ABOUT THE PRODUCERS
Francesca Rheannon is an independent radio producer with a background in public health and social work. She works with WFCR 88.5 in Amherst as a freelancer, and as collaborator on the show ¡Tertulia! Rheannon also produces and hosts the radio program, Writer's Voice, which airs on WMUA 91.1 and on Pacifica affiliate, WXOJ-LP, in Northampton. Rheannon produced WFCR's five-part English language series, Voices of HIV
WFCR's five-part English-language series, Voices of HIV will air on ¡Tertulia! over five weeks, Sundays, January 15 through February 12, 2006. Since 1985, Luis Meléndez has been the producer and host of WFCR's ¡Tertulia! , a weekly overview of Latino and Latin American music, culture and current events. Over the years, Luis has produced other Spanish language, cultural and educational radio and television programs in Massachusetts. From 1994 to 2002, Luis was the Director of HIV-AIDS Prevention and Education services at the Spanish American Union (SAU) in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts.
ABOUT VOICES OF HIV
WFCR's Voices of HIV has come about in several stages each conceived to generate as much discussion as possible on the topic of HIV and its impact on the Latino community. Producers Francesca Rheannon and Luis Meléndez spent numerous weeks consulting the western New England Latino community on the nature of the problem, the impact, the response to the crisis, and the outlook to the future. Focus groups and other discussions were held during this phase of the project throughout the region. This helped to identify the most important topics of concern, the resources, and what is still needed in order to overcome HIV and AIDS.
Dozens of interviews of people living with the disease have been recorded, of people who are witness to the disease because their loved ones have become infected or have passed away, and of those who are concerned about the well being and development of the Latino community, including community health workers, teachers, and religious leaders.
These interviews and additional field production have led to a five-part series, Voices of HIV, which aired on WFCR's Morning Edition. A bilingual series, Spotlight on Voices of HIV, aired on WFCR's ¡Tertulia!; the Spotlights are available above. Audio from Voices of HIV is also available above.
