Jaime Méndez
Jaime Méndez is a Colombian American news anchor and reporter for Noticias Univision Seattle, and he is also a sports announcer and a radio talk-show host. In the Seattle area, he is renowned for being the first host of the first 24-7 Spanish radio station and then later the first anchor on the first all-Spanish TV newscast. Méndez is also greatly involved in helping fellow Latinos through community service activities. He moved from Colombia, South America to Long Island, NY in 1987. He has been primarily a Seattle-area resident since 1990.
| Jaime Méndez | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jaime Eduardo Méndez Silva September 25, 1965 Bogotá, Colombia |
| 🏡 Residence | Seattle, WA |
| 🏳️ Nationality | Colombian |
| 🏳️ Citizenship | Colombia / USA |
| 🏫 Education | BA from The Evergreen State College |
| 💼 Occupation | TV News Anchor/Reporter, Sportscaster, Radio Talk Show Host |
| 👔 Employer | SBG; Self-employed |
| 👶 Children | 1 |
Early Life[edit]
Jaime Eduardo Méndez Silva was born on September 25, 1965 in Bogotá, Colombia where he spent his childhood and early adult years. In 1987, Méndez moved to New York City[1] where part of his family lived. Initially he planned to stay only a couple of years to learn English and save some money, but he ended up staying in the United States after he was able to get his permanent residency and go to college.
Education[edit]
In 1990, Méndez moved to the Bellevue / Seattle area and later attended Bellevue Community College (now Bellevue College) where he got an Associate of Arts degree. He studied Business Administration, but changed to Communications. He transferred to Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington in 1993. There, he co-founded Latin America Student Organization (LASO), and had his first experiences on the campus radio station, KAOS. At first Méndez was filling in on a salsa music show called Ritmo y Más; but shortly after, he got his own radio show which he named Karibe, and subsequently he was voted "Best New Talent" his first year.[1] At Evergreen he studied Communications, Media, and Political Science and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1995.[2]
Current Work[edit]
TV News Broadcasting[edit]
In 2007 Méndez became the anchor of the first local Spanish TV newscast in Seattle. The Hispanic population had been growing strongly in the Northwest (up 31% in Washington since 2001).[3] Méndez explained that Hispanics recognize Washington, in comparison to other areas of the United States, as generally more friendly and liberal toward immigrants in terms of laws and work opportunities, thus the noteworthy Hispanic population growth.[4] In response to the growing needs of the Hispanic community, the Spanish newscast was created. Méndez, already very well known and established in the Latino community from his years working as a Spanish radio talk show host, was the perfect fit for the new anchor position. "There's a lot of freedom in radio, but TV is so powerful, and you can reach a greater audience."[5]
The newscast began as “Noticias Noroeste” and it was joined in Portland by anchor Roxy de la Torre. The 30 minute news program was broadcasted simultaneously in Seattle, Yakima, Tri-Cities and Portland[3]. Later each region got its own version of the newscast and Méndez remained as the anchor on “Noticias Univision Seattle”. The station is KUNS-TV (sister station of KOMO TV), then owned by Fisher Communications and later sold to Sinclair Broadcasting Group. The studio is located at KOMO Plaza in Seattle.[6]
Soccer Broadcasting[edit]
In 2009 the local soccer team, Seattle Sounders, joined the Major League Soccer (MLS) and in addition to his newscast, Méndez became the Spanish play-by-play announcer for selected Sounders FC games[7] as well as the host of a Spanish language show called “Sounders FC en Acción”, a Sounders FC and MLS highlights show.[8] Both programs continue on today and are aired on a seasonal basis.
Radio Broadcasting[edit]
As of June 2018, along with Gabriela Alcalá, Méndez started “Café y Tequila”, a radio show with news, information, and humor. It can be heard Saturdays on La Zeta 1210 AM and 103.3 FM (Bustos Media).
Previous Media Experience[edit]
Méndez’s radio work experience began during his college years on KAOS 89.3 FM, The Evergreen State College campus radio station. His first on-air job was as a fill-in on a salsa music show called “Ritmo y Más”. After a couple of months he was offered his own radio time on KAOS. He then began a 2 hour music and talk show called “Karibe”.[1]
Méndez moved to Miami where he worked as an assistant producer for the show “La Voz de la Comunidad” on Caracol Radio 1210 AM, a show hosted by Eucario Bermudez.[1]
Méndez moved briefly to New York where he worked for the first time on camera hosting a local cable entertainment show called “Latin Planet”. Then in 1998 he came back to Seattle where he started working part-time for Multicultural Broadcasting as a soundboard operator and later as an independent talk show host. His most well-known show was “Café y Noticias” which aired on KXPA 1540 AM.[1] During this time Mendéz also worked as a community advocate for CASA Latina, a grassroots organization that served primarily the immigrant homeless community in the Seattle area. He worked there for close to 3 years. He then moved to a full time job with El Mundo Newspaper while continuing with his radio show.
