Radio Arcoíris is a brand new radio show founded by Arcoíris Cultural, one of Olalla Center’s many community programs. The show airs every Friday on Lincoln County’s community radio station, KYAQ 91.7 FM, from 4:30 PM to 5:00 PM, sharing updates, information and community announcements in Spanish and Mam. In this interview with Radio Arcoíris, we take a deeper dive into the origins and goals of the radio show, hosted by Alex Llumiquinga (he/him), Outreach Program Manager, Martha Varo (she/her), Community Health Worker (CHW), and invited guests.
What kind of radio show is this?
This is a radio program that aims to provide information about Arcoíris Cultural and community partner events, Oregon Health Authority (OHA) updates and community resources in Spanish and Mam. We also play entertaining music from a rainbow of cultures.
What inspired you to start this radio show? Who is it meant for?
We are inspired by necessity. There is a lack of connection between radio and Latinx and indigenous communities. Radio Arcoíris seeks to foster this community connection through its music, news segments and advertisements that promote access to information. It is very important to inform people who may not have access to information through other means of communication due to language barriers. It is also necessary to create more spaces that reflect our population.
This radio show is for the Spanish and Mam speaking population, populations that historically have not been represented on most Lincoln County radio stations.
What do you hope to accomplish with this radio show?
We hope to form a meaningful connection, keeping information current and appropriate for our audience. Throughout this process, we always want to continue to connect more with the population we serve here at Arcoíris Cultural and Olalla Center.
Any closing remarks?
We invite you to tune in to the show every Friday from 4:30 PM to 5:00 PM on KYAQ 97.1 FM. If you want to share an event or use this space, you are welcome to connect with us. Soon we will be interviewing members of the community to obtain their opinions and hopes to continue forming a more united and stronger community!!
You can keep up with Radio Arcoíris and Arcoíris Cultural by following them on Facebook: @arcoirisoregon .