The Northern Public Radio station WNIJ prides itself on its news coverage, but after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, station leadership was concerned that crucial information was not reaching a Spanish-speaking audience. With help from grant funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the station launched WNIJ Hola in 2022.

WNIJ Hola features community events, news and opinion pieces written and recorded in Spanish.
“One thing we saw as COVID was coming through was removing language as a barrier to getting potentially lifesaving information out to our communities,” said WNIJ News Director Jenna Dooley.
The station first worked with the NIU Center for Governmental Studies to look at census data and how the demographics had changed over the past 10 to 20 years in DeKalb County.
The proportion of Hispanic or Latino residents in DeKalb County represented 13.5% of the total population in 2020, while it represented 10.1% in 2010.
“We wanted to look at that data to see if we build this digital space, is it needed in the community, and do we have numbers that show there is a growing number of Spanish-speaking families who could benefit from this programming?” Dooley said.
The station applied for and was awarded a $20,000 grant through a program from WFYI in Indianapolis called America Amplified, which was funded through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The grant, along with a mini grant from the DeKalb County Community Foundation, gave WNIJ its startup money to build Hola.
The purpose of America Amplified is to help public radio stations across the country enhance their election coverage and election information, but the funding is also helping WNIJ reach out to the Spanish-speaking community through other means.
Dooley said the station began reaching out to NIU-based partners like the Latino Resource Center that were “already here doing important work” to gain insight into what coverage and services were needed.
Through the America Amplified grant, the station was able to hire two part-time translators to help translate their news stories and create other content.
“One of the first things we realized is we needed to not only have the stories we choose be more reflective of the Spanish-speaking experience in DeKalb County, but also have the translation capacity,” she said.
Through Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities, the station hired Maria Gardner Lara, a full-time reporter dedicated to the Hola project, who is bilingual in Spanish and English and can gather sources that were once difficult to reach.
Carlos Loera, ’24, began helping WNIJ translate content for Hola as a student before he joined the station as a part-time employee this past summer. Loera said being a translator for Hola is helping him to build a portfolio as a professional translator while bringing people the news they need.

“Being a translator for Hola allowed me to apply my Spanish in a professional setting as well as put to use my understanding in cultural backgrounds with my Spanish major and Latino Studies minor,” Loera said. “Providing these translations to the DeKalb community and the surrounding area was pivotal as I believe it is important to keep up to date with local news, which can be difficult when English is not your native language. Hola’s goal of keeping everyone informed without a language barrier was very important to me and will continue to remain with me.”
The station frequently works with NIU students and alumni, as well as faculty.
Frances Jaeger, an associate professor in the Department of World Languages and Cultures, said she has worked with students in a classroom setting to create bilingual versions of WNIJ’s audio community essays, Perspectives.
“Our next departmental pilot project with WNIJ is the creation of a capstone project that allows one to three students to translate for WNIJ under the supervision of a faculty member, who functions as editor,” she said. “In addition, they would work on social media for WNIJ Hola and assist with audio recordings. The opportunity is a wonderful, hands-on experience for students specializing in translation who are interested in pursuing careers in broadcasting or communications.” Jaeger said working on the Perspectives pieces helps students learn how to be professional bilingual translators.
“In a world dominated by partisan shouting, our students offer insightful commentary about current issues and events,” she said. “In sharing their writing with our community, they bring what they are learning in the classroom to a general audience. These students are a credit to NIU. They make us look good.”
Since last year, Laura Vilardell, associate professor of Spanish and translation studies, also in the Department of World Languages and Cultures, has been collaborating with WNIJ Hola.
“Our collaboration involves publishing pieces from my Spanish composition class, translations from my Advanced Translation class, recipes and other useful content for the community,” Vilardell said. “This fall semester, Carlos (Loera) even led a workshop on the news about the outcome of NIU’s 16-14 win over No. 5 Notre Dame (on Sept. 7, 2024).”
Vilardell said the partnership gives the students valuable benefits.
“By giving my students the opportunity to publish, they go the extra mile to ensure their publications are out standing,” she said. “Their achievements also inspire the Huskie community, who can hear their voices and empathize with them.”

In addition to more news coverage, the station began organizing and cohosting events such as Familia Fest, a family-friendly fair and soccer tournament held on NIU’s campus featuring a variety of community services.
“The question is, if you build it, will people find it? The answer is, you must go into the community and bring people to the programming,” Dooley said.
The station has also had a presence at Downtown DeKalb events such as the Day of the Dead and Cinco de Mayo. Dooley said another translator for the station, Jen Leon, is a Spanish teacher at Sycamore High School and produces an events calendar.
“We’re showing up at community events and letting the people know we’re here, we’re not in Chicago or D.C., our community reporters are here in DeKalb,” she said.
Dooley said she hopes to get students even more active with the station, including having them produce future newscasts in Spanish. Recently, an educator in Freeport reached out and has agreed to help them produce a Spanish language podcast. All of it has to do with serving our community, Dooley said.
To learn more about how NIU and WNIJ are working together to connect residents in our region with the news and information vital to their communities, well-being and informed participation, visit northernpublicradio.org.
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