[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 26 (Thursday, March 9, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E275]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         THE KUNO RADIO STATION

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                         HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 9, 2000

  Mr. ORTIZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today I 
commending the pioneering Spanish-language radio station in Corpus 
Christi, Texas, KUNO Radio Station on their 50th anniversary. KUNO 
Radio has long been a force in my hometown of Robstown and my adopted 
home of Corpus Christi.
  KUNO, which first went on the air in May of 1950, has been the 
political and cultural center of the Hispanic community of South Texas. 
KUNO was the first radio station in South Texas, and the second in the 
nation, to offer public affairs, talk radio and editorial programming 
in Spanish. KUNO takes a democratic approach to talk radio: whoever 
shows up to comment on programming gets air time.
  On that note, let me offer a special tribute to Victor Lara Ortegon, 
one of the great radio personalities of South Texas who essentially 
grew up with KUNO. victor joined the station in 1953, and he is the one 
who instituted the wildly popular public affairs show, ``Comentarios.'' 
If you are a political candidate in South Texas, you go to 
``Comentarios'' or you lose.
  One of the early and great contributions to modern music by KUNO was 
the access and exposure they gave Tejano music and musicians. KUNO is 
recognized as one of the venues that launched a thousand Tejano 
talents, including the late, great Selena, who grew up in Corpus 
Christi. The Tejano genre grew up in South Texas, fortified by KUNO and 
other stations that followed their lead, launching Tejano as a strong, 
multi-million- dollar international industry.
  KUNO has been a news leader in South Texas; they are often the first 
news organization to announce election results. Their tireless 
dedication to news and information is legendary. In 1970, Hurricane 
Celia knocked all local programming off the air. KUNO was the first 
radio station back on the air, thanks to an affiliate's generosity with 
a generator and emergency antenna.
  Through the years, KUNO has provided for the culture of South Texas 
by holding large, outdoor concerts, bringing music to the people 
directly. They have provided for the political sensibilities of South 
Texas by providing a forum for political debates and treating us all to 
the best election and candidate coverage available. They have been a 
part of the journey of the local, state and federal governments in the 
last half of the 20th Century.
  I ask that my colleagues join me today in recognizing the 
contributions made by KUNO to the social and political lives of South 
Texas.

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