Guests celebrate the 2nd anniversary of FOX 50’s local bi-lingual lifestyle and information program, HOLA NC, at a special fiesta on Tuesday, March 3, 2015.

In February 2013, FOX 50 began producing and airing the market’s only local bi-lingual lifestyle and information program.  This February, HOLA NC celebrated cumpleaños de dos años (two year birthday.) We could not let that milestone pass without a huge fiesta!

On March 3, 2015, WRAL-TV’s Studio A was filled to a capacity crowd and the sounds of Latin harp music and the smell of Latin cooking filled the air.  Over sixty area Latino Leaders, sponsors and VIP guests gathered to get a retrospective of the sights and sounds from the last two years of HOLA North Carolina!

“Every week we feature a Latino Leader from education, medicine, government affairs and more.  We have had Latinos from many different countries that live and work here in the Triangle on the program,” said Ana Maria Bonell, Executive Producer and Latin Marketing Coordinator for FOX 50.  “Some of our leaders included a neurosurgeon from Duke and the Dean of Engineering from NC State. They are great role models for Latino youth.”

WRAL and FOX 50 VP and General Manager Steve Hammel opened the program by welcoming the audience and sharing some moments from previous shows.  FOX 50’s Ana Maria Bonell, took the stage next and welcomed the nearly one hundred attendees. After an exciting video that showcased the many features of HOLA NC, WRAL Anchor David Crabtree took the podium and introduced the key note speaker, Consul General de Mexico Javier Díaz de León.  The Consul General shared his positive impressions of the show and praised FOX 50 and Capitol Broadcasting for bringing such a program to the community.

FOX 50’s Ana Maria Bonell (right) receives special recognition Diana Rodriguez from the Office of the Governor Pat McCrory’s Community and Constituent Affairs – a certification of appreciation from the Governor for the contributions of HOLA NC to the Latino Community.

One of the highlights of the evening was a surprise visit by Diana Rodriguez – Office of the Governor Pat McCrory’s Community and Constituent Affairs with a certification of appreciation from the Governor for the contributions of HOLA NC to the Latino Community.  This was presented to Ana Maria with appreciative applause from the crowd.

Next, everyone in the audience enjoyed an interlude of dancing from Mambo Dinámico, a dance team that has been featured in the arts and entertainment segment of the show.  This was followed by a video that highlighted the delicious recipes prepared by Chef JP and finally the night ended with an inspirational speech by Luiz Hernández , VP of the Lenovo Thinkpad division.

It was the perfect celebracion de segundo anos for HOLA NC.  There are so many people at Capitol Broadcasting who made it possible, including the amazing studio team at WRAL and Terri Overby and Brad Schaible, Marketing Coordinators at FOX 50.  For Ana Maria Bonell, what seemed like a dream two years ago became a reality, her work on HOLA has paid off, and the Latino Community now has a program that tells the positive stories that she knows need to be told.

• Learn more about HOLA North Carolina on FOX 50.com
• Follow HOLA North Carolina on Facebook

Thanks to FOX 50’s Niel Sollod & Ana Maria Bonell for this capcom story and photos.