April 2026 Newsletter
Welcome to our April newsletter! There’s a lot going on in local news this month. Let us know if you have any feedback by emailing [email protected].
April 9 is Local News Day! Help us celebrate
Come have a cup of coffee on us and chat with Valley journalists as we celebrate Local News Day on Thursday, April 9, at Chef Tanya's Kitchen in the Palms to Pines West Shopping Center (72695 Highway 111) in Palm Desert.
What is Local News Day? It’s a new national day of action connecting communities with trusted sources of local news.
The mission is simple: connect people to local newsrooms to spark a national movement that sustains local news for generations.
Local News Day is led by a coalition of journalists, nonprofit leaders, and media innovators, including the American Journalism Project and Press Forward.
With a mission to sustain local news in the Coachella Valley, CVJF is proud to be a partner. Learn more at Local News Day – A National Day of Action Connecting Communities with Trusted Local News.
Lina Robles, longtime radio show cohost of La Poderosa 96.7 PM, dies
The Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation extends its condolences to the friends, family, and former co-workers of Lina Robles, who died in March just a few short weeks after retiring as co-host of the Valley’s top-rated radio program, El Show del Greñas.
Lina’s death was confirmed by her former radio station, La Poderosa 96.7 FM, in a post on Facebook. “Lina was more than just a voice on Poderosa 96.7 FM. She was part of our community, our mornings, and the lives of many families in the Coachella Valley,” the post said.
Lina worked as a co-host of El Show del Greñas since December 2005, providing listeners with local news, traffic and weather information. In February, she was inducted into CVJF’s Media Hall of Fame along with other notable media figures in the Valley. See the tribute video here.
Writer Melissa Daniels wins USC Annenberg health fellowship
Melissa Daniels
Congratulations to Melissa Daniels, a Coachella Valley Independent contributor, who was recently named one of this year’s recipients of a California Health Equity Fellowship by the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism.
The 14 fellows will report on health and social welfare topics affecting Californians, from health care access in rural communities to racial disparities in maternal health. The program includes a multi-day learning institute at the USC Annenberg School in Los Angeles, five months of expert mentoring, and more than $50,000 in reporting grants to support reporting projects.
The program is made possible with the support of Blue Shield of California Foundation, The California Endowment, and The California Wellness Foundation.
The folks at KGAY radio station got the promotions boost of a lifetime when Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings read this clue:
“Similar to the pride flag, the logo for KGAY 106.5 FM in Palm Springs also features the colors of this.”
“What is the rainbow?” actor Sean Gunn responded correctly on the March 27 episode of Celebrity Jeopardy! All-Stars.
Proud KGAY owner and operator Brad Fuhr acknowledged the station’s mention to a national TV audience on Facebook: “I guess we know we have made it when our radio station becomes a Jeopardy question,” he wrote.
KGAY scores the ‘Daily Double’ of promotions on Jeopardy!
The interesting media pedigree of the ‘most important building’ in Palm Desert
Photo courtesy: Historical Society of Palm Desert
Media companies are not generally known for taking up space in buildings of historic significance, but there was a notable exception in the Coachella Valley decades ago.
Palm Springs Life tells the story of what preservationists call Palm Desert’s most important building – a Pueblo revival style structure built to house Desert Magazine, a travel and lifestyle publication covering the Southwest that went out of business in the 1980s. Designed by architect Harry J. Williams after World War II, the 17,000-square-foot building on Highway 111 was the first commercial building on the first developed block of Palm Desert, the Palm Springs Preservation Foundation says. It often served as a hub for church groups, community organizations, artists, and the like.
To the dismay of preservation buffs, the building has been modified extensively over the years, and it currently houses a Shōgun’s restaurant.
Help expand local news with a contribution to The Indio Post
We’re in the final stretch of our year-long campaign to raise money for The Indio Post, the free website and newsletter serving the Coachella Valley’s largest city. The same team that produces The Palm Springs Post launched the Indio site last year to bring hyperlocal news coverage to residents of the east Valley. We’ve committed $12,000 to help with start-up costs and we are looking to match that amount in community donations before our campaign concludes on April 30. Any amount helps! Please donate here: Donate to Launch The Indio Post!
Randy Lovely, Board President Coachella Valley Journalism Foundation