KUT Executive News Editor Teresa Frontado recently celebrated her one-year anniversary working at the station, making it a good time to check in with our Three Questions series.
In her role, Teresa oversees the KUT and “Texas Standard” newsroom, concentrating on strengthening the newsroom’s audience focus with an emphasis on engagement, digital innovation, diversity, accountability reporting and the storytelling that is distinctive to public radio.
Under Teresa’s guidance, we’ve launched KUT En Espanol, professionally translated Spanish versions of stories that heavily impact the Latino communities in Central Texas, like the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic effect, education, housing, transportation, voting rights and immigration.
Frontado joined KUT last January from WLRN, South Florida Public Media in Miami. Prior to that, she worked at Univision, and at the "Miami Herald," including as senior editor for online and production of "El Nuevo Herald," the Miami Herald Publishing Company’s Spanish-language publication.
Connect with Teresa on Twitter @TFrontado
What are you listening to these days?
The morning team at KUT just started to produce a short newscast for our sister station KUTX 98.9, so I have been spending some time listening to the different versions of it (it’s quite fun to see how these things progress!).
I spend most of my days listening to what our newsroom produces for KUT and “Texas Standard,” so I purposefully look for other things to listen to on my downtime to change gears. I’m particularly in awe of the work that Krista Tippett and her team do on the podcast “On Being.”
In a year of reckoning, her conversations with artists, theologians and thinkers exploring what it means to be human and how can we relate to each other fully and truthfully have really nourished me. I also love that they give you the option to listen to the full, uncut interview or the produced version.
It’s very interesting to compare both and see what was cut or how a certain topic was framed. My two favorite episodes are the interview with Richard Blanco (I dare you to listen to him reading his poem about the Rio Grande and not cry) and the remembrance of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks.
Read anything interesting lately?
I’m an avid reader and always keep a couple of books at hand. I’m currently reading “The Liar’s Dictionary“ from Eley Williams. Waiting on my night table is “Aquitania” by Eva García Sáenz de Urturi, a gift from my best friend. She lives in México City and every time we see each other we exchange books. This time I gave her “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue“ by V.E. Schwab.
I just finished reading two great long pieces, one by Austin-based reporter Aaron Nelsen in “The Guardian” about the scandal of Chile’s stolen children and another one by Rowan Moore Gerety in “The Atlantic” about crisis-response programs in Oregon that seek to reduce police intervention.
What are you loving about the ATX lately?
Hiking with my dog around town and gathering around a fire pit are two of my favorite things about Austin this time of the year. This is a very dog-friendly town, and I love to strike conversations with fellow humans about the funny habits of our furry friends.