Latino USA

Latino USA is a nationally syndicated public radio program produced by KUT-FM radio in Austin, Texas and distributed nation-wide by National Public Radio (NPR). As a radio magazine, the weekly, half-hour radio program focuses on issues of concern to the Latino community while maintaining the technical standards and format of an NPR program. As of October, 2007, the program staff included Host and Managing Editor Maria Hinojosa, Executive Producer Sean Collins, Senior Producer Alex Avila, and Technical Producer Walter Morgan. Additional staff included Deputy Producer Benjamin Jacob and Assistant Producer Angela Maldonado.

History

According to founding Executive Producer Maria Emilia Martin, Latino USA was born following several failed attempts by NPR to create Latino-oriented programming for public radio. As early as 1991, Dr. Gil Cardenas, director of the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, co-wrote a grant proposal to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) that eventually led to the creation of Latino USA, which premiered in April 1993. In 1992, Maria Emilia Martin was an editor at NPR in Washington, D.C. She left that post to become Latino USA's founding Executive Producer and secured Maria Hinojosa as the Program Host.

Today

Many of the early personalities responsible for the creation of Latino USA are no longer associated with the program. In the year 2000, responsibility for the administration of Latino USA was transferred from the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, to KUT-FM, based at the College of Communication, University of Texas at Austin. In 2002, founding Executive Producer Maria Martin left the program. In 2006, program Host Maria Hinojosa had the title "Managing Editor" added. She has been the voice of Latino USA since its inception.

Latino USA has won journalism awards, including: The Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award; the Radio-Television News Directors Association's Edward R. Murrow Award; The Scripps Howard Foundation's National Journalism Award; The Gabriel Award; The Gracie Allen Award; and numerous awards from the National Federation of Community Broadcasters.

External links

* [http://www.latinousa.org Latino USA's website]