SAN FRANCISCO, August 9, 2007-- Throughout September, Northern California Public Broadcasting (NCPB) will celebrate Latino Heritage Month with more than 100 special programs focused on Latino themes and issues on KQED Public Television 9, KTEH Public Television 54, KQED digital television channels, and KQED Public Radio 88.5 San Francisco and 89.3 Sacramento. KQED will also host special events of interest to the Latino community and honor six local heroes for their commitment and contributions to the community.

Northern California Public Broadcasting, the parent organization of KQED and KTEH, recognizes the diversity of cultures in our communities through programming and services that reflect their histories, contributions, and ideas, as well as the celebration of each National Heritage Month.

"NCPB is proud to honor members of the Latino community, from their present-day contributions to their powerful histories, with more dedicated programming and services than ever before" said NCPB President and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Clarke. "We appreciate our opportunity as public broadcasters to tell their stories, especially those that come from our own neighborhoods and towns, and look forward to recognizing our six new Local Heroes this September."

On September 6, KQED will honor six local leaders with the Latino Heritage Month Local Hero Award for their work in the community, with an awards ceremony and celebration at the KQED studios. The 2007 Local Heroes are: Cio Hernandez, Marin County Health and Human Services Department; Mártin Mora, Los Bomberos of Northern California; Guillermo "Memo" Morantes, New York Life Insurance; Tony Ramirez, Dover Elementary School; Mary Helen Rocha, The Perinatal Council; and Márcia Treidler, ABADÁ -- Capoeira San Francisco Brazilian Arts Center.

Premiering this September are several new programs presented or produced by KQED or KTEH, highlighting Latino experiences. On September 12, KQED will present Phillip Rodriguez's Brown is the New Green: George Lopez and the American Dream to PBS audiences around the country during Latino Heritage Month. The film explores the big business of marketing to Latinos, the country's largest and fastest-growing ethnic group, and features actor/comedian George Lopez.

NCPB is also proud to premiere a multimedia initiative, including three new local documentaries focusing on various Bay Area communities, including Latinos, contributions to World War II. This project is being produced as companion pieces to the epic new series from Ken Burns, THE WAR. KQED's The War: Bay Area Stories reveals the impact of World War II on our local communities through the compelling wartime stories of veterans and citizens, including San Lorenzo's Connie and Raymond Gomez. KTEH has produced The War: Soldados which tells the stories of the South Bay's Latino community during the 1940s.

These films delve into the personal experiences of our Northern California communities, to supplement Ken Burns's seven-part series, which focuses on the stories of citizens from four geographically distributed American towns. Earlier this spring, Burns and co-director and producer Lynn Novick addressed public concerns and amended the documentary to include stories celebrating Latino and Native American contributions.

Latino Heritage Month programs on KQED 9 and KTEH 54 include:
• Brown is the New Green: George Lopez and the American Dream
  Wednesday, September 12 at 8pm on KQED 9
  Presented nationally by KQED, this fresh, provocative film examines how corporate efforts to profit from the "Latino market" are shaping America's perception of Latinos. The program features the extraordinary insight and observations of Latino icon and advocate George Lopez through rare behind-the-scenes access to the actor/comedian's remarkable life and career.
• A night of Mexican artists on KQED 9:
  American Masters: Rivera in America
  Wednesday, September 19 at 9pm
  PREMIERE: American Masters: Jose Clemente Orozco: Man of Fire
  Wednesday, September 19 at 10pm
  Often thought of as the other Mexican muralist, beside his more flamboyant compatriot Diego Rivera, Orozco was a leader of the Mexican Renaissance. His bold, dynamic frescoes had a profound impact on American painters and inspired FDR to put artists to work during the Great Depression.
  The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo
  Wednesday, September 19 at 11pm
• FAQ: Latino Stories from WWII
  Monday, September 24 at 10pm on KQED 9
  An estimated half-million Latino servicemen answered the country's call during WWII, but their stories have remained largely untold and obscure. Produced by KQED, this thirty-minute program will explore this topic with a panel discussion and taped interviews that tell a sweeping story of immigration and patriotism, and a war that shaped homefront communities in decisive new ways.
• The War: Soldados
  Friday, September 21 at 7pm on KTEH 54
  Produced by KTEH, this thirty-minute documentary tells the story of the Latino veterans of the South Bay and Central Coast. Many of these brave young men, mostly farm workers, felt compelled to prove their patriotism. Changed by their experiences overseas, they came home to a new fight around social justice and community issues, to prove they deserved the civil rights and liberties of all Americans. Navy veteran Cesar Chavez, the celebrated labor leader, became a champion of farm workers and helped found the United Farm Workers union. Spanish translation available on SAP.

Latino Heritage Month programs on KQED Public Radio 88.5 FM San Francisco and 89.3 FM Sacramento include:
• "Pastures of Plenty: A History of California's Farmworkers"
  Part 4: "1990s to the Present: The Future of the Farm Labor"
  Thursday, September 6 at 8pm
  This four-part series explores the lives of farm workers in California from statehood to the present. Through oral histories of workers and their descendants, historians, and archival audio, we hear about how lives were built and sometimes broken, in the fields of California. Part 4: "1990's to the Present: The Future of Farm Labor," we hear from berry pickers and flower workers about border crossings, unions, immigration, and living beneath the radar.

Latino Heritage Month events include:
• Latino Heritage Month Local Hero Celebration
  Thursday, September 6, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
• Brown is the New Green: George Lopez and the American Dream community screening
  Thursday, September 13, 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
  KQED Education Network's Bay Area Mosaic and Community Engagement will host a community screening of this film, with director Phillip Rodriguez attending.
• KQED Education Network presents educator training for The War
  Thursday, September 20, 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
  Bay Area Mosaic, a KQED Education Network project, will hold educator training for Ken Burns's The War utilizing the local documentaries supporting the film, including KQED's The War: Bay Area Stories and KTEH's The War: Soldados.
• For Healthy Kids Latino Heritage Month Event
  Saturday, September 29, Noon - 3 p.m.
  As part of Kaiser Permanente's For Healthy Kids campaign, KQED Education Network is hosting the second annual Latino Heritage Month event for early childhood education professionals and their families.

Programs and resources are listed in KQED's online Latino Heritage Month Resource Guide with program listings and descriptions in English and Spanish. To download a copy or to learn more about NCPB's Latino Heritage Month programs and events, visit http://www.kqed.org/heritage/.

Also, coming in October to KQED: V-me, a new, 24-hour national Spanish-language television network will begin broadcasting on KQED's digital channels. Through its relationships with world-class content producers and a unique partnership with American public television stations, V-me will offer a fresh alternative in Spanish television that engages, entertains, empowers and inspires its viewers. V-me is the first venture announced by newly formed media production and distribution company, V-me Media Inc. V-Me is currently available on KTEH digital channels 54.2 and KCAH digital channel 25.2.

Northern California Public Broadcasting, Inc. (NCPB) (www.ncpb.com) is the most-watched public television and most-listened-to public radio broadcaster in the country. NCPB owns and operates public television stations KQED 9 (San Francisco), KTEH 54 (San Jose), and KCAH 25 (Watsonville/ Monterey); public radio stations KQED 88.5FM (San Francisco) and KQEI 89.3FM (Sacramento); KQED's Education Network (EdNet); and the Interactive platforms KQED.org and KTEH.org. Audiences and users can also access NCPB content through: digital television channels KQED HD, KQED Encore, KQED World, KQED Life, KQED Kids, and KQED PBS Kids Sprout; and stream or download available content on www.kqed.org.