Arts & Culture

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- Election Day coverage by Radio Bilingue's Hacia el Voto 2008 series will feature a six-hour program and two two-hour specials, before and after election day, covering record voter participation and an increased Latino turnout, fueled by a surge in naturalization rates and a large number of native-born Latinos turning 18.

-- Election Day coverage airs Tuesday, Nov. 4, from 12 to 4 pm and 8 to 10 pm PST.
-- On Monday, Nov. 3, a pre-Election Day special will air from noon to 2 pm PST .
-- On Wednesday, Nov. 5, an aftermath report will air from noon to 2 pm PST.


Hacia el Voto 2008 began airing in January in Chicago through Linea Abierta on the Road -- a special series heard on Radio Bilingue's network of 100 affiliates.

The program has visited eight cities and aired 15 shows in collaboration with local public media outlets, addressing issues relevant to both Latino voters and the general electorate.

Reporting will cover exit polls from battleground states in the "Cactus Corridor" of Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona, as well as high Latino population areas such as California, Texas, Illinois, Washington, and Florida.

Coverage also will be strong in Pennsylvania and South Carolina, Samuel Orozco, Radio Bilingue's executive producer said.

"Hacia el Voto's news team will delve beyond the national scope with overviews of municipal and state races where Latino candidates may play a groundbreaking role," he said.

Special coverage will focus on non-governmental organizations monitoring the election process in communities of color and in minority-dominated precincts -- the operations of voting machines, voting booths, poll workers and vote observers.

"The coming Election Day coverage will provide some fascinating insights into the impact the Latino community will have, now and in the future," Orozco said.

Hacia el Voto 2008 partners have included Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network (HITN-TV), a non-profit, bilingual TV network based in Brooklyn, NY; WRTE-FM, Radio Arte, in Chicago; KDNA-FM Radio Cadena in Granger, WA; and San Francisco's public station KQED.

The series is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Mitchel Kapor Foundation and ZeroDivide. Additional funding is provided by The California Endowment, the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the James Irvine Foundation.

SOURCE Radio Bilingue