Ana: Hey everybody. It’s Ana González. This is Mosaic. Today, I want you to imagine moving to a new country where they speak a different language. Maybe you don’t have to imagine, you’ve done it and know the answer to this question. But for everybody else, where do you get your news? Yeah, you could read or watch or listen to the news from your old country, in your mother tongue, but what if you needed to know about school closures for your kids or accidents on the highway that might make you late to work or, imagine, the latest update on a life-threatening pandemic?

My guest today is Tony Mendez. He’s the founder and CEO of PODER1110, the first 24-hour Spanish-language radio station in Rhode Island. But he started out as an immigrant kid, working the cash register at his family’s store on the South Side of Providence. Here’s our conversation.

Ana: I think for a lot of people, like when they come to the United States, they don't have a system or a place or, you know, their family comes and it's a little isolating, and they have to like figure it out. Did you feel like you already had, like, your brother's already owned property you already had? You know, you have a big family? Like, did you feel that connection to a community right away? Or was it still kind of difficult?

Tony: Coming from a family as big as mine.

Ana: How many siblings do you have?

Tony: Oh God

Ana: I knew it was a going to be a high number, I just don't know how high

Tony: 15

Ana:You have 15?

Tony: Actually 14, and one adopted. We were very fortunate. One because I came with both of my parents, when we moved in 1977. So I was pretty much my parents and everyone under 18 years old. And, and in a way, even though I was like 10 years old, I had to work for the first time. And, you know, helping everyone had to help. In the beginning, it was you know, construction work, you know, fixing the property. And they had friends here. So I didn't feel isolated, and we were fortunate my brother had petitioned [for] my parents. So we came all set up, you know. And not everyone has that privilege.

Ana: To me, that seems like a testament to your brothers and how much they valued family.

Tony: Yes. And now that I have my own family, I realize and value how much they sacrifice. They were really sacrificing a lot. I mean, just to do all the paperwork for us to come here. And you know, the property that they set up for us. They sacrifice too much.

Ana: I want to ask now about the reason why you're here. Radio. Right. So what do you remember what radio was like in Rhode Island when you moved here?

Tony: Yes, I do remember because it was very little. Since I was so young. The job that they gave me was you know, to be in the cash register. So we listened to you know, music and and the local radio that we had back then it was just a couple of hours was 1220 AM. Back then it was it wasn't every day. It was just a few a couple of days.

Ana: Okay, so I'm thinking right, like, you're in Mendez market, and there's just so much English and so much like American music and news and politics. And then you switch to 1220 AM and it's like, oh, finally, like I can at least for these hours. Like I get everything that they're saying. I know the politicians. I know kind of what’s going on. What did it feel like to listen to 1220 AM or others, you know, as time progressed, like other Spanish language programs.

Tony: It was great because all of a sudden, you felt connected to a community. I was stuck in a place, like, you know, a supermarket working all day. You know, right after school. So just listening to the radio, you know, what was happening, you know, so you felt connected, and you felt connected also to your culture, you know, your music, but also connected to this new home, that is the United States. It felt like a great balance, because after I spoke, you know, learn to speak English, obviously, I also listened to American stations in English. But it felt really nice to go between, you know, from one to the other.

Ana: Did you know at that time that you would go into radio?

Tony: No, no. So I had another brother in Dominican Republic and he opened up a club there, it was a nightclub. So you know, that DJs music DJs for the two turntables, the mixer. So he came with that in and I was working, I had money. So we all chip in and we purchase, you know, that equipment, the turntables. And also, by that time, next door to Mendez market, they eventually they purchased that property, and it was kinda like a variety store. So that store had a music, Hispanic music section department, right? So we were selling Hispanic music, but I came exposed to so much music because we also had music from, you know, Central America, Mexico, pretty much all you know, music from Latin American countries. We sold there.

Ana: Alright, so you have a little bit of money, like you bought the turntables. And then what's next? How do you get into into the booth into, you know, hosting shows?

