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Radio as a Mobilization Tool in Latino Communities
Primary Investigator:
Graciela Orozco, San Francisco State University
Partnering Organization:
San Francisco State University researcher Graciela Orozco examined the role of a local Spanish-language radio station, Radio Bilingüe, in uniting Latino listeners in the
largest immigrants’ rights demonstrations in U.S. history. Her findings highlight the continued centrality of broadcast radio for organizing and discourse formation in marginalized communities.
On May 1, 2006, nearly two million people marched in towns and cities across the United States to oppose pending federal immigration legislation. Mainstream media—including Spanish-language media—heavily covered the events, but rarely in a form that addressed or provided a public voice for the participants in those marches.
The situation was somewhat different with Radio Bilingüe, a Spanish-language public radio network based in California that played a central role in the mobilization. Radio Bilingüe engaged immigrant Latino radio listeners as “barefoot” radio reporters—most often in the context of live call-ins to Spanish-language talk radio and news programs. By looking at the dominant concerns of those callers and their use of the radio as mobilizing and framing tool, this study explored the social role of local radio in constructing a share public discourse among the immigrant community, immigrant activists and the wider media.
This study involved the analysis of 20 hours of radio programming on and around May 1, 2006, followed by focus group interviews. On April 30 and May 1 2006, over 100 unique calls were made to Radio Bilingüe’s national talk show, “Línea Abierta” (Open Line), and to the station’s various musical programs. From this material, the research team identified five connected themes or ‘uses’ of the radio by the listener community. In descending order of frequency:
- ¡Latinos Unidos! or calls for solidarity across legal/illegal lines—e.g., “we’re all in this together even though I already have papers.”
- ¡A organizarse! (Let’s get organized!) or information sharing and organizing in relation to participation in the marches themselves—where to go, what to do, etc.
- ¡Ya basta!, (Enough!) in regard to discrimination, oppression, exploitation and victimization.
- What’s happening, or more general reports on the impact of the marches on the city: how empty the freeways were, how no one was out working in the fields, which stores had closed for the day in support of the marches, how many people were at the rallies, etc.
- We contribute to this country, reflected callers’ self-esteem, pride and future impact – “I am somebody and I deserve to be here;” “I’m proud to be making history.”
For the second phase of the study, three focus group discussions were held in Fresno (home of Radio Bilingüe) with individuals who had called in during the marches. Fifteen individuals were interviewed in Spanish asked about their perceptions of the May 1 event and their motivations for calling into the radio station.
These findings echoed the five themes previously mentioned. Most importantly, focus groups shed light on the role of Radio Bilingüe in constructing a community of discourse and understanding around the May event. Not surprisingly, Radio Bilingüe was viewed as a primary provider of relevant information about the event. More interesting was its role in modeling a ‘method of inquiry’ by showing listeners how to communicate and how to ask questions. Finally, the frequent interactions with the community created a strong impression that Radio Bilingüe shares—not merely reports on—the concerns of its listeners.
Radio Bilingüe became an important organizational tool by bringing listeners together in a virtual space where they felt united, empowered to express their values and opinions, and informed by the minute-by-minute information that they themselves were producing. The staff at Radio Bilingüe understood that they were playing a special role in the course of the May events, but had little capacity to translate that experience into a more systematic understanding of the community role and opportunities available to local radio stations. The present study has begun to provide that model, and—at the request of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters--will be extended for local public radio stations elsewhere, beginning with WMMT in Whitesburg, Kentucky. This follow-on project received a ‘Large Grant’ from the SSRC.
As Graciela relates:
“I took that project [Radio Bilingüe] and I presented it in several places… for example, at a conference in Mexico, in the state of Chiapas, and then I presented it also at the NFCB conference. When I presented it in Chiapas, it was so encouraging because there were a few people from the U.S., but most people were from Latin America, and there was such a thirst, such a desire, to know more about it. My presentation was so well received that I was shocked! And then when I took it to NFCB, where I had a U.S. audience, where it was all of these people who were in radio, it generated a discussion and really very thoughtful questions about, well, how will this information be used?”