IN THE NEWS!
York College's Radio Caliente Provides York's only
Latino radio voice
Local man helps people understand Hispanic Culture
Radio Caliente is a show dedicated to the Hispanic audience of York and to everybody that enjoys the Latin rhythms and sounds. Hosted in Spanish, Caliente has become the first radio program in Spanish in York.
The program started in February of 1999 and to this date it has been very successful. At the beginning it was on the air only one night per week, but because of the great demand by the audience, today, you can listen to Caliente three times a week. We hope that in the future it will increase but always with the support of the listeners.
Our frequency is:
The station is located on the second floor of the Iosue Student Union building in the York College campus, in York, Pennsylvania. We are on the air every Wednesday from 4 to 7pm, Thursday from 7pm to 10pm, and Saturday from 8am to 1pm.
In Radio Caliente you can listen to a variety of latin
music, from Shakira to Juan Luis Guerra. You can listen to different types
of music for every age: Ballads, Bachata, Cumbia, Salsa, Merengue, Mexican,
Reggae, Hip Hop, Spanish Rock and even Techno. There are special programs
dedicated to the community of York
During the program you can request your favorite songs or send shout outs to your friends and family. By calling Radio Caliente you can also inform the community of special events that interest the Hispanic population. It is our mission to serve as communicators of this great Hispanic community. To announce your events, please complete this Form.
The phone numbers of the station are: 717-815-1311 or 717-815-1932 (please call during the Spanish program only)
For more information on sponsorship and announcements contact Inés Ramírez
York Daily Record
LOCAL NEWS
Mon., Oct. 8, 2001
York College’s Radio Caliente provides
York’s only Latino radio voice
By ANDREW BROMAN
Daily Record Staff
To “shout out” to a friend in York,
there’s only one way to do it in
Spanish.
That would be on Radio Caliente, a
show run by two people with a taste
for all types of Latin music.
Inés Ramírez created the show two
years ago after she picked up radio
skills as a York College student in
1997. Back then, her Latin show
was done in English.
After she graduated, Ramírez stayed
to work at the college. She also had
a chance to get off campus and see
just how big the Latin community
was.
“I was just a little more aware, not being a student anymore,” she
said.
So she started Radio Caliente and made it all in Spanish. It airs on
the college’s radio station, 99.7 FM.
The show gets 50 to 70 calls a night from people looking to
“shout out,” a way to say hello over the air to friends, Ramírez
said.
But she’s not the only one jotting down “shout outs.” Juan
Chow-Kai is the other disc jockey. He heard the show a couple
years ago and asked Ramírez if she needed help.
She did, and he started to volunteer. He helped gear the music to
every type of Latin listener. It has Ricky Martin pop-rock for
South American fans. There’s bachata and merengue from the
Caribbean and Salsa for the Cuban natives. Central American
listeners tend to go for the cumbia. There’s Spanish rap and
reggae, too, Chow-Kai said.
On Saturday, he plays two hours of Christian music.
All the play has attracted advertisers, too, such as the Tropical
Grocery Store on South Queen Street. The store promotes its
famous Viagra Soup, a special blend of clams, shrimp and other
seafood to rev up the sex life. The store’s owner said the ads pay
off.
Ramírez said the city has failed to fully appreciate the size of
its Latino market and expects a Spanish commercial station to hit
the air someday. In the meantime, she and Chow-Kai struggle to
get as many minutes as they can from the college. Because
Ramírez works at the college, she can get air time, but the
students get first dibs.
Someday, Ramírez said, she might do radio full time. Chow-Kai
said this is a part-time hobby for him, but he wants more air time,
too. The show, for example, goes off air in the summer.
For now, Radio Caliente airs 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays and 8 a.m.
to 1 p.m. Saturdays. The first two hours on Saturday are
dedicated to Spanish Christian music. For more information,
check out the radio station’s Web site at www.ycp.edu/wvyc.
Reach Andrew Broman at 771-2035 or abroman@ydr.com.
