Focus on Programming

The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) is partnering with Public Radio Exchange (PRX) to provide community radio journalists in the United States and Latin America with a new Web-based service to share and rebroadcast stories across borders.

The partnership is part of a two-year program, funded by the McCormick Foundation, to train journalists from Latin America and Spanish-language media in the United States to use multimedia platforms to enrich coverage. Participants will first meet in Washington, DC, where they will take reporting field trips and interview key policy-makers and experts, including those at the Federal Communications Commission. The program includes a panel discussion about whether the Obama Administration's stimulus package is expanding broadband access for minority communities. It will take place at the National Press Club on Sept. 17. After the D.C. conference, ICFJ trainers will visit participating radio stations in the United States and Latin America to provide hands-on training focusing on radio news production, improving Web content, and using the digital platform developed with PRX. The coaching will improve the stations' ability to produce and stream digital audio through the Internet. ICFJ trainers will work with the radio stations to train citizen journalists on digital reporting and production. The program will also include two Spanish-language online seminars on digital radio, expanding the impact of the program. "This ICFJ initiative is an innovative attempt to help Spanish-language community radio maintain - and even strengthen - its close ties to audience," said Clark Bell, director of journalism programs for the McCormick Foundation. "For the McCormick Foundation's journalism program, this furthers our commitment to supporting content, audience and rights." "This exciting initiative will take community radio stations to a new level with enhanced programming and a wider reach than ever before," said ICFJ President Joyce Barnathan.

United Nations Radio looks to expand its audience in the US.

In 2008 PRX received the MacArthur Foundation Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, and is widely regarded as an innovator in public media and technology for projects such as the Public Radio Player iPhone application. For more information, visit www.prx.org.

United Nations Radio is looking to expand its audience in the United States, and their current focus is on Spanish-speaking populations in the United States. They are offering membership access to news programs from UN Radio in Spanish, which can be downloaded and used free of charge.  

UN Radio produces daily news programming in the six official languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) as well as in Portuguese and Kiswahili.  UN Radio's Spanish service produces news reports updated throughout the day on its website, as well as "La ONU en Minutos", a daily 3-minute news summary.

ICFJ's partner is PRX, an online marketplace and a social network of radio stations, listeners and producers based in Cambridge, Mass. PRX is beginning to expand its services beyond the United States, and this collaboration will engage new audiences in Latin America.

"Public Radio Exchange's mission is to connect new voices with audiences through broadcast and beyond," said Jake Shapiro, CEO of PRX. "We are excited to support this important initiative and extend the network of journalists, creative producers and stations worldwide."

The International Center for Journalists, a non-profit, professional organization, promotes quality journalism worldwide in the belief that independent, vigorous media are crucial in improving the human condition. Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, ICFJ has worked directly with more than 55,000 journalists from 176 countries. Aiming to raise the standards of journalism, ICFJ offers hands-on training, workshops, online training, seminars, fellowships and international exchanges to reporters and media managers around the globe. For more information, visit www.icfj.org.

The McCormick Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to strengthening our free, democratic society by investing in children, communities and country. Through its five grant making programs, Cantigny Park and Golf, and three world-class museums, the Foundation helps build a more active and engaged citizenry. It was established as a charitable trust in 1955, upon the death of Colonel Robert R. McCormick, the longtime editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune. The McCormick Foundation is one of the nation's largest charities, with $1.2 billion in assets. For more information, visit www.mccormickfoundation.org.

Public Radio Exchange (PRX) is a non-profit web-based service for broadcast and digital distribution, connecting thousands of independent producers, local radio stations, and listeners across a growing online catalog of 40,000 audio works.

Programs in 13 Languages

In addition, UN Radio produces 21 magazine programs in 13 languages, including two in Spanish: Puntos Cardinales and Mujeres en el Mundo. The magazines are all 15 minutes long.

In addition, the Audio Library offers recordings of the official meetings of the General Assembly and Security Council as well as the daily Noon Briefing by the Spokesman for the Secretary-General, the Secretary-General's press conferences, other
press briefings and special events.

Another product from the Audio Library is UN Radio Classics, an online archive of documentary and dramatic programs, available free of charge with digitally remastered sound.  The collection offers a unique way of experiencing key historical moments of the United Nations and of the world throughout the second half of the 20th century.  The small but growing Spanish-language section currently includes the press conference at the UN given by Rigoberta Menchu on the occasion of her winning the Nobel Peace Prize; the speech of Che Guevara before the General Assembly representing Cuba; and Pablo Neruda reciting his own poetry on his visit to the UN Headquarters.

All of their programs are available to broadcasters worldwide free of charge and are distributed by Internet, from the UN Radio website. A very simple and free registration will give stations access to .mp3 files.

 
 

 Have You Heard?

Many of you have requested programs that might be utilized for Hispanic Heritage Month, to integrate into your regular program lineup, to attract more Latino listeners, or because you want to make your programming reflect the world around you.

What follows is just a sampling of the rich programming that is available and the talented producers. Come back often because we’ll update this information with frequency:

Caliente Latin Jazz with Eddie Palmieri
Contact Carlos Lando, KUVO, 303-480-9272 x 25 or carlos@kuvo.org

Latino USA
Contact Alex Avila, Latino USA, latinousa@npr.org

StoryCorps Historia
Contact Melvin Reeves, StoryCorps, mreeves@storycorps.org

Westside Oratorio
Contact Tony Garcia, Su Teatro, 303-296-0219 or tony@suteatro.org

Democracy Now En Espanol
Contact www.democracynow.org

Despues de Las Guerras
Contact Maria Martin, Gracias Vida Media Center, maria@graciasvida.org or graciasvida@aol.com

Linea Abierta
Contact Maria Erana, mariax@radiobilingue.org

Noticiero Latino
Contact Maria Erana, mariax@radiobilingue.org

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