Tony: Well, what I did was, I don't know how we got the first tape, but someone brought a tape from the Dominican Republic, a cassette tape. And they recorded the whole radio station or radio station, you know, so an hour and a half of the whole program, you know, with the commercials, everything like you were listening, like almost live to, to the radio station from Dominican Republic. We didn't have internet back then, you know, it's not like now that you can tune into any station around the world. I remember hearing that tape from the Dominican Republic and the radio and it was so progressive. So it was just like, what they were doing here at the American station like 92 PRO FM and... It was like the same styles. And I fell in love with that. Every time someone traveled to Dominican Republic. I will ask them to record tapes of the radio station record everything - the commercials, everything. And then we'll play those tapes in Mendez supermarket.

Ana: So you would play that instead of the live radio?

Tony: Yes, because I really fell in love with the radio in the Dominican Republic, because it was just as hip as you know, the American stations here.

Ana: What made it so hip? What like, what about it?

Tony: Just the, the swag of the DJs you know, the way they interact with the music? I don’t know how to explain it.

[radio clip] Archival Radio Central

Ana: I understand you went to college. URI, right? And is that the first time you were ever on the radio?

Tony: No. Well, in high school, I used to record tapes after since I have the equipment. So I will record my own show on cassette. I will play it. At Mendez market.

Ana: Really? Like by yourself? You just made a radio show in your room?

Tony: Yes, but I will. It was music, mostly the music I will try to imitate you know, the announcers from the DJs from Dominican Republic.

Ana: Tony, I'm gonna ask you, could you try to do that now? Like what what do you mean imitate the announcers? Like what were they saying that you were trying to say?

Tony: Again, you know, just a swag of the DJs you know, “Hola, buenas tardes, como están–” I haven't done this in a while.

Ana: But like, super high energy.

Tony: High energy. Yeah. I used to do that. So I got comfortable listening to my voice. And it was now everyone listening in the market, you know, but they didn't know it was me. I was on the cash register.

Ana: Oh my gosh. Were you like looking at people like trying to see their reactions, so different things you did?

Tony: Yes. But before that, it was the tapes from the Dominican Republic and the reaction of the customers was really they were excited, you know? Wow. You know, how do you do that? Where's this coming from? They thought it was magic you know?

Ana: Yeah, pre-internet, international radio Whoa.

Tony: And it felt real because it was the music, it was the commercials and so they were like puzzled, like what's going on, but they liked it. So I started recording tapes, not necessarily to listen to my voice, but just to hear music that I like. And it was, you know, became a hobby, and then I got comfortable and, and it was just to make time go faster. So, my goal when I was in high school, applying to college, to URI, was to, you know, approach whoever was in charge of the radio station and ask him to see if I was able to do a program. And they said, Yes, the program director, Danny Elias. He said, Yes, he gave me a half hour on Sunday. And he allowed me to do it in Spanish.

Ana: Yeah, what did that feel like when you got that permission to speak in Spanish and like, take what was just in the bodega, and like, air it, to the whole state,

Tony: I couldn't believe it. It was great. You had so much freedom, you know, to share my music, my culture with you know, listeners. And the program had an impact.

Ana: So when did the idea to start your own radio station 24 hours, seven days a week, when did that come to your mind?

Tony: Obviously the idea of a full time radio station was something that we wanted to reach, but it was difficult. Radio stations, it’s very limited inventory. It's not like you can come up and you know, start a new frequency it’s difficult. So we that, you know, the dream we had back then. And finally, we were able to do it in 1995, when we launched Poder 1110 , first seven days, Operation 24 hours. So that was huge. But by the time we reach that moment, in all those years from 1983, when we first started WRIU all the way to 1995. We evolved, you know, at first, we just wanted to share music or culture. But as you got exposed to the issues in the Hispanic community, you know, you had to do a little bit more to make a better stay for Hispanics. So by the time 1995 comes when we finally were able to launch Poder 1110, we had one goal and that goal was to empower the Hispanic community. So the name Poder 1110 made a lot of sense. “Power” you know? It's to empower the Hispanic community.

Ana:

I’m Ana González, and this is Mosaic. My guest this week is Tony Mendez. In 1995, he founded Poder 1110 AM as Rhode Island’s first 24/7 Spanish-language radio station.

Ana: I feel like this is coinciding with the rise of Latino people in politics in Rhode Island, right, like the late 90s, early 2000s, you're getting more people elected to like local seats. And eventually that's like Mayor Angel Taveras. So do you remember a time when Poder helped shape that?

