Thread: Maryland Launches Spanish Public Television

Aug 20, 2007 3:25 pm US/Eastern
Maryland Launches Spanish Public Television

Pat Warren
Reporting

(WJZ) OWINGS MILLS, Md. Maryland Public Television launches a 24-hour Spanish language channel, V-Me, which is pronounced "veh-me" and it means "see me."

Pat Warren reports it offers the same quality educational, information and cultural programming as English language public television.

It is now available on Comcast channel 201 and Verizon channel 881.

The programming includes a five-and-a-half hour block of children's education in Spanish, which in addition to catering to the Spanish-speaking population, gives English-speaking children an opportunity to learn Spanish. Spanish is the most common taught foreign language in Maryland.

"We need also to encourage our Hispanic community to embrace the culture of Maryland," said MPT President and CEO Robert Shuman.

"It basically addressed the needs, the wants, the desires of an ever-increasing segment of our population, both native and foreign-born. That's what it is and that's what you see in a free market whether it's television, whether it's in the stores, you're trying to meet the needs of your population," said Lt. Governor Anthony Brown said.

Brown also tells Eyewitness News he does not believe introducing V-Me as a programming choice is going to influence debates over immigration during the next General Assembly session. A failed effort to provide in-state tuition to illegal immigrants is expected to be revived next year.

(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

http://wjz.com/seenon/local_story_232105250.html

If you want more tv channels you will have to learn spanish.

hope you enjoyed office... can't wait to kick you out!

"Spanish is the most common taught foreign language in Maryland"
YA THINK? It is now mandatory in school and I mean elementary school to learn it.Why does this article try to make it sound like its a choice?
Way to encourage the hispanic population to assimilate,give them a tv channel that caters to them in their own language.It'd be a different story if they said it was to teach Maryland culture and English to immigrants.
Do any of the other immigrants (from other than Latin countries) get their own pander channel?If not -WHY??




Head 'em up,move 'em out Rawhide!