Closing the Gap: New Program for Latino Youth

Radio Bilingue Hosts a News Conference Announcing an Innovative Educational Partnership

11am, Saturday, March 23, 2002 at Radio Bilingue
5005 East Belmont Avenue
Fresno, CA

For Immediate Release
March 20, 2002
Contact: Diana Hernandez, (559) 455-5760

Career opportunities in engineering and technology are often not attracting young people from the Latino community, and the gap widens as the Latino population experiences rapid and unprecedented growth. The under representation of Latinos and Latinas in the fields of science and technology is an important issue of human capital and one of the hidden causes and effects of the growing "digital divide."

The College of Engineering at California State University Fresno (CSUF) and Radio Bilingue (KSJV-FM/Fresno) are joining forces with Instituto Tecnologico de Tijuana and its radio station XHITT/Tijuana/San Diego to address this issue.

Radio Bilingue will produce and distribute information programming that engages audiences in a public dialogue on the low enrollment rate of Latinos in engineering at institutions of higher education. The radio programs will showcase technological and academic achievements by Latino engineers, scientists and students, profile outstanding professionals, and discuss the challenges to close the gap in the engineering field for the Latino community and especially for Latino women.

The news conference will provide programming details and an opportunity to meet many of the principals of the join venture:

• Ing. Oscar Pulido Torres, President, Instituto Tecnologico de Tijuana
• Raymond G. Mellado, Founder and Chairman, Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Corporation
• Hugo Morales, Executive Director, Radio Bilingue
• A representative from the College of Engineering, California State University Fresno

The radio programs will be broadcast through Satelite Radio Bilingue, the Latino public radio network based in Fresno, CA. Partner station XHITT-FM will air the programs in the Tijuana/San Diego area and other cites on the Mexican border.

Radio Bilingue is a non-profit, educational broadcast network that is owned and operated by a Latino community-based organization. Starting as a single full power radio station in Fresno, Radio Bilingue now owns 5 stations serving the San Joaquin, Salinas and Imperial Valleys. In 1993 Radio Bilingue founded Satelite Radio Bilingue, recognized today as National Latino Public Radio with Spanish language service on two satellites serving 60 affiliate stations in the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Listen to the news conference live online at http://www.radiobilingue.org. The session will also go on the air live via satellite through Satelite Radio Bilingue radio affiliates.