CORPUS CHRISTI — Legendary television personality Johnny Canales and his wife Nora plan to bring back their popular TV show with the help of fans through crowdfunding “to modernize their studio and get it back up and running with the necessary equipment to produce high-quality, relevant content for the digital age.”

The couple announced their intentions in a video posted to their YouTube channel on Monday (June 20). A GoFundMe page was set up to collect the funds needed for the studio to host the rebooted television program.

Johnny Canales began his career with his own “Johnny Canales Orchestra” consisting of 10 members until he was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War. After he was discharged, he worked as a DJ in Corpus Christi, Texas, on KCCT until appearing on the television show “Fiesta Fanta”. It was during this time that Johnny Canales became known as the Mexican American Dick Clark.

In the early 1980s, his show was syndicated in Laredo, Corpus Christi, and McAllen enabling him to build a fan base that endures to this day. In 1988, “The Johnny Canales Show” was picked up by Univision and broadcast internationally until 1995. In the Tejano scene and among Spanish-speaking households Canales’ show was known as the show where stars were born.

In 1996, Johnny moved the show to Telemundo where it continued until 2005. Johnny and his wife Nora Canales built their own studio with the intent of taking charge of all aspects of production. Equipment was purchased, stages were built, and audio production facilities were built to serve the studio as well as serve as an accessible resource to incoming bands and artists. Soon after the studio was built, however, Johnny Canales was sidelined by quadruple bypass surgery requiring a lengthy recovery. A year later, tragedy struck again when Johnny had a major stroke that would impact not only his life but the lives of his family for many years to come. The following years were rough, not just for Johnny’s recovery, but also because Nora’s devotion to her family meant that she chose to emphasize her husband and children over the show.

After years of minimal work and promotion, Johnny and Nora started a new show in 2010 called “El Nuevo Show de Johnny y Nora Canales,” which aired in Corpus Christi and Laredo. In 2013, the program was picked up by Televisa Mexico and was shown worldwide through Sky (satellite), but due to a demanding live appearance schedule and extensive travel, it was difficult to maintain their production schedule at the McAllen, Texas, studio. Starting fresh from the comfort of their home, Johnny and Nora embraced the potential of digital content delivery. The pair started live streaming on Facebook every Sunday as well as at random times during the week.

The outpouring of support from Johnny and Nora’s fans shocked even the Canales family and solidified a desire to reach out and bring their show back to national television, as well as other mediums. Their daughters Seleste and Miroslava Canales have also become enthusiastic and vital supporters of this effort culminating in the establishment of “Comunidad Canales” for the purpose of sharing the richness of the Tejano and Latino community.

With this in mind, Johnny and Nora decided to modernize their studio and get it back up and running with the necessary equipment to produce high-quality, relevant content for the digital age while allowing them to manage the production of their show within their own community and home. Johnny and Nora Canales have always been advocates for their communities and up-and-coming performers. They plan to bring back their show for all the fans, supporters, and viewers from the United States, Mexico, and throughout the Americas.

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