Spring 2011 - Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly Magazine

DiVersiTY
Vasquez Dedelow is the principal
owner of the station, with Jim serving
as morning host, just one of the
on-air duties he has at the station.
WJOB is just one of a few stations
nationwide that’s not only owned
by a woman but also Hispanic.
Vasquez Dedelow is also a practicing
attorney, so managing her practice
and running a radio station can
be difficult. “I’m on the air early in
the morning with Jim and I try to do
the work around my court schedule.
I do a lot of things for the station on
“There aren’t too many pressures in the
aspect of being Hispanic, but there are
definitely pressures. Making sure that
you’re doing everything the way your
parents taught you how is probably the
biggest pressure.”
The number of AM radio stations
owned by Hispanics is barely 7 percent,
according to the Pew Research
Center in Washington, DC.
Give Children
a Winning Start!
—Oscar martinez, O.m. distributors
the weekends and in the evenings,”
Vasquez Dedelow said. “I like to
think the station is 24/7. The law
office is 9 to 5.”
Vasquez Dedelow grew up in
East Chicago in a family of seven,
where her father worked in the mill
for most of his life, and her mother
worked at home. Vasquez Dedelow
said she never envisioned herself
becoming a radio personality and
station owner, or even an attorney.
Balancing her two careers and her
own family, with three children, can
be difficult but it’s something she
enjoys.
But providing news, information,
local sports and discussion for
WJOB’s listeners on the air and over
the Internet is paramount to Vasquez
Dedelow. “Northwest Indiana tends
to get lumped into a lot of the Chicago
media and news. The only time
you hear about this area is when
something negative happens here,”
Vasquez Dedelow says. “I like focusing
and putting a spotlight on all the
positive things and people that are
happening here. That’s important to
me.” n
Too many children have been sitting on the sidelines, waiting to be nurtured and loved.
Indianapolis Head Coach Jim Caldwell encourages you to champion every child’s
right to a safe, nurturing and loving environment.
You can give a child a winning start as a foster parent, role
model or friend. To learn more about how you can make
a difference in the life of a child, call 800.874.6880. villageskids.org pcain.org
44 NORTHWEST INDIANA BUSINESS QUARTERLY SpRINg–SUmmER 2011