Mary Cardona

Zárate ensures Monona Community Media is "Conectados" with Spanish-speaking community

Our February 2024 Producer of the Month is responsible for a bilingual radio and video show at Monona Community Media.

Shelene Zárate started “Conectados” in August 2023 with her husband Paul Escalante. Zárate told us the show is fully run by volunteers with the intention of bringing diversity to the City of Monona through interviews that share local information, traditions, and perspectives from other cultures and Latin music.  Zárate says she was inspired to start the show to share her language and Mexican culture with the community while learning about the perspectives of the diverse cultures in Monona.

Zárate is pleased to report she has received great response from the community, especially students at Monona Grove High School.  They have a couple of student volunteers helping with the show and the MGHS Spanish class students were members of the studio audience at some recordings. 

Zárate says when creating your own shows, “it’s important to embrace what’s different and create or support spaces that offer connections between different languages, cultures, music and traditions.”

Shelene would like to share “Conectados” to other communities around the area. “I would love to share more about Conectados and what we are doing to create cultural connections in the area. Nothing makes me more proud than to see my children getting excited when hearing their favorite Spanish songs on their local radio station. Representation is so important!”

“Conectados” airs at noon and 3 PM the third Friday of each month on WVMO-LP in Monona. Monona Community Media Director Will Nimmow said the show can also be found on the their YouTube channel and the on the MononaGo app. If your station is interested in airing “Conectados,” it is also available on the Wisconsin Community Media file sharing site Media Share.

Taylor Hale leaves the newspaper world for community media

Taylor Hale, Multimedia Specialist, City of Wisconsin Rapids

The December Producer of the Month is a relative newcomer to the community media world but not to telling stories. Wisconsin Rapids’ Taylor Hale started working in the newspaper industry approximately nine years ago with his first job at the Green Bay Business News. Since then, he has written for many local newspapers before taking a staff position with the Portage County Gazette in Stevens Point in 2018.

Beginning in the summer of 2021, Taylor moved on to the City of Wisconsin Rapids to become its Multimedia Specialist and work at Wisconsin Rapids Community Media.  “I got involved with community media as a way to tell stories. I have always felt that telling local stories that larger outlets would gloss over was important in local preservation.”

Taylor has some great advice for those who are just starting in the field, or those who have been around for a long time: “My advice would be to ask for help when you need it. It can be daunting to dive into local media blind. You will need contacts, connections, and skills that can take years to build. Don't be afraid to ask for help, introductions, and aid when needed.”

Share