Latino USA: Constructing a News and Public Affairs Radio Program

The development of Latino USA, a news and information public radio program about Latino issues, is the focus of this paper. From a Gramscian theoretical framework three primary factors-economics, demographics and technology-are examined which may have contributed to the creation of Latino USA. The need for public radio, at both the network and local level, to increase its funding in the 1980s led to more diverse programming. Simultaneously, a redistribution of income within the Latino community in the U.S. created a segment of the Latino population attractive to public radio managers. Finally, changes in communication technologies made possible the production of a magazine format program at lower costs.