North Las Vegas street renamed to pay homage to local TV talent show

By Aida Ahmed

Thursday, March 22, 2012 | 4:48 p.m.

Mexican-American radio and television personality Janet Revere knows there is a lot of undiscovered talent in Las Vegas.

Since 2007, she’s done her best to promote that talent through her local bilingual program “Buscando Estrellas,” or “Looking for Stars,” which first aired on radio and now is televised.

Now Revere is taking another step to promote “Buscando Estrellas” and the talent it showcases.

Revere and co-host and producer Linda Shore wanted to get the word out about what they were doing in the community. Revere’s idea was to rename a private portion of Constitution Way, the street nearest to the “Buscando Estrellas” studio, at 2201 Civic Center in the Discount Mall shopping center.

With the blessing of North Las Vegas, Constitution Way will have signs proclaiming it “Buscando Estrellas.”

Revere and Shore asked members of the North Las Vegas City Council in February for permission to add the signage, and the council jumped on board.

“The sign is for the desire to promote the art and culture through the TV show,” Revere said.

“We appreciate what Janet is doing and the diversity and the cultural interests that we can bring to our city and to show our youth that families and our heritage and our country is so important,” Mayor Shari Buck said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony this week. “(You) remind Southern Nevada that North Las Vegas is such a great place.”

A new sign is expected to be up in the next few months, and for now a “Buscando Estrellas Walk of Stars” banner hangs above the street.

“We promote everything good in our neighborhood, and it's something to create a showcase for people in Las Vegas,” Revere said.

Five years ago, Revere said she was overwhelmed with the audience’s reaction to the first Spanish talent search show in the valley.

“Once we did a talent show, we had an incredible response,” Revere said. “It was only for promotion, not a contest. Around 35 people came on one Sunday.”

As the show grew, Revere said she realized how many talented people were going unnoticed in the valley.

“We present not only singers, but dancers, people who paint and multiple people who have a talent. … It’s for the whole family,” Revere said.

“I think it’s opening up culture,” Shore said. “I think (viewers) realize there is something more, that there is culture here, that they do have a chance to express their feelings.”