Featured Image: Charla Comunitaria host Aurea Ortiz at the WDIY studios. (Credit: WDIY)
WDIY’s ‘Charla Comunitaria’ Wins PA Association of Broadcasters Award
(Lehigh Valley, PA) – The Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters (PAB) has announced that WDIY’s Charla Comunitaria has won a 2025 Excellence in Broadcasting Award for Outstanding Public Affairs Program/Program Series.
The announcement came earlier this month as the PAB named winners in several different categories for radio and television stations in the Commonwealth. The award is WDIY’s 13th overall from the PAB since 2021.
Charla Comunitaria is a monthly bilingual radio program and podcast focusing on the Lehigh Valley’s Latin community through conversations with business owners, community leaders, and elected officials. The show is hosted by Aurea Ortiz and produced by WDIY News and Public Affairs Director James Zipprodt.
Recent episodes of Charla Comunitaria have featured Dr. John Grason discussing his experiences on trips to Puerto Rico, radio host Alfa Lopez and documentary filmmaker and reporter Marcia Robiou discussing key issues for Latinos in the run-up to the 2024 elections, and a Hispanic Heritage Month special with Nydia Ramos talking about her trailblazing work for the local Hispanic community in multiple fields.
Charla Comunitaria began in 2022 hosted by former Bethlehem Councilwoman Olga Negrón. Negrón stepped away from hosting the program in 2023 when she was tapped to serve as Executive Director of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs.
Ortiz was then recruited to take over hosting duties for Charla Comunitaria. Ortiz previously served as a board member for the Bethlehem Area School District and previously worked for Pennsylvania State Representative Steven Samuelson.
The PAB’s award ceremony will be held on April 11 at the Harrisburg Hilton in Harrisburg, PA. A full list of the 2025 radio and television winners will be announced at the PAB website.
About WDIY:
WDIY is a listener-supported public radio station and NPR station based in the Lehigh Valley. The station began broadcasting in 1995 and celebrated its 30th anniversary earlier this year. WDIY broadcasts on 88.1 FM serving the Lehigh Valley and beyond with a translator on 93.9 FM serving the Easton-Phillipsburg area. WDIY streams on the web at wdiy.org, on its app for smartphones and tablets, and through smart speakers.
Information provided to TVL by:
Shamus McGroggan