The real break for his full-time broadcast career came when Salem Communications called him to direct and host the morning show on the first 24/7 Spanish radio station in the region. In 2002 “Latinos Días” was born on Radio Sol KMO 1360 AM (now El Rey) and was an immediate success.[9] After a business partner change, the show was renamed “Latinos Hoy”. Later, with the addition of co-host Luciana Bosio, the show became “Jaime y Luciana Por la Mañana”[10] and it gained even greater popularity. After a change of format at the station, the entire show was replaced. Méndez continued co-hosting the morning show but eventually his role was reduced as the station acquired a syndicated morning show. Shortly after, Méndez got the call that launched his full-time TV news broadcasting career. For a time he worked on both TV and radio but eventually he decided to focus only on TV. It wasn’t until 2018 that he came back to radio with his Saturday “Café y Tequila” show.
Community Service and Charitable Work[edit]
Méndez is regularly involved in community service activities and non-profit volunteer work with local organizations such as CASA Latina, One America, Colombian Foundation NW, Centro de la Raza, Consejo Counseling, Northwest Kidney Centers, Seattle Goodwill, and the Susan G. Komen foundation, among many others.
Méndez is often invited to speak to K-12 students in local classrooms and various public venues, including public libraries where he reads stories to children. He shares his experiences as a news broadcaster as well as his experiences as an immigrant. He also encourages them to stay in school and to find their career paths, their life paths, and ways to serve their communities.[11]
Méndez is also regularly invited by groups and companies to speak in collaboration about breaking Latino stereotypes, including working on anti-gang programs. He works with such groups as local politicians, U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, and the King County Sheriff's office. He is passionate about educating the general community about local Latino lifestyles and Latino contributions to society.[1]
In 2010, Méndez was chosen by Chase Jarvis, a renowned local photographer, filmmaker, and social artist, to participate in an ethnography book project called “Seattle Top 100”.[12] Méndez was one of 100 Seattle residents who are leading artists, developers, activists, writers, musicians, sports icons, media representatives, scientists, entrepreneurs, filmmakers etc. who define and drive Seattle culture.[13]
In June 2017 Méndez was the commencement speaker at his alma mater, The Evergreen State College. Graduation had to be held off campus at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma due to threats of violence being made following a heated dispute between some faculty, administration, and students.[14] Méndez was proud to have been invited to speak at Evergreen where his career in Media Communications was launched.
When speaking of his time working in Miami at Caracol Radio, a major Colombian station in Florida, he says, “It was such a great experience to work with people who really know what they’re doing and view their work as community service. I’ve brought that way of thinking to my work in Seattle. It’s important to let the immigrant community know what services are available.”[2]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Trabajando para Usted". The Evergreen State College. 2015-05-22. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Class Theme, Donation & Speaker Selections". The Evergreen State College. 2016-02-04. Retrieved 2018-11-14.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Area's first TV news in Spanish to debut". The Seattle Times. 2007-07-07. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
- ↑ Dietrich, Heidi (September 9, 2007). "Talking with Jaime Mendez, news anchor of 'Noticias Noroeste' and program host on Radio Sol". Puget Sound Business Journal. 28.
- ↑ Birk, Lacey (November 2007). "A New Voice: Say Hola to Jaime Mendez, the Face of Seattle's First Spanish Language Newscast". Seattle Magazine: 38.
- ↑ "Sinclair Broadcast Group Closes On Fisher Communications Acquisition". All Access. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
- ↑ "Jaime Mendez reacciona a los goles de Nicolas Lodeiro y Magnus Wolff Eikrem contra D.C. United". www.soundersfc.com. June 12, 2018.
- ↑ "Sounders FC adds 2015 Spanish television broadcast deal with Sinclair Media". www.soundersfc.com. April 3, 2015.
- ↑ "Advanced Search | Seattle Times Newspaper". community.seattletimes.nwsource.com. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
- ↑ KUNS. "Jaime Méndez". KUNS. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
- ↑ "Día in Seattle - Pat Mora". Pat Mora. 2010-04-19. Retrieved 2018-11-14.
- ↑ results, search (2010-10-04). Seattle 100: Portrait of a City (1st ed.). Berkeley, CA: New Riders. ISBN 9780321743725. Search this book on
- ↑ "Jaime Méndez". Seattle 100. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
- ↑ "Evergreen faculty speaker: 'No one should see this graduation as a return to normalcy'". theolympian. Retrieved 2018-11-14.
External Links[edit]
Facebook: Jaime Mendez Univision Seattle
Facebook: Café y Tequila radio show
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