Hispanic media pioneers speak on importance of local Spanish-language news

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Local news is vital for people to know what is happening in their communities. Pew research from 2024 shows 81 percent of US born Latinos mainly get news in English. But many of those outlets aren't always covering their community.

Because of language barriers, many community members aren't fully aware of what is going on in Michiana. The 2025 U.S. Census reports that Michiana consists of more than one million Latino people spread across 11 counties.

America is a melting pot of cultures and languages, but traditional media does not always reflect that diversity.

That's where La Raza 98.1 FM is breaking barriers. Northern Indiana's first Hispanic commercial radio station is built on providing easy access to local news.

Founder of La Raza 98.1, Nacho, says "Creo que muy importantes -- muy importante, porque si podemos ser otros medios en la noticia muy nacional, entonces sí, hace falta más noticia a nivel local porque aquí es donde vivimos."

Translation: "I think it's extremely important because we can have more national level news but there is a need for news on a local level because this is where we live."

And with more than 136 thousand Latinos and Hispanics calling Michiana home, there is a consistent increase in population. Nacho states, "la comunidad hispana sigue creciendo fuertemente. Entonces pues es importante mantenerlos informados de todo lo que ocurre en el área de Michiana"

Translation: "the Hispanic community continues to grow rapidly. Therefore, it is important to keep them informed about everything happening in the Michiana area."

Many of Spanish speakers seek trusted, accurate news in their native tongue -- usually from national or regional outlets since local news may have limited resources. While there are no fully Spanish-speaking news outlets locally, there are trailblazers making sure no one is left out.

And before La Raza was founded in 2008, there was another local station in South Bend, Radio Sabor Latino.

Eliud Villanueva and Ramon Rodriguez founded the station in 2002 with a mission to inform South Bend's Spanish speakers, celebrate and share Latin culture, and expand access to higher education through scholarships.

Félix Márquez the Board President of Radio Sabor Latino says one of his concerns is Spanish speakers turning to inaccurate news on social media which increased the radio station's own presence online.

"La comunidad vea el papel que sabor latino ha jugado en los últimos 23 años y el papel que está jugando porque ya hoy en día ya no sólo en la radio hoy también tenemos el Facebook tenemos TikTok, Instagram - en la radio, entonces seguimos como que evolucionando como emisora evolucionando como comunidad latina también", says Márquez.

Translation: "the community sees the role that Sabor Latino has played in the last 23 years and the role it is playing because today not only on the radio today we also have the Facebook we have TikTok, Instagram on the radio, so we continue to evolve as a radio station evolving as a Latino community as well."

Both stations' service goes far beyond providing music for the morning commute.

Nacho explains, "seguimos siendo el punto de referencia para muchas cosas como cuando oiga la gente necesita ayuda. Viene acá a la radio y nosotros tenemos ese compromiso y lo hemos dicho porque es lo que queremos hacer siempre los micrófonos estarán abiertos para que la gente venga a comentar lo que necesite"

Translation: "we continue to become a point of contact for many things. Like when people hear they need help, they come here to the radio, and we have that commitment and we have said it because it is what we want to do. Our microphones are always open for everyone to come and tell us what they need."

Though these two radio stations are finding their own ways to inform the public -- the lack of local resources can be a struggle.

Founder of Radio Sabor Latino, Eilud Villanueva, "tenemos un programa diario de noticias personas noticias nacionales de las tres a las cuarto de la tarde pero que nos llegan desde california. Entonces no no es fácil conectarlo pues con lo que está pasando aquí."

Translation: "we have our own daily program of news from 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. But it's national news that we get from california. So, it’s not easy to connect with our own daily news here."

That's how Emmy-Nominated journalist Nicolle Osorio helped incorporate Spanish-language news at a former job in a mostly English-speaking newsroom.

"I said, 'hey, we have all these Puerto Ricans. You guys are part of the Puerto Rican parade. We might as well have a little bit of them in our website'. And that's kind of what we've been trying to do, and what i think that everybody should do, because it's not just a single person's effort. I feel like all of us, we can try to keep Spanish media alive."

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) has about 43-hundred members and they're part of a growing number of journalists filling a public service gap. When the group started in 1982, their annual convention drew about just 300 participants.

Osorio states, "it shows us how powerful we are as a Hispanic community in the United States. It just shows us that there's enough of us to make it necessary to have more journalism in Spanish."

Throughout our Spanish-speaking neighbors say they often feel their stories are not prioritized. In a time where information is constantly changing, it's important that news deliver timely and accurate news to everyone. And while Sabor latino and La Raza are paving the way for the future of spanish-language media, there is so much more local news can do.