Tony: Definitely, I think so. We weren’t the only player, but we're definitely a very, very important piece of that, where we're creating consciousness of people first becoming, you know, to become citizens, because back then, people were not making those taking those steps, you know, to to become citizen, and we were speaking about this, you know, the importance of being able to, to vote and to register. So we were having those conversations. And we saw that slowly. And finally, when Anastasia Williams was first, you know, elected to the assemblage he was the first one, the first Hispanic,

Ana: Oh, wow. And what year was that?

Tony: 1993. She was the first one and then many years after because it was hard. It wasn't easy. Many ran - well, not many a few ran and lost. So you started believing that that is never going to be possible.

[RADIO CLIP]

Ana: Here’s a clip from the morning show on Poder where Tony is interviewing former state Senator, and first Dominican state senator in the country, Juan Pichardo.

Ana: A cool thing that happens on this morning show for anybody who hasn't listened to it. And and really like throughout Poder is you have people on who don't speak Spanish at all, or maybe speak Spanglish like me, and then you, you and the other DJs and hosts live translate.

[RADIO]

...el alcade de la ciudad de Cranston and Señor Allan Fung... Good morning, Mayor.

Allan Fung: Buenos Dias Tony and thank you for having me back.

Tony: I remember something that I see as a turning point in the history of, you know, Latinos here in Rhode Island. So Cianci was the mayor at that time. And all of a sudden you have, you know, special election, people running. And you have someone that wanted to become mayor at the time, that was, you know, David Cicilline. Now Congressman, but he did something I think that it was very, very important to the Hispanic community. He was the first important politician to open his headquarters when he was running right in, you know, South Providence, he wanted to send a message that he wanted to do a partnership with Latinos, and Latinos were important as a voter block. And when he became mayor, he started to come once a month to the radio station.

Ana: To your radio station?

Tony: Yes.

Ana: Wow.

Tony: And I think that was a turning point that, like, it wasn't just one interview, but the fact that he kept that throughout all the time he was in office,

Ana: He came every month to your station?

Tony: Yes.

Ana: Whoa.

Tony: And he knows a little bit of Spanish, but he spoke mostly, you know, he spoke in English and but he understood some of the questions and even when we open up, you know, the lines for a question.

Ana: When you open up the lines, I gotta say, it is so hard for me to follow. That is that's, that's trial by fire for Mayor Cicilline, that is tough. So kudos to him.

Tony: Obviously, we were translating. But I think that brought so much confidence to the Hispanic community, because now they were able to congratulate him but also complain about what was important to them. And now they felt that they were part of the government also, you know, that they could call and you saw the shift of power to the people, you know? For us, to be that bridge to be that link. It was very, very gratifying.

Ana: Do you think that that influenced the next mayor of Providence, who was Angel Taveras?

Tony: Most definitely, most definitely. Angel when he was running, you know, he used to come to the radio station all the time. And when he became mayor, obviously, he came every month also, and Jorge Elorza is doing it also. And now we have, for the first time the commissioner of education for the state, someone that just happens to be from the Dominican Republic, you know, Hispanic, who speaks Spanish. So she's doing that every month with us. So now we're having all those conversations, you know, with the people in power,

Ana: What does that feel like for you?

Tony

It's a great feeling.

[MUSIC CUE or doctor interview]

Ana: When you heard about the pandemic, did you know that it was going to be something you were reporting on? So much every single day for more than a year?

Tony: No. But it was scary times. You know? So you didn't know what was going to happen. And then the whole economy closing down, there's so much news that you want to share. So it was just really out of necessity. We started giving information, what was open, what was close, but also bring the health professionals to to the station. I remember they contacted me from the hospitals, you know, Brown University we were doing interviews just to share information.

Ana: What was the most important thing that you wanted to get to your listeners during that time that you felt like they weren't getting from other new sources?

Tony: What we have is... our strongest asset is trust. So we brought in professionals in the health field to not only talk but also to listen to the questions that people had. So we were able to do that. And people start to feel better, I think. Every week there was new information. So I think it was just that connection. People had many questions. And we were able to provide answers.

