The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History is working to document and tell the story of Spanish-language broadcasting in the U.S. with an emphasis on television, as part of a new initiative, “Escuchame: the History of Spanish Language Broadcasting in the U.S.” Materials from the career of New York-based broadcaster, theater and screen actress and author Gilda Mirós were recently added to the national collections.
Born in Puerto Rico, Mirós worked with numerous radio and television stations including WADO-AM and WJIT-AM radio stations in New York, and WXTV-TV, Channel 41 (Univision) and WNJU-TV, Channel 47 (Telemundo), also in the New York area. While working for the Spanish Broadcasting System at WQBA-AM Miami, she hosted the first national live daily show to run simultaneously in New York and Los Angeles from Florida. Recently Puerto Rican Studies/Hunter/CUNY posted her oral history, and created the Gilda Mirós file in their archives, which is available to the public.
Raised in the Bronx, Gilda has appeared in films, on stage and on television in Mexico, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Her New York City radio programs transmitted from and to Latin America and Spain. She produced and narrated documentaries including: Viet Nam War/Hispanics in NYC Prisons; “March of Dimes”/ “The Eye Bank of NYC.” She dubbed “Mother Angelica Live” EWTN. Mirós has 12 books: “Celia Cruz & Sonora Matancera” (2003 Ebook/Soft/Audio 2017); “A Portrait of Puerto Rico” (2005); “Hortense and Her Happy Ducklings,” a bilingual children’s story, (2006); “Memorias De Los Espiritus y MI Madre” (2009); “Spirit Messages To My Mother” (2010); “Mystical Wings; “Alas Místicas (201; “In Touch With Mom in Spirit” “¡En Contacto Con Mami en Espiritu ,“De La Montaǹa Venimos – Ìconos Latinoamericanos.” (2017 Ebook/Soft/Audio 2016. “Poetisas de Hispanoamericana” (2016 Audio). Presently she produces “Latin Icons Past & Present” for All Access Cable TV in New York.