By Miguel Cruz Tejada
NEW YORK._ The digital television program “Levantate NY” celebrates its first anniversary this Saturday, February 25, at the 809 lounge restaurant in Upper Manhattan, consolidating itself as the morning panel space with the largest audience in the diaspora due to a journalistic concept that sustains a diverse approach to topics.
The program began its broadcast on February 21, 2022, and is broadcast live from Monday to Friday between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. through YouTube and other digital platforms. In 12 months of transmission, it has captured thousands of followers based on a modern and updated concept of radio characteristics, exposing updated topics with opinion comments on the local and regional situation in Latin American countries and other parts of the world.
“Levantate NY” is directed by the renowned television journalist Rafael Díaz as general director, and the cast includes prominent journalists Niurka Rivera as host and coordinator, Providencia Rossi, analyst, Óscar Pérez in international analysis, Roberquis Jiménez, entertainment editor and Francis Pérez, commentator.
The legendary journalist Julio C Malone also participates in the analysis of the program that has interviewed during the year the Dominican ambassador to the United States, Sonia Guzmán, the consul in New York, Eligió Jáquez, the city transportation commissioner, Ydanis Rodríguez, Congressman Adriano Espaillat, Reverend Rubén Díaz, State Senator Robert Jackson, Director of Listín Diario Miguel Franjul, Director of El Nuevo Diario Persio Maldonado, council members, Colombian political leaders, Boston-based social and community activists, Pennsylvania and the Dominican judge Fiordaliza Rodríguez, among others.
From the Dominican Republic, the renowned communicator Nikauly de la Mota reports for the space with the “Nikauly 360” section and the collaboration of the veteran entertainment chronicler Miguel Ángel Herrera. The technical director is Melvin Hiraldo.
The program interviews some of the most influential figures in different areas of the diaspora and the Dominican Republic, including political leaders, professionals, community activists, artists, entrepreneurs, visual creators, women’s representatives, and educators.
Díaz explained that in response to the ethnic diversity that coexists in New York City, “Levantate NY” has become the morning outlet through which the Hispanic community stays up-to-date with everything happening from the first hours of the day.
“In Levantate NY, the equitable dissemination of the plurality of voices that coexist in the city is guaranteed to help them to be able to build their opinions on the different issues and needs that affect them, and to be able to freely express their opinions and concepts through the program with different resources designed for this purpose, such as the social media platforms and the telephone lines that the program has,” added the general producer.
He pointed out that the space is structured in segments to give it ease and agility. “Morning Dialogue” is the central interview of the area, “Sports Time,” “Global Agenda,” Geopolitics and local politics, “Fusion Culture,” and “Without Anesthesia” are comments from the participants-members who have 7 minutes to present their positions that are part of the sections of the program.
