God help us.
Roberto Rodriguez-Tejera, the veteran journalist who put the morning radio commute on Actualidad Radio 1040 AM in the number one position in ratings — above English-language stations, even — signed off the air on Thursday after mandando a todo el mundo al carajo.
Well, not entirely. Rodriguez-Tejera says he’ll still do a show on weekend afternoons, probably starting in February. It won’t be the same, though. It will be more about culture and music and history, things he loves just as much (maybe more) than politics.
But the departure from the politically-centered Contacto Directo morning show, which he swears is not forced — and sources tell me the station practically begged him to stay — will leave a huge void in local news, especially Spanish radio news and commentary, where there is absolutely no voice like his.
We’re headed into Trumpland all day, every day on every station. That also means there’s going to be lots of cushy coverage and fluff on the five constitutional officers who were elected in Miami-Dade on Trump’s coattails. “This national election has affected our local politics very profoundly,” he said Thursday, with a sigh.
Rodriguez-Tejera admits this is what caused him to step away. It was his own decision, to leave on his own terms. Saliendo por la puerta de alante.
“I don’t think I can continue doing the kind of journalism I’ve been doing for 40 years for the next four years of Trump,” he told Political Cortadito. But I know he can. Unless the station wouldn’t let him, and there’s no reason why they wouldn’t. Did I tell you he had the best rated show within his three hours? He did two with veteran journalist Juan Camilo Gomez, who left in December to become the communications director in Homestead (ouch) and one with Ricardo Brown, another veteran who directed TV news at Univision and CBS before going into radio, and who is staying at the 9 a.m. spot.
Actualidad is going to try to replace Roberto with Yolie Cuello, who already has a show weekdays at 1 p.m. She knows everybody but she pretty much asks softball questions. Congressman Carlos Gimenez was a recent guest there to promote himself. Cuello doesn’t ask the follow-up questions that Rodriguez-Tejera is famous for. Really, nobody does. And while Yolie has her charm, Roberto’s institutional knowledge of Miami’s political history is next level.
Nobody can just tell him stories without him knowing that they’re lying.
Rodriguez-Tejera has worked in Miami for four decades. He was Telemundo’s first news director in 1985. Three years later, he was appointed news director of TV Marti, the federally-funded station that broadcasts news to Cuba. He also worked there from 1996 to 2000 and has worked in television and different radio stations — from La Poderosa, where he butt heads with the owner over George W. Bush, to WQBA, where he was fired in 2012 after an ownership change. Ladra has worked with him over the years, including on his shortlived show on CNN en Español, a three month stint in 2017 with Tejera En Vivo on Mega TV and his longer show on Mira TV called Prohibido Callarse, which we can still watch on YouTube.
It translates loosely to “no silence allowed.”
What happened to that slogan?
It’s especially disconcerting that people like Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo, who at public meetings called the station Radio Havana because the morning guys dared criticize him, and Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago, whose defamation lawsuit against the station and the journalist was dismissed last year for being “legally insufficient,” are going to celebrate this. Certainly Miami Commissioner Miguel Gabela, who Rodriguez-Tejera and Gomez caught in several flip flops and outright lies last year, is gonna breathe easier.
Read related: Under fire, Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago sues Cuban radio station for libel
Robertico, as he is affectionately called, was not afraid to call electeds out. And that will be sorely missed.
Several sources told Ladra that the administration at Actualidad Radio 1040 AM was not happy to see him go and made offers to keep him. Did I mention he had the highest rating show? But Rodriguez-Tejera sounded tired and over it in the last few weeks. He just doesn’t want to deal with it anymore. Especially without Juan Camilo, who has been his partner for several years now. They made a super duo.
Ladra can understand this. It’s been hard since the election to get up in the morning and see what’s happened and happening and try to explain it in real terms to the people who, apparently, aren’t really listening or paying attention. It’s exhausting, actually.
But it’s also important. Even more so now. After this short break Political Cortadito took since Nov. 5, posting sporadically on easy peasy shit (read: self care), it’s time to turn up the notch. Somebody has to.
Actually, let’s not count Rodriguez-Tejera out completely. He did tell Ladra, exclusively, that he could come back later this year in some shape or form. He has the gravitas to do whatever he wants. I hope it’s his own podcast. He could do documentaries.
“The next 60, 90, 120 days are going to be very revealing,” he said. “I don’t discard coming back. I am taking a pause.
“I could come back to the air at some future moment.”
My fingers are crossed.
The post Miami loses a radio legend, gets a void in Roberto Rodriguez-Tejera retirement appeared first on Political Cortadito.
Read MorePolitical Cortadito
