QUICK TAKES - July 15, 2009

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting on Tuesday awarded a $2-million grant to a Fresno-based nonprofit radio company, Radio Bilingue, to develop and test a multi-platform English-language programming service in Los Angeles.

“The project is really about expanding public media’s service to a broader range of people in the country and to have our services reach more deeply across our increasingly diverse community,” said Bruce Theriault, CPB’s senior vice president for radio. “Los Angeles certainly is one of the most diverse cities.”

The service will be directed to the ethnically diverse 25- to 40-year-old demographic and will start off targeting the fastest-growing population group in the region, Latinos.

“We saw that the younger audience, diverse and technologically savvy, wasn’t being served by a lot of current radio programming,” said Max Benavidez, project director. “We wanted to make sure we could grow a new audience for the future. We’re attempting to create a model that can be applied in other places.”

Discussions to select a radio outlet in Los Angeles are underway, Benavidez said. The service would include online and mobile ventures allowing listeners to stream content, as well as downloadable applications and podcasts. It is expected to launch in 2010.

-- Yvonne Villarreal