Jeff Sanchez Awarded $4000 From The N.C. Arts Council

Wilmington, N.C. May 2, 2012 — The original sounds of traditional musicians from Mexico will be featured at an exhibition at the North Carolina Museum of History, Al Norte, Al Norte: Latino Life in North Carolina by José Galvez thanks to the efforts of Jeff Sanchez, of Wilmington.

Sanchez, former station manager of WLGD, Wilmington’s first FM Spanish language station, received a North Carolina Arts Council folklife grant in August 2010 to help fund the CD project.

The CD, “Tu Mundo Ya No Es Mi Mundo” by Los Cuñados de Tierra Caliente, celebrates original music from Hispanic musicians in the New Hanover County area. The CD is now available on cdbaby.com.

“This folklife grant allowed New Hanover County to provide quality arts production for citizens of Hispanic descent, while also sustaining our local economy,” says Sanchez. “Perhaps this project will enable these local musicians to be able to make a living through the arts, and to maintain their cultural ties to their homelands.  This also enriches the culture of southeastern North Carolina, exposing Americans to the rich cultural heritage of our neighboring country of Mexico.”

Between 2008 and 2010, WLGD provided Hispanic programming for more than 100,000 citizens and students. In his role as station manager, Sanchez used the radio station as a cultural resource for its listeners. Various programs were created to address the needs of the audience, such as presenting music by unsigned local Hispanic musicians as well as presenting music from various countries such as Honduras. A highlight of their programming was a program called “Punto de Encuentro,” where audience members were encouraged to search for lost family members and friends using the power and reach of the 100,000 watt FM signal. The show became a way for prisoners in local jails to communicate with loved ones and receive heartfelt messages from their children.