Pioneering broadcaster Gustavo Godoy, a force behind Univision and Telemundo, dies at 79
Gustavo Godoy, one of the first high-profile Hispanics to work in English-language television news in the U.S. and considered a pioneer in Spanish-language TV, died on Aug. 11 in Miami. He was 79.
His passing touched off a wave of fond tributes from friends, former colleagues and admirers.
“Gustavo and I were friends for more than 40 years. He was an elegant gentleman who distinguished himself by his loyalty. Without him, Spanish television in Miami would not exist,” attorney Willy Allen told el Nuevo Herald.
“A class act,” Patricia San Pedro, a longtime media personality and director of communications for the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, said in a Facebook post. “One of the best journalists from those days of old.”
San Pedro recalled an amusing moment from early in her career when she was interviewed by Godoy for a writing position produced by WTVJ for a Spanish-language show, “Viva.” Pronunciation, of course, matters in broadcast television and Godoy was a master.
“In my mangled Spanish I flunked your test,” San Pedro wrote in her post. She called the Nicaraguan guerrilleros (guerrilla fighters) gorillas. “I was meant for English language media — where I eventually landed, also at WTVJ — but it gave us a good laugh. And who knew then how our connection would grow.”
English and Spanish TV news
Godoy, born the only child of Marta Andrews and Gustavo Joaquin Godoy in Havana on June 16, 1942, moved to Miami with his parents in 1960.
His initial forays into local news were in English, where he started out as a world news reporter for WCKT in Miami, which would become the current WSVN 7. Godoy served as producer and head of the ABC News Latin America bureau in Miami, followed by a position as deputy news director on Channel 6 — then WCIX — where he also produced and hosted “Enfoque (Focus),” a weekly news and talk program.
“I remember him fondly from the old WCIX,” the Miami station’s former creative art director Jim Hayek wrote on Facebook. “He loved my caricature of him so much that he made sure I signed it before he had it framed.”
WTVJ, then Channel 4, recognized his talents with an offer to serve as its director of Latino affairs. The Miami CBS affiliate added another incentive: He was given his own show, “Viva.”
“If you’re lucky, someone comes along during your life and makes it all better. That was Gustavo Godoy for me,” wrote former WTVJ assignment desk producer Marlene May.
Godoy, she wrote, started out as her boss at the station and became a lifelong friend.
“He was larger than life to me. I loved Gustavo. So many people loved Gustavo. Today, with profound sadness and a heavy heart, I grieve his loss. I will miss his calls on my birthday, his clever wit, his melodious voice, his contagious smile and his hearty laugh, but most of all, I will miss him and our beautiful friendship. It’s hard to imagine my life now without him in it, but I will always be eternally grateful for all the time I had with him. He made a difference in this world. He left his mark ... and leaves behind a lasting legacy that will live on in so many lives he touched along the way.”
Univision and Telemundo
After CBS, Godoy became news director for Spanish-language WLTV-Channel 23 in Miami and then WXTV-Channel 41 in New York.
Godoy led the Spanish International Network’s Noticiero (S.I.N.), based in Miami — making him the architect of what later became Univision Network News.
According to his family’s Legacy obituary, “Godoy created a series of ‘firsts’ for Spanish-language TV: the first town hall meeting, the first network morning show, and the first exit poll covering presidential and congressional elections, in addition to organizing live coverage of the Republican and Democratic Conventions.”
In 1986, Godoy helped create Telemundo Network News in a simple warehouse in Hialeah and saw it grow into a powerhouse Spanish news network.
Throughout his career, Godoy interviewed dozens of world leaders in Latin America, Europe, the Philippines and Turkey, while covering presidential elections, civil wars, and refugee crises in numerous countries.
His mandate: protect accuracy, integrity and credibility in television news. As such, he left that legacy for his colleagues and those who followed.
“A pioneer,” Emmy-winning consumer reporter Al Sunshine commented on Facebook.
Godoy was invited several times to the White House by different administrations to discuss the growing impact and influence of Hispanics in the nation.
A mentor
He is also credited with launching the careers of numerous news anchors and reporters, as well as countless people who worked behind the scenes and carried his teachings forward. Mentor to countless young journalists, Godoy was gracious in criticism and generous with his praise.
“Gustavito, childhood friend, great conversationalist, a gentleman. He will be missed in the long wait to see Cuba free of tyrants,“ said journalist Gloria Leal.
“He was a great human being and an independent journalist in his judgments. I never heard him speak ill of anyone. We were great friends. He always felt a great love for his country and especially for his Havana,” added the Rev. Marcos Antonio Ramos.
“Gustavo Godoy was above all a great friend, and a well of information and journalistic wisdom in Miami. In the ‘90s, he formed from Telemundo, which he presided over, a powerful television network with NBC, of which he told me he was very proud. And very important to him was also “Vista Magazine,” the first national Hispanic magazine. But although he emphasized Hispanic values throughout the country, his love for Cuba was always essential to his vision of a life in exile,“ said journalist Olga Connor.
In 2013, Godoy was a Gold Circle honoree, a prestigious award given to professionals who have devoted half a century or more to the television industry and who have made a significant contribution to broadcasting.
Survivors
An arts lover and family man, Godoy is survived by his children Gustavo “Tito” Godoy, Maria del Rosario “Rosy” Godoy Medina, Michelle Godoy-Zucco, Francisco Jose “Paco” Martinez-Agullo, Jose Luis “Pepe” Martinez-Agullo and his grandchildren Nicholas, Andres and Lucas Medina, and Tatiana, JonPaul and Julian Godoy. He was predeceased by his wife Virginia Flores.
Services were held.
This story was originally published August 26, 2021 at 4:14 PM.