BY SHAWN LEDINGTON
Daily Record staff
Monday, September 30, 2002
Local man helps people understand Hispanic culture
As three boys left Ferguson Elementary School last
Wednesday, one by one, they shouted, “Adios” to
Juan Chow-Kai.
And, patiently, 39-year-old Chow-Kai returned the gesture.
A few minutes later, a teacher asked Chow-Kai for
some help. A little girl in her class seemed sad and
since the girl speaks Spanish, the English-speaking
teacher wasn’t able to find out if there was a
problem.
A short conversation in Spanish between the girl
and Chow-Kai revealed the girl had had a tooth pulled
and it was bothering her a little.
Problem solved.
As he left her room, the dark-haired little girl grinned a gap-toothed smile and waved.
The scene was typical of the 39-year-old Chow-Kai,
who brings a touch of Hispanic culture to
everything he does.
As the country celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
until Oct. 15, Chow-Kai is helping his school
celebrate as well. He is doing his best to teach
the children in his school about all the Hispanic
cultures, which he said is important since many
people only know of Puerto Rican and Mexican cultures.
Chow-Kai usually gives the morning announcements
over the school intercom system for the students in
both Spanish and English.
In the next month, though, he will spice up his
announcements with Hispanic music and explanations of
the different music and dances, such as Salsa and
the Bachata.
He has also decorated the front-door bulletin board
with tons of Hispanic heritage memorabilia that
kids gaze at going in and out the door. He asked
some of the students’ parents to bring in some of
their favorite things as well.
He has invited several York College students from
Hispanic countries such as Guatemala, Columbia,
Bolivia and Brazil to visit the students at his
school next month to discuss their country’s specific
culture and traditions.
Chow-Kai came to the United States in 1980 from
Panama to attend high school in Virginia. He moved to
York in 1985 for personal reasons and never left.
Immediately, he became involved in the Hispanic
community through the Spanish American Center.
Chow-Kai is Chinese as well, and grew up submersed
in both cultures. Growing up, his grandmother would
cook Spanish food for lunch and his grandfather
would cook Chinese for dinner, he said.
Chow-Kai relates more to his Hispanic heritage, though, he said.
In 1992, he and a few others helped convince York’s
cable company to begin airing the all-Hispanic
cable network, now called Univision.
Chow-Kai said he was asked to participate in that
endeavor because of his business-minded philosophy.
At the time, there were about 5,000 to 6,000 Hispanics
in York County, he said.
“Money smiles in every language,” he said.
A few years later, he created a Hispanic newspaper
column, which ran in the Heritage News newspaper, a
black newspaper that folded but is now up and running
again. The column related social, school and
local news in Spanish. Chow-Kai no longer writes
that column.
Instead, he’s deejay for York’s
Radio Caliente, the only Hispanic radio station in York. It is aired
three days a week on the York College radio station.
The radio show is so popular that he gets 50-75
calls a night from community members wanting to give
“shout outs” to people.
His friend and colleague on Radio Caliente, Inés
Ramírez, said Chow-Kai is the person she goes to when
she wants to get Hispanic people in York to an
event that she puts on at York College.
“He’s a sociable guy,” she said.
Chow-Kai agreed. He said he can throw a party.
“Just give me the tools,” he said. “I can put a party together real quick.”
Additionally, Chow-Kai is a youth advocate for three
kids, coaches soccer and helps Hispanics fill out
their income tax forms — and it’s all through volunteering.
“I like to stay busy,” he said. “It helps my hair fall off a little faster.”
The only job he gets paid for is his job as a home
schooling liaison at Ferguson. Even at the school,
though, he is doing more than just one job. He
is also truancy officer, a translator and, at times, a
dad.
“Some of these kids don’t have dads at home,” he said.
That’s why he makes sure that when a child at school
takes the time to speak to him, he always returns
the gesture with an “Hola!” or an “Adios.”
Reach Shawn Ledington at 771-2048 or sledington@ydr.com.