Ana: Yeah, I mean, I remember listening to questions from listeners. And that was actually Poder was the first place that I learned that like the most people who were affected by COVID were people who had heart disease and diabetes. And I remember hearing that on Poder and being like, Is that true? I guess it's true. Like you went there talking to someone from the department of health, that has to be true. And I like looked it up, but I was like, Oh, yeah, that's true. And like, what a what a good, important message to be sending to people too. Especially because you got you know, in the Latino community, there's so much higher rates of diabetes and heart disease, but I feel like it was really important like life savingly important to get that information to people so that if they did have diabetes, maybe they would take it a little bit more seriously, if they did, or someone in their family had heart disease, maybe they would wear masks more often.

Tony: But it was also the hard reality that many families were confronting. For many people in an office environment, they will say, you know, go home work from home. But for most Latinos, they had to show up at the factories, or the places or works in some of those places. Everyone was together. Yes, they wanted to take care of themselves, but they had to go to work in person, surrounded by hundreds of other people. So it was a very scary reality for, you know, some of the people in our in the Latino community. And obviously, most of Latino families live in, you know, apartments, three, you know, three deckers and many people together. So I remember like the first, those first, you know, press conferences, you know, go get tested, when they started testing. I said, “Well, some people don't have cars.” And I remember listening from audience members that they wanted, like to take an uber, but the uber drivers didn't want to take them in the car. So you know, how do you get to get tested? the government had their best intention. But they didn't make the connection that some people they just couldn't follow, or they didn't have access to what the government probably thought they had. I remember listening to, you know, health officials saying well isolate use a second bathroom, and some people just had one bathroom you know. So those harsh realities.

Ana: Absolutely. And on, like, in the morning shows, and throughout the day, on Poder was that what you were addressing was kind of like the more nuanced, more Latino focused issues that were coming up?

Tony: Yes. And everything else. But also, because we have access to the health officials and government officials, we will convey those messages, you know,

Ana: To the officials?

Tony: To the officials.

Ana: Yeah.

Tony: I remember participating in the press conference and bringing up some of those in calling, you know, every time something like that came up, call or participated in the, you know, press conference and bring that other reality that they’re perhaps not seeing, you know,

Ana: Did you see the results of that kind of connection?

Tony: Yes yes. I gotta give them credit, Governor Raimondo and officials they responded to, to those issues that we raised.

Ana: Yeah, there was a lot of blinders that were on officials and a lot of other people too, that were not didn't realize how hard it could also be. I think it's so cool that you have been there the whole time, too. It's not like you founded something. And then he went on to like a bigger station somewhere and kind of climbed your way up to the top. How does it feel to like now, like you said, looking back? How does it feel to see all of these accomplishments and where the Latino community is now with so many, like elected officials and more representation, obviously, a lot of work still to be done. But how does it feel for you?

Tony: It feels really good. Especially when you see, you know, the journey the road, like, for instance, I remember, when we were doing voter registration and getting people to vote. And people wanted information, they wanted to see what you know, where their voter location, and they just didn't have access to that. And we had no choice but to create the Information Center. So we turned like the radio station into a call-in Center, the day of elections, those two days, you know, running to the election, and gave the phone number of our office saying bring volunteer so they can answer the phone and tell the people where to vote. And now you don't need to do that because the Secretary of State has people who speak Spanish and there's a phone number that they can call and they can give them that information. And you know, you made that happen. You know,

Ana: That's incredible. Yeah, that's I feel like it's something you can only witness when you've been doing it for so long. And when you have such a commitment and a genuine commitment and an investment in this community and in this state. I think it's It's a real honor to be talking with you today. Tony,

Tony: Thank you so much. It's also an honor for me to talk to you. I follow your work. I listened to your podcast, you're really talented.

Ana: Well, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for pioneers like you, I think.

Tony: Thank you.

MUSIC

ANA: And now, I want to share an essay from our community. Padma Venkatraman is an Indian American author and speaker living in South County, Rhode Island. This is her essay, “Our American Constellation”.

PADMA’S ESSAY PLAYS

ANA: That’s all for today. To learn more about Tony, Poder, and our community essays project go to our website, mosaicpodcast.org.

Mosaic is a production of The Public’s Radio. Edited by Sally Eisele. Produced by James Baumgartner and Pearl Marvell. Our theme music is by Bryn Bliska. Torey Malatia is the General Manager of The Public’s Radio. I’m Ana González. Thanks for listening, and see you next week!

Support for this program comes from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, supporting innovations in democratic engagement and the advancement of international peace and security at carnegie.org.