By Sandra G. Leon

On Monday, La Prensa’s Publisher and CEO Art Castañares was interviewed on KPBS’s Midday Edition radio program and KPBS’s Evening Edition TV program.

Mr. Castanares was asked about the history of La Prensa and how his background fits into the newspaper business.

“My background is in politics and business,” Mr. Castañares said during the radio interview. “I worked for the California State Legislature and as a political consultant. Now I have retired from running campaigns,” he added.

He also explained how the Latino community can influence the way it’s perceived by the public at large and in the media.

“I think the only way the community can flex its muscle is either economic clout or political clout,” he added. “We can not support sponsors that are negative to the community and by rewarding those sponsors that are reflective of our community by buying their products.”
He added that “in politics the currency for elected officials are votes”. “If we don’t vote we don’t have a say,” he concluded.

On his plans for expanding the reach of the paper, Mr. Castañares explained his upcoming plans.
“Our web presence will be a lot bigger. We are also designing a custom phone people can download and receive news updates,” he added. “We will also be door dropping in targeted areas and mailing the paper too.”

In the end he hopes La Prensa’s readers will follow the content online more than in print.

“We think they will look at it everyday on their phones just like they look at other sites,” he concluded.
“Im honored to be able to carry on the legacy started by the Muñoz family,” Mr. Castañares added.