May 8 at 10 a.m., Cámara 809 FM cut the ribbon on a new local Hispanic television channel, which joins their existing radio station to form Cámara 809 TV/FM.
This is Lebanon’s first Hispanic TV channel, and will launch July 1 on local channel 15. It is already available through Roku, Amazon TV and Apple TV, and on Channel 60 for the Dominican Republic.
The event was held at 920 Willow St, where several community members and leaders were present, including Mayor Sherry Capello.
Hosting the event and representing Cámara 809 TV/FM were Lisandro ‘Chano’ Tejada Tolentino, Yeudis ‘Bacán’ Alcantara and Leonel ‘Negro Puree’ Salvador.
“Thank you for supporting this proposal,” said Salvador, “which is not only for the Latino community, but for all the people of Lebanon.”
Read More: Lebanon’s newest radio station will target needs of local Hispanic community
Mayor Capello presented a certificate of recognition, highlighting that “the City of Lebanon recognizes that a culturally diverse population has been credited for contributing to greater economic and social vibrancy,” adding that the City wants to create a welcoming environment “for it’s diverse constituency”. She also congratulated and welcomed Cámara as “an additional avenue to engage and communicate with Lebanon’s growing immigrant and diverse ethnic populations.”
“I was very excited to be part of something so fantastic,” added Capello after the event. She also remarked about the need for communication and networking, and wanting to have the Hispanic community feel welcomed and connected. She added that small businesses “are the backbone of our economy,” and commented that “this is a beautiful building and I’m so happy it can be utilized for something like this. It’s just fantastic.”
Guadalupe Barba, from Juntos de Lebanon and board member for Downtown Lebanon, also presented Cámara with a certificate on behalf of Downtown, welcoming them and emphasizing that she is very proud when a community member achieves something. “We have grown together, and we make this town a town with life, thanks to the contributions we have made as a Hispanic community,” said Barba, remarking that the only way to grow is “growing together.” She also congratulated the rest of the community for supporting the project, inviting them to continue supporting one another.
Cesar Liriano, mayoral candidate for 2021 primary elections, also attended and congratulated Cámara, stating that the event had great importance, since the lack of Hispanic media in the past meant that people were not informed effectively. “I hope the community supports them so they can keep growing and we can be better informed,” he remarked. “This project is for us, and it will help everyone.”
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