Could he have been a sportsman? Maybe! But Roberto Carlos Rodríguez Torres, a young but recognized voice of CMKO, bet on another way to stay very close to sports: commentary, narration, journalism.
On the International Day of Sports Journalists, Radio Angulo Digital talked to this communication professional, whose passion for physical activity he inherited from his father, Carlos Rodríguez, third base coach of the Holguín Champion in the 41st Series of Cuban baseball.
With him I learned to love sports, especially baseball. I must also admit that he listened to a lot of radio and while playing ball, like every child, he narrated every action. I remember with special affection that occasion when, during a tournament of champions clubs in the province of Ciego de Avila, the Calixto Garcia Vaqueros team that my father coached, played against the local squad. There, the veteran commentator from Holguín, Iraldo Leyva Castro, heard me narrate and told my dad: bring him to the radio, the boy has conditions.
Thus, with the encouragement of another faithful radio listener, his grandmother, he came to two great professionals of sports journalism in Holguín: Noire Aguilera Montaña and José Antonio Chapman Pérez, the latter, director of the Sunday Sports Magazine of CMKO Radio Angulo, who profiled him as a volunteer correspondent through coverage of events. He eventually became a broadcaster of the space and, in 2014, he reached his first evaluation as a sports commentator.
The commentator practices journalism because he researches, interviews, gives opinions, offers forecasts… Along this path, I had the opportunity to take a Diploma Course in Journalism, which, together with my training as a graduate in Physical Culture, contributed a lot to my professional performance.
Although he has ventured into television, radio is the medium where he feels most at ease. He enjoys its immediacy, the styles of work and, in the case of sports narrators, the close way in which they transmit the message to their listeners. As he himself declares, “you are their eyes on the field or the court”.
Recently, Roberto Carlos Rodríguez Torres was called to join the team of “La Gran Jugada Oriental” -sports magazine of CMKX Radio Bayamo, sister of “Swing Deportivo” of Radio Angulo-, which has been a rewarding experience for this professional, in which he shares microphones with the experienced Ángel (Pachy) Espinosa.
The people of Granma are very helpful, they welcome you as if you were part of their family. I have experienced this since I started to narrate for this station the final stage of the Provincial Series and, now, the National Series in the quarterfinals. I don’t know how they manage to do it, but they always look for a way to communicate and let you know that they are tuning in to the game. They are baseball lovers, they profess affection and respect for it and also for us, the commentary narrators.
About the Alazanes de Granma, he assures that the team is experiencing a good moment and has great prospects, “it is not by chance that it was champion four times”. Following their development in the National Series from very close is, therefore, a unique opportunity.
Moreover, this is my first season as the narrator of a regular drum kit. However, I am still part of the great sports family of Radio Angulo, so for the next series I will be back to describe the Cubs’ plays through their frequencies.
With Roberto at the home plate
For this young father, journalist and radio and TV presenter, to improve himself is a constant purpose, “because my work and my audience demand it”.
I would not only like to narrate baseball, but I am looking forward to other professional opportunities, for example, in volleyball. I am also passionate about chess. Every sports journalist would also like to attend the Olympic Games, where you can represent your media and your country, accompany your athletes, narrate their victories and suffer their defeats with them. That is a great dream to fulfill.
With information from Aniel Santiesteban García
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