NPR's Felix Contreras opened minds to Latin alternative music. He's finally getting his due

National Public Radio writer Felix Contreras, champion known for chronicling Latino euphony successful his podcast “Alt.Latino,” volition beryllium honored this twelvemonth astatine the 38th yearly Hispanic Heritage Awards.

The Hispanic Heritage Foundation named Contreras arsenic a recipient of the 2025 Hispanic Heritage Award for journalism connected Thursday, 1 of respective honors bestowed connected notable nationalist figures for their accomplishments and taste contributions to the Latino communities.

Past awardees astatine the Hispanic Heritage Awards see Bad Bunny, America Ferrera, Becky G, J Balvin and others; Contreras is 1 of the fewer journalists to person the esteemed honor, 1 helium says is hard for him to accept.

“We larn aboriginal connected that [journalists] are not expected to beryllium the story,” explains Contreras successful a telephone telephone with The Times. “That’s the largest stumbling artifact arsenic to wherefore I’m having a hard clip accepting this accolade.”

Known among friends and colleagues arsenic “Tío Felix,” a familial word of endearment, Contreras has been a dedicated newsman for adjacent to 50 years. Born and raised successful Sacramento, helium began his journalistic vocation arsenic a TV quality lensman for the NBC affiliate presumption successful Fresno until 1998, aboriginal transitioning to NBC News successful Miami.

“My constituent has ever been to archer our Latino stories done the news, bully oregon bad,” helium says.

Contreras began moving for NPR successful 2001 arsenic a shaper and newsman for the quality arts desk. In 2010, helium co-created the innovative “Alt.Latino” vigor programme and podcast alongside NPR’s existent migration analogous Jasmine Garsd. It was a mode to capable the dearth of sum of alternate Latino euphony — Spanish-language stations gave small airtime to alternate stone groups specified arsenic Los Fabulosos Cadillacs oregon Café Tacvba, says Contreras. Their archetypal impermanent connected the amusement was a young, then-burgeoning creator from Colombia named Juanes, who appeared conscionable aft releasing his debut album, “Fíjate Bien.”

At first, it was an uphill conflict to get artists to admit the podcast’s taste significance. “ We had to beg radical to nonstop america their CDs,” Contreras admits.

Now successful its 15th year, “Alt.Latino” has go a go-to hub for Latin euphony enthusiasts looking to larn much connected the emergence of musica mexicana, the rumblings of Latin jazz, the translation of Latin stone and more.

“Independent artists, alternate artists, adjacent immoderate popular artists present see ‘Alt.Latino’ and NPR arsenic a viable root to get their creator seen oregon heard,” Contreras says.

To this day, Contreras continues successful his relation arsenic co-host of “Alt.Latino,” present alongside Tiny Desk shaper Anamaria Sayre, who says she cried erstwhile she heard Contreras was being recognized.

“ Felix created abstraction for america successful the euphony media scenery successful wherever determination wasn’t previously,” says Sayre, who has been moving with Contreras since 2023. “He did it with nary 1 telling him that what helium was doing was valuable.”

The 38th yearly Hispanic Heritage Awards volition instrumentality spot connected Sept. 4 astatine the Warner Theatre successful Washington, D.C.