Thread: NC: City Hall to speak Spanish on TV

City Hall to speak Spanish on TV

Public-service program on WSTV-13 will explain services the city provides

By Bertrand M. Gutiérrez | Journal Reporter

Published: June 19, 2008

Updated: 01:15 am

Spanish speakers in Winston-Salem soon will be able to flip to a new TV program geared for them.

But unlike the Spanish-language cable channels that offer melodramatic novelas (soap operas) with Mexican actors, European soccer matches or news from Latin America, this one will have more local flavor.

Winston-Salem's government channel, WSTV-13, plans to broadcast a public-service program called Tu Comunidad (Your Community) in Spanish. The goal is to make Hispanics aware of the services that the city offers, officials said yesterday.

Wanda Allen-Abraha, the director of the city's human-relations office, said that the program came about because she and other city officials saw a communication gap between City Hall and the Hispanic community.

"Often, we have Hispanic residents who state that they do not know what services the city provides because of the language barrier," Allen-Abraha said. "We are hoping that Tu Comunidad will provide the needed link between the Hispanic community and city government."

Ritchie Brooks, the director of the city's neighborhood-services department, echoed that sentiment, saying that the show was designed to educate Spanish-speaking residents about city ordinances and programs.

About one out of 10 people in Winston-Salem speak a language at home other than English, according to a U.S. Census estimate done in 2003, the latest available.

Tu Comunidad, which cost $3,500 and will be updated every three months, will feature such topics as what can be recycled, what can and can't go into the landfill, and how residents can participate in the voluntary curbside-collection program.

Miriam Hernandez, who has done a similar program for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, will be the moderator for Tu Comunidad. She was traveling yesterday and could not be reached for comment.

â–* Bertrand M. Gutierrez can be reached at 727-7283 or at bgutierrez@wsjournal.com

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Your Tax money at work for ILLEGALS!

Hey, NC...you have now joined the ranks of all of us in L.A.! Congratulations, lol! Bienvenidos!!!