air national dialogues that are a trademark of Radio Bilingüe’s public radio journalism, thanks to a new partnership with KIQI 1010 AM San Francisco-KATD 990 AM Sacramento.

Alabama’s HB 56, dubbed the “Papers Please” law, has been called the harshest in the country and has made the state ground zero in the immigration debate. African American veterans of the Civil Rights Movement, congressional representatives and others have joined immigrants in calling for repeal of the law, as parents keep their children home from school and families choose between the risk of work or having no food on the table.  The law’s proponents say immigrants are draining the state of resources and jobs, while opponents say it is a new form of sanctioned racism in the South.

Airing Saturday via satellite from 2-4 pm PST for radio stations throughout the country, the “Línea Abierta ” (“Open Line”) special will be hosted from Radio Bilingüe studios in Oakland, California and feature conversations with radio personalities and listeners from Alabama’s Radio La Jefa as they conclude a 14-day/14-city walk through the state gathering public reaction to the law.    Línea Abierta has been produced by Radio Bilingue since 1995 and is the first and only national Latino-oriented talk show in the U.S. public broadcasting system, airing each weekday on 70 stations throughout the country.  Featuring interviews with national newsmakers and audience engagement through call-ins on politics, education, the economy, health, immigration and the arts --   Línea Abierta until now has not aired in the entire S.F. Bay Area.   Beginning this Saturday that will change as Línea Abierta is introduced to Northern California urban listeners on KIQI 1010 AM and KADT 990 AM for the special from Alabama.  In ensuing weeks KIQI/KADT will feature a selected Línea Abierta program of the week each Saturday from 2-3 p.m. PST.

Hugo Morales, founder and executive director of Radio Bilingüe, says “The urban Latino Spanish-speaking residents of Northern California are among the most underserved in terms of the mission and mandate of public broadcasting.  Radio Bilingüe has been producing meaningful journalism on Latino issues ignored by other media for 25 years. At last audiences from San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento, Santa Rosa and beyond can join in the national dialogue.”  Morales says the pilot partnership with KIQI will run initially for three months, during which Radio Bilingüe will gauge  audience response and seek funding to continue or increase the scope of access to the broadcasts in the highly competitive local San Francisco Bay Area market.  The partnership at KIQI is being facilitated by the station’s Hecho en California, a group of independent radio producers programming out of this AM station that broadcasts Spanish-language talk and public affairs programming for a potential audience of 1.5 million Latinos throughout the San Francisco Bay area. KIQI’s signal is simulcast on KATD 990 AM in Sacramento.

Available to all interested affiliate stations nationally via Satélite Radio Bilingüe , Saturday’s special will air on stations including Radio Bilingüe’s KSJV 91.5 FM Fresno, KMPO 88.7 FM Modesto-Stockton, KTQX 90.1 FM Bakersfield,   KHDC 90.9 FM Salinas, KUBO 88.7 FM El Centro, KVUH 88.5 FM Mendocino, and Radio Bilingüe 94.5 FM Paso Robles; on KIQI 1010 AM reaching San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Santa Rosa and Vallejo, KADT 990 AM reaching Sacramento, Yuba City, and Chico, on the Radio La Jefa three-station network in Alabama, and streamed live at radiobilingue.org .  Toll-free call-in lines will be open for listeners from throughout the U.S. at  800-345-4632.  

Radio Bilingüe is a national Latino-controlled non-commercial radio network and the prominent producer of Latino-oriented programming in public broadcasting.  Founded in 1977, Radio Bilingüe owns and operates seven FM public radio stations in California and a national satellite programming service, and is developing new stations for impoverished communities along the U.S. -Mexico border. In addition to Línea Abierta, Radio Bilingüe produces the daily Noticiero Latino and weekend Edición Semanaria, the only Spanish language newscasts in public broadcasting, featuring reports from journalists based throughout the U.S. and Latin America and carried by more than 100 affiliate stations nationwide. 

Funds for Radio Bilingüe and Línea Abierta are provided in part by The Ford Foundation, The Open Society Foundations, The James Irvine Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, The California Endowment, the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, The California Wellness Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the U.S. Department of Commerce/California Emerging Technology Fund.

SATELITE RADIO BILINGÜE, owned and operated by RADIO BILINGÜE, INC., is the distributor of LİNEA ABIERTA, NOTICIERO LATINO and EDICION SEMANARIA. SRB's 24-hour programming is available through Galaxy 16 (KU-Band at 11916.4 MHZ) and through PRSS-NPR’s Content Depot.

LİNEA ABIERTA toll-free call-in lines are: 800-345-4632 (U.S.) and, 01152 1(800) 010-2166 (MX) To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE, please reply to this e-mail and put REMOVE in the subject line Tune into our web page   http://www.radiobilingue.org/

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