Mailing address:
PO Box 5991
Lakeland, FL  33807
 
Phone:
206-337-1464
 
National Chairman:
Alci Maldonado
 
To reach Chairman Maldonado:
chair@rnha.org

To reach the Communications Director:
info@rnha.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 15, 2008
Contact: Alci Maldonado
Phone: 571-276-3109

RNHA Chairman to Join Panel of Judges - Voto Latino, SiTV & CNN Join forces to find the next big reporters!

RNHA Chairman Alci Maldonado was recently selected to join the panel of judges for Voto Latino's "Crash the Parties" contest. The recent press release below describes the program in detail. If you know of young people between the ages of 18 and 28 who might be interested in participating, they still have time to register by May 6th.

For Immediate Release Contact:
April 3, 2008 Barbara Saylor

202.536.2810

Sí TV PARTNERS WITH VOTO LATINO TO "CRASH THE PARTIES"

CNN Anchorman Rick Sanchez Mentors Two Young Latino Contest Winners to Cover Democratic and Republican National Conventions as Embedded Reporters for Sí TV & Voto Latino

LOS ANGELES, CA — Sí TV, the first multimedia company combining community and content to inspire, empower, and entertain young English-speaking Latinos, today launched a joint venture with nonpartisan voter registration organization Voto Latino, to further engage young Latinos in the Presidential election process. "Crash the Parties" kicks off with a nationwide search for two young Latinos to cover the Democratic and Republican National Conventions as reporters for Sí TV. Hopefuls can enter through May 6 at www.crashtheparties08.com, or at live events taking place in Chicago , Phoenix , Sacramento , San Diego , and San Jose .

"In this Presidential election, interest in the young Latino vote is higher than ever, and we want to bring the community's voices to the forefront," said Michael Schwimmer, Sí TV's CEO. "We are excited to work with Voto Latino, and provide young Latinos the opportunity to represent their community directly from the Conventions, with professional press training, VIP access, and candidate interviews."

Contestants upload their videos at www.crashtheparties08.com, discussing why they should represent young Latinos at the conventions. The videos will also be viewable on V CAST from Verizon Wireless. Public voting begins on May 7, and a panel of judges, including actress and Voto Latino co-founder Rosario Dawson, former U.S. Representative from Texas Henry Bonilla, the Latino Democratic Institution's Ramona Martinez, CNN's Rick Sanchez, YouTube's Steve Grove, Craigslist's Craig Newmark, and MySpace's Lee Brennan, will evaluate the top five candidates from each of the party submissions to select the winners. Rosario Dawson and actor Nicholas Gonzalez have recorded public service announcements to help promote the project.

"This isn't just an honor for me -- it's a responsibility." Sanchez said. "I owe my own career to broadcast journalism professionals who mentored me, so I really feel privileged to be given this opportunity to help others, in much the same way as I was helped."

Sanchez will also mentor the young reporters, providing media tips and expert advice on interviewing the party nominees and others. They will report from the Conventions, live and online, offering their perspectives on the candidates, election, and issues. The winners will be announced at a press conference in Washington , DC in July hosted by Sí TV and Voto Latino.

"Most American Latino youth consume their information in English and of the 18 million eligible Latino voters 31% are under 30. Partnering with Sí TV is a no brainer," said Maria Teresa Petersen, founding executive director of Voto Latino. "Crash the Parties is yet another example of Sí TV providing culturally relevant English language programming to Voto Latino's target demographic. We're thrilled to be working with Sí TV."

About Voto Latino

Voto Latino is a non-partisan, non-profit, voter engagement organization seeking to enfranchise American Latino youth to participate civically through the use of celebrity, multi-media platforms and youth themselves.

For more information, please visit:
www.votolatino.org

About Sí TV

Sí TV is America 's first media company to reach the millions of 18–34-year-old Latinos who prefer their content in English and seek it across all platforms—including linear television, online, video-on-demand, and wireless devices. Sí TV offers authentic, relevant content and a 60% original programming slate that ranges from comedy to music, independent movies, lifestyle, and talk. The network is available nationwide on Dish Network, and in more than 200 cities and communities across America, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Detroit, Denver, San Antonio, and Las Vegas. Sí TV's cable and telco affiliates include AT&T, Cox, Comcast, Insight, Qwest, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon, among others. For more information, please visit www.sitv.com.

The mission of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly is to build a membership organization to foster the principles of the Republican Party in the Hispanic community, provide Hispanic Americans with a forum to play an influential role in local, state, and national Party activities, increase the number of Hispanic Republican elected officials, and create and maintain a network of Hispanic Republican leaders.