The Spanish-language noncommercial broadcast entity known as Radio Bilingüe is experiencing its first leadership change in the Latino-focused radio network’s 45-year history.
Founder and long-serving executive director Hugo Morales will now share his role at the “national Latino public radio network” with a newly appointed co-director — José Martínez Saldaña.
This shift was announced on the network’s Línea Abierta program.
Saldaña, who has a background in youth-focused non-profit leadership, joins Morales in a trial co-executive arrangement that will be evaluated after a year.
His journey is deeply rooted in the immigrant experience, having moved to the United States from Michoacán, Mexico, at the age of eight.
Saldaña’s career has largely focused on assisting high school students, including many from migrant backgrounds, to access higher education.
The leadership change coincides with operational shifts within the network, first reported by Streamline Publishing’s Radio Ink.
María Araña has transitioned from director of operations to a role as producer and senior advisor, with José Morán stepping in as the new director of operations.
Radio Bilingue acquired its first radio station in 1980, in the San Joaquin Valley of California; its roots predate the company, with a Fresno-area radio show debuting in 1976 on a noncommercial FM radio station that is now KSJV-FM 91.5. Today, Radio Bilingue continues on that station; it can be heard on owned stations and affiliates in California, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas, as well as in Puerto Rico and in parts of Canada.
Radio Bilingüe in November 2024 was awarded a $2 million grant from the State of California. Thefunding, sourced from the State General Funds, will facilitate the expansion of Radio Bilingüe’s facility in Fresno. The enhanced facility will feature areas specifically designed for youth radio education and community events.
— With reporting by Cameron Coats in New York and RBR+TVBR in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
