With a trained eye for the analysis of numerous topics, Sánchez manages to create a kind of condensation of knowledge in 30 minutes, always from the didactic and affable approach.
As the professor explained to Diario Las Américas, after “strong differences between the team of the block in Spanish and the management of WLRN” in mid-2021, several of the hosts of the television spaces left the channel.
“In these circumstances, the journalist Pedro Corzo, from the program Opinionsasked me if I was interested in covering one of the spaces, in this case commentingand I accepted,” revealed Sánchez, who has a degree in Classical Languages and Literatures from the University of Havana and a doctorate in Philosophical Sciences from the Taras Shevchenko University, Ukraine.
Describing this new project that began in October 2021, he stated that “it has been a huge challenge for me, since my experience in my 50 years of professional life has been strictly in the classroom and in newspaper and magazine newsrooms. Thanks to the help of the station team and, fundamentally, Al Chicoy, creative director, things have turned out better than expected.
Although “in the previous stage, commenting -conducted magnificently by Carlos Cabezas- was focused on esoteric, religious, non-traditional medicine, etc”, Sánchez has chosen to “expand the concept of spirituality, and thus I have given space to topics of social psychology, sociology, jurisprudence, geography, linguistics, literature and popular culture. It is a wide range whose backbone is all the knowledge that can enrich spirituality, that is, the inner world of the person, the search for meaning in life and humanist values”.
He also mentioned the importance of having this program that “aims at an ideal audience of over 30 years, of any school level, social background and nationality.” Likewise, he pointed out that many Miami-Dade residents (with a Spanish-speaking majority), “are unaware of the existence of programming in Spanish, which is broadcast on Sundays from 3 to 7 in the afternoon.”
It is worth noting that next Sunday, March 6, the actor, presenter and director Lieter Ledesma will be on the program to talk about Testament, the Diario Las Américas documentary series about Brigade 2506.
According to Sánchez, “I am interested in talking about the spiritual reserves of the brigade members to go to war, resist the difficult conditions of the prison and, after the defeat, return to the family and continue an active life without losing hope of see Cuba free”.
Bet on educational content
As indicated WLRN, which belongs to the Miami-Dade School District, “the diverse community of South Florida can see an eclectic and informative variety of content in Spanish.” Every Sunday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., as it reads on the WLRN page, the programs are broadcast Women’s Themes, before you, Columbia a day, Cuba and its history, The Pedro Roman Show, Opinions, commenting Y Forum 17.
WLRN-TV first went on the air on September 7, 1962. It was the second non-commercial educational television station in the market. In 1979 it began broadcasting programs in Spanish on Sundays.
“WLRN Public Radio and Television’s mission is to provide information, entertainment and learning services with a commitment to service excellence to local, national and international communities. The vision of WLRN Public Radio and Television is to be the most trusted, valued and supported public media organization in South Florida,” reads the WLRN page, whose acronym is inspired by the phrase We LeaRN (in Spanish, we learn).
The promotion of culture among Spanish speakers
Emilio J. Sánchez recognized “the inspiration and persistence of the founder of the block in Spanish, Luis Díaz, and of so many journalists for maintaining it for more than 40 years. They were the ones who persevered despite difficulties and misunderstandings.” He added that although “in the There is no shortage of television and radio programs in South Florida, curiously, some viewers of commenting They have celebrated the originality and variety of the topics that, they argue, are not usually covered on commercial television. In this sense, public television is an exceptional opportunity to address them without pressure from advertisers or editorial bias.”
However, he stressed that “despite the efforts of the technical staff, the station lacks the technological resources that could make programming more attractive and modern. I am referring to the possibility, now non-existent, of making recordings outside the studio, use of background virtual, giant screens, Zoom connections with other states or countries. They are real limitations. That forces all the programs, from 3 to 7, to use the same scheme: interviewer-interview, each one in his chair, which is a bit monotonous, formally speaking”.
Finally, he referred to what he described as “a core issue”: the fact of living “times of television on-linewhose advantage is to allow content to be enjoyed from any device with Internet access, anywhere in the country and the world, and at the time the user decides.”
Right now, he said, “WLRN programming can only be seen in Miami-Dade and Fort Lauderdale. Not the worst of it: the station has yet to put the shows on its website for the public to download online. streaming. Thus, the extemporaneous and absurd situation occurs that, if you did not see the program on the appointed day and time, you lost it! It is wasted work and an effort that evaporates. For others, this does not contribute to giving visibility to the station and, in particular, to the programming in Spanish”.
But, “Fortunately, the station’s executive producer, Adrienne Kennedy, has assured us of her commitment to improve the quality of programming and thus increase viewership. I have faith that with the new direction in the school district (WLRN Channel 17 license holder) these issues can be discussed and resolved for the benefit of the Spanish-speaking community.”
Television, workshops and journalism
In addition to the program every Sunday, Sánchez maintains other commitments. He has worked as an editor, writer, and producer for various media, and has taught classes and seminars at Nova Southeastern University and elsewhere. His articles and interviews have appeared in Diario Las Américas, Mundo 21, El Nuevo Herald and Aboard Magazine among other publications.
He has conducted reading workshops on American Narrative (from the first half of the 20th century) and Cuban Narrative of the Republic; and he also has other “projects in mind: the second part of Cuban Narrative of the Republic, and José Martí, life and work.”
He also works as “coordinator of two important IAPA programs: the annual Journalistic Excellence contest, which receives more than a thousand works in 13 categories from throughout the hemisphere; and Scholarships for postgraduate studies”. To this is added the writing of the scripts of the radio space My landhosted by Irene and Silvia López, and broadcast every Saturday at 1 p.m. on La Poderosa 670.
“Commentando”, a space in Spanish on public television in Miami