Feminista Frequencies: Community Building through Radio in the Yakima Valley

Chicana and Chicano organizers used community radio broadcasting to educate, entertain, and uplift Mexican American listeners, particularly in rural areas and Washingtons Yakima Valley. Feminista Frequencies explores the history of Radio KDNA, one of the first full-time Spanish-language community radio stations, and how it contributed to the development of Chicano community-based broadcasting and social movement activism.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 176 pages
Publication date: 10 May 2022
Publisher: University of Washington Press

Beginning in the 1970s, Chicana and Chicano organizers embraced community radio broadcasting as a powerful tool to educate, entertain, and uplift Mexican American listeners across the United States. In rural areas, where radio became the most effective medium for reaching relatively isolated communities, such as migrant farmworkers, it emerged as a vital lifeline. In Washington's Yakima Valley, where the media landscape was dominated by perspectives favorable to agribusiness, community radio for and about farmworkers became a crucial source of support and empowerment.

Feminista Frequencies delves into the remarkable history of one of the United States' first full-time Spanish-language community radio stations, Radio KDNA, which began broadcasting in the Yakima Valley in 1979. Extensive interviews conducted with Chicana and Chicano producers, on-air announcers, station managers, technical directors, and listeners shed light on the significant contributions made to the station's success. Monica De La Torre skillfully weaves these oral histories together with a diverse range of visual and audio artifacts, including radio programs, program guides, and photographs, to contextualize KDNA within the broader network of Chicano community-based broadcasting and social movement activism.

Feminista Frequencies highlights the development of a public broadcasting model that prioritized Chicana radio producers and documented the central role of women in building this infrastructure in the Yakima Valley. De La Torre showcases how KDNA revolutionized community radio programming, adding new depth to the history of the Chicano movement, women's activism, and media histories.

Through its exploration of the experiences and contributions of Chicana and Chicano community radio, Feminista Frequencies offers a valuable insight into the power of media to shape narratives, mobilize communities, and foster social change. It serves as a testament to the resilience and creativity of marginalized voices and their unwavering commitment to building a more inclusive and equitable society.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780295749662