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SHOUA XIONG, HMONG-AMERICAN REACHOUT Meet Shoua Xiong, a host and programmer for the Hmong-American Reachout program. Originally from China, Shoua moved to the United States in 1981. His involvement at KFAI nurtures a deep interest in radio inspired by his experiences.

Shoua Xiong May, 2003

"Way back in 1978-79, we were in the jungles, and we had only one radio. We were hiding in a cave, and we [each] came out like a gopher to listen to the radio for half an hour and then went back to the cave. It was very lonely. We listened to the Christian Network Radio, Voice of America, and the BBC… I was fascinated by radio at that time. I said, ‘Well, if there was a day when I could walk into the city, I would want to know more about radio.’"

"When I got here, I started looking into programs and other religious radio stations." Shoua began listening to a Hmong Christian program broadcast on KNOF in St. Paul every Sunday. "In 1994, I heard KFAI–a Hmong voice on KFAI–and I said, ‘Who are they?’ So, I started looking around and talking to people, and about two years later, in ’96, I finally got a hold of my former colleague here and I said, ‘What are you doing, and do you still accept people to help you out?’ He said, ‘Yeah, sure, why not?’ So, I came on board in 1996." Shoua was first trained to do work behind the shows, such as splicing and editing. Today, he continues to dedicate time outside of his full-time job as a nurse by hosting and programming for the Hmong-American Reachout.

Shoua feels that the Hmong-American Reachout program reaches a large portion of the Hmong community in the Twin Cities. Although the show appeals to a wide age group, one of Shoua’s main goals is to promote youth involvement in radio and in the community. He invites young people to do volunteer work for the program, delegating various responsibilities to each of the high school and college students who offer their time and abilities. He makes sure that music by modern artists and lots of listener requests are broadcast during the program.

Every Thursday from 8:30-10:00 PM, Shoua hosts the Hmong-American Reachout with Phia Xiong. At the start of each half of the show, the host introduces the program in Hmong and English. The rest of the show is in Hmong, with the exception of a few modern songs. The program is divided up into four main segments: news, entertainment, talk show, and public service announcements.

The news segment consists of local and national news delivered by an announcer from the Hmong-American Reachout, and a broadcast of the news from a Thai radio program. Both traditional and modern songs are played during the entertainment portion, and listeners are welcome to call in with requests. Traditional singing "has no music, just words… like a conversation, or a poem." Shoua says. "The elders like that a lot." Modern songs have singing as well as instrumental parts, such as drums and keyboards, and "can be a variety of styles like cool rock to blues." The talk show portion addresses current issues in the community, sometimes with a guest speaker. Listeners are invited to call in with questions and comments.

http://www.hmongradio.tv

Sayo Ukiya and Kim Sueoka