Fridays with Fernando, and flair

As the sounds of tropical rhythms kick in, a montage of salsa dancers, drummers, and other musicians flashes on TV screens in a Dorchester studio and across Boston.

Cue to Fernando Bossa.

''Welcome to 'Fernandito's Hideaway/El Show de Fernandito,' " greets Bossa, the show's host with sidekick Ammy Cassiani.

''This evening is Mexican night," he continues, introducing Jose Pepe Gutierrez and his mariachi band from Tacos el Charro in Jamaica Plain. They're decked out in their signature sombreros on this Friday evening in late November as if they were the four amigos.

Although he calls the show his ''hideaway," Bossa isn't one to hold back what he thinks, especially when it concerns his community.

Almost a decade ago, when the Groom and Humphreys streets area near Uphams Corner was rife with stolen and abandoned cars, blighted buildings, and gangbangers, Bossa jump-started a neighborhood crime watch to tackle the problem head-on.

When he took on the job of marketing manager for the Uphams Corner Main Street organization in the late 1990s, and storefronts were being revitalized and sidewalks spruced up, he spread the word that businesses were welcome in this corner of the city.

So it may come as a surprise to some that Bossa's latest role isn't that of a crimefighter but of producer and host of a new entertainment show.

The show, which launched Nov. 5 on the Boston Neighborhood Network, gives local Latin actors, musical groups, dancers, and artists a chance at the spotlight. Bossa and Cassiani chat with the performers and sometimes join in dancing and performing along with them. So far, Bossa, who loves to dance salsa and mambo, has featured local Puerto Rican salsero dancers from the monthly El Bembe dance event at the Center for Latino Arts in the South End as well as Gutierrez's band.

He has also hosted members of the Latin Embassy, a professional Latin singles group that meets at various locations every month.

''He is very positive and easy to work with. We have good chemistry," said Cassiani, a graduating senior from Northeastern University.

Bossa, a native of Colombia, gives his show a bilingual buzz, switching back and forth between English and Spanish with his guests, to reach out to a bicultural audience that has become increasingly reflective of the city.

The show also has an interactive component: Viewers can call into the show live and ask Bossa and his musical guests questions about their backgrounds and where and when they're performing.

''I wanted to showcase the local talent here that goes on seven days a week," said Bossa, who immigrated to Boston in 1968 when he was 6 years old. Bossa grew up in Fields Corner and graduated in 1978 from Madison Park High, where he dabbled in acting and modeling for local department stores.

It's easy to see why Bossa, who takes pride in wearing crisp, colorful suits, is a natural for a talk show. (The man likes to talk, and someone trying to engage in conversation with him can easily be reduced to ''uh-huhs" when he gets going.)

''There are artists that are out there but don't have the exposure. Here is their opportunity. I wanted to reach young Latinos who were born here and appreciate their culture," he said, sitting in his office on Columbia Road, where he works as a consultant for the Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corp. His windows overlook bustling Uphams Corner above a Payless shoe Store, across from Fleet and Citizens banks and a bevy of local businesses.

''I want to reach the people who may not know Spanish but could learn some of it by watching the show. You are getting both translations," he says.

For Bossa, the show is just another way of following what the framed sign above his desk reads: ''The courage to change the things I can."

Bossa still attends meetings of the crime-watch group he launched in 1995, when he knocked on neighbors' doors, inviting them to meet with then-state representative Charlotte Richie and the Boston Police Department. That meeting was the genesis of the Groom/Humphreys Neighborhood Organization. Neighbors were encouraged to call police if they saw any signs of suspicious activity. The city added new stop signs and converted several streets to one-ways to keep traffic moving. Lots were cleaned up and buildings rehabbed.

Bossa's work in galvanizing the neighborhood prompted Richie to give him a Leadership Award in 1999 and former Boston police commissioner Paul Evans to honor him with a community service award for National Night Out last year.

''Because of him, there has been a revitalization of interest in the merchant community [in Uphams Corner]," said Hal Cohen, who has referred to Bossa as ''the mayor of Uphams Corner."

Cohen has known Bossa about eight years and owns the old Maxwell House Products warehouse where the Groom/Humphreys Neighborhood Organization meets the third Wednesday of each month.

''He has motivation, and I think it's wonderful that he is bringing out the local Latino talent," Cohen says.

But Bossa has also long been interested in the artistic side of Latino life in Boston.

He played extras in the 1980s when TV shows like ''St. Elsewhere" and ''Spenser for Hire" were filmed in Boston. Two years ago, Bossa starred in a short independent film titled ''Lagrimas" (Tears).

Last year, he helped put together the inaugural Latino Film Consortium Series in Uphams Corner. The five-part series opened with ''No Turning Back," a film about an illegal immigrant from Honduras who accidentally hits a young girl with his employer's truck.

The series attracted about 300 people, who were treated to an orchestra, Latin foods, and question-and-answer sessions with some of the films' directors and actors.

While Bossa still has acting aspirations, his main focus now is promoting his new show and his guests.

Curtis Henderson, BNN's general manager, welcomed the new show to his roster of programs.

''Because of the growth of the various populations and more people speaking English and their native language, there is more of an increase in that," said Henderson from his office at BNN, which broadcasts 45 live programs. He said the number of programs with bilingual formats has increased over the years, to reflect the city's changing demographics, and Bossa's show is the most recent example of that.

''Fernando saw the need of having an arts program for Latinos here," he said. ''He is filling that void."

''Fernandito's Hideaway/El Show de Fernandito" airs live on BNN at 6:30 p.m. Friday and repeats at 12:30 p.m. Sunday and at 4:30 a.m. Monday.

Johnny Diaz can be reached at jodiaz@globe.com.