As part of our work in serving our community, station staff regularly meet with viewers and community leaders in order to discuss local issues and how to create positive impact for our neighbors. One of the most common themes from these meetings is that, as a community, San Antonio doesn’t celebrate our successes nearly enough. Although San Antonio is a majority-Hispanic city with a rich cultural heritage, there has never been a program dedicated to sharing the powerful stories of the local Latina women shaping our business community. ¡Salud! was created to bring these stories to the 3.6 million viewers in South-Central Texas that KLRN serves.
The pilot episode of ¡Salud! aired in June 2021 and season 1 ran September through October, with 21 total guests. President and CEO of Greater: SATX Jenna Saucedo served as the inaugural host; her conversations featured broadcasting icon Blanquita Cullum, Deputy City Manager Maria Villagomez, president of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Marina Gonzales, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas Major General Angie Salinas and more. Season 2 will be hosted by Melanie Mendez-Gonzales, marketing specialist and founder of the education blog ¿Qué Means What? Some of Melanie’s guests include First Lady of San Antonio Erika Prosper, Denise Hernandez, Vice President of Development at True Flavors Catering, and legendary labor activist Dolores Huerta. Season 2 will feature 18 women in total.
Community engagement in support of ¡Salud! has been exceptional, both online and in-person; the program received such positive feedback that a second season was commissioned to begin airing in September 2022. KLRN will also be holding a season 2 kick-off event featuring a panel discussion with Latina leaders and a networking opportunity to foster connection and camaraderie among our community members. Our hope with this program is to create a network of women supporting women, where we can share in our successes and learn and grow from each other. We also hope that ¡Salud! inspires young Latinas to dream big.