TO: ALL PUBLIC STATIONS/ GENERAL MANAGERS

FM: RADIO BILINGUE/Maria de Jesus Gomez, chuyag@radiobilingue.org

RE: CHILEFORNIA PROGRAMS MARK ANNIVERSARY OF COUP IN CHILE

DT: September 7, 2012

On September 11, 1973 a military coup led overthrew the democratically-elected government of Salvador Allende in Chile, devastating the country and sending thousands of Chileans into exile. Many settled in the U.S., creating new communities and bringing with them cultural traditions of those times.

To mark this anniversary, Radio Bilingüe premieres two half-hour episodes of the series Chilefornia. The programs focus on La Peña de Berkeley, a cultural center founded in the 70s and modeled in the tradition of the peñas in Chile.

The programs will air and webcast in coincidence with September 11 week.

Tuesday, September 11^th. 6 PM.

Centro Cultural - La Peña de Berkeley. Based on interviews with staff members, artists, and Chilean immigrants, this program tells the story of La Peña as a home for newly-arrived Chilean refugees, its first activities and its expansion to include Central American refugees during the 80s and social justice activists from the local community throughout these years. The program includes music from the early days, including original songs from the featured artists.

Wednesday, September 12^th. 6 PM

The Mural: La Canción de la Unidad. This program tells the story of the mural painted on the front wall of La Peña de Berkeley, its historic and emotional meaning for the Chilean community and the story behind the heroes who are featured in the scene. It also features efforts to restore the mural through the years.

Chilefornia is a production of Duamuxa, a musical and production project owned by Ricardo y Marci Valdivieso, based in Richmond, CA, and founded in 1999. The project includes concerts, live and taped programs, voice recording and theater.

Based in Fresno and Oakland, CA, non-profit Radio Bilingüe is the national Latino public radio network, distributing news and cultural programming to more than 100 stations across the U.S. and Mexico. Radio Bilingüe also provides a webcast and podcast service on www.radiobilingue.org.