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Monday, September 29, 2008

Martha Tijerina to receive 2008 MANA Las Primeras Award


Martha Tijerina (photo)
MANA Award recipient

San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists (SAAHJ) Member Martha Tijerina will be traveling to Washington, D.C. this week to receive the 2008 MANA Las Primeras Award for Communications.

Tijerina, known as the ‘First Lady of Spanish Television’ was selected for her contribution to the television broadcasting industry, serving as the first Latina Director of Public Affairs to host a Spanish language talk show covering Latino issues in the United States.

For 19 years, the one-hour talk show “En San Antonio” aired on KWEX-TV, the first television station of the first Spanish language Television Network in the United States, Spanish International Network (SIN), which later became Univision Communications, Inc. The show focused on spotlighting community issues and helping to improve the lives of the viewing public.

The presentation will take place at the 19th Annual Las Primeras Awards Gala at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2nd in the Organization of American States Hall of the Americas, 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington D.C.

Joining Tijerina in the celebration will be her first boss Emilio Nicolas, Sr., the pioneer of Spanish Language Television in the United States and former chairman of the Spanish International Communications Corporation (SIN) and his wife, Mrs. Irma Nicolas.

“Marthita was there at the beginning with us in our efforts to better our community and her deep dedication to our viewers is still felt today,” said Nicolas.

Her list of awards include an induction into the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame in the field of Communications, the 2007 La Prensa Foundation Media Award for Outstanding Women in Action, the Association for Women in Communications Headliner Award, the 2007 Benitia Humanitarian Award and the Centro Cultural Aztlan’s Humanitarian Award.

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