Whether warning listeners of the dangers of migrating north, condemning bus fare hikes, or probing a serial massacre which bears the earmarks of social cleansing, Radio Progreso is emerging as the most important outlet for airing grievances and voicing concerns in Honduras. PNS' New California Media editor Mary Jo McConahay lived and worked in Central America for over a decade.
Photos are available on request.
The voices of mothers and wives plead for information about family members who disappeared on the trail north. Returned migrants recount tales of mistreatment on the road in Mexico or of watching companions fall under the wheels of speeding trains while trying to hitch a ride. And Radio Progreso, an AM station that has taken on new and scrappy life since Hurricane Mitch devastated this Atlantic Coast area 18 months ago, knows it. But families are disintegrating here because of migration. Every show criticizes the government for ignoring the outflow, for failing to improve conditions so Hondurans can make a living at home.