Tealdo, journalist to remember

 

Alfonso Tealdo, journalist to remember

Personal information

Birth

August 15, 1914

Lima , Peru

Death

July 31, 1990 (age 75)

Lima , Peru

Grave

El Ángel Cemetery

Nationality

Peruvian

Family

Parents

Catalina Simi and Humberto Tealdo

Spouse

Lourdes by Rivero Bustamante

Children

Ana Rosa, Alfonso and Gabina

Education

Educated in

Pontifical Catholic University of Peru 

Professional information

Occupation

Journalist and interviewer

Biography

He was the son of Humberto Tealdo and Catalina Simi. He studied at the old Anglo-Peruano School, now Colegio San Andrés de Lima, from which he graduated, obtaining the Bentinck Prize in 1932. Since his school years, he demonstrated his skills by writing in the magazine Leader , his first article was related to Muhammad .

 

Although he was interested in science (he represented his school in inter-school competitions), with the influence of his teachers Raúl Porras Barrenechea and Jorge Guillermo Leguía, he prepared to continue his studies in Literature at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos . But, because it was closed, he pursued higher education at the PUCP , from which he graduated with the satisfaction of having found excellent teachers.

 

He worked in the old newspaper La Prensa , in Lima, then in a tourism magazine and won the National Journalism Award. She had no problems in the time of Odría , in which she had an easy time, until she maintained a hidden adhesion to the Tarmean ruler.

 

He was married to Lourdes de Rivero Bustamante and had three children: Ana Rosa, Alfonso and Gabina.

 

After working on the radio, in 1958, he moved on to television, where he was an incisive interviewer on programs such as Ante el Público , Round Table , Pulso

 and the memorable Tealdo Questions . It was the episode starring Eudocio Ravines and Genaro Carnero Checa that caused the greatest stir at its time. Carnero had the luxury of slamming Ravines when he called the members of a party that he himself founded "cowards."

 

He also directed news programs, such as El panamericano , and entertainment programs, such as Perú 74 .

 

Twenty-seven years after his departure, a profile of the first and most notable interviewer on Peruvian television. Erudite, controversial and irascible, Tealdo does not deserve to be forgotten.

 

By: Juan Gargurevich

 

Alfonso Tealdo was for half a century the undisputed king of the interview in Creole journalism. I interviewed him once, back in 1985, in his small Panamericana Televisión office, on Arequipa Avenue; We chatted briefly and then went out for coffee in nearby Berisso. During the short hour that we talked about the history of Pulso, his and others' great panel show, Tealdo drank two espressos and smoked a dozen cigarettes.

 

Thin, big head and broad forehead, very white, thick glasses, he gave the impression of being a bundle of nerves, or maybe I found him at the wrong time. He was a little reluctant to speak, as if impatient for the conversation (at some point I was afraid he would run away), but he wanted to continue talking... about himself, of course, his main character.

 

Tealdo was born in Lima in 1914 and studied at the Anglo Peruano school. In high school he was already writing and directing the collegiate magazine Leader, where he published an article about Muhammad, which marked his debut in journalism.

 

He could not then enter the University of San Marcos to study Literature because it was closed and, like many of his time, he headed towards the Catholic University, the only private one at that time and which maintained and defended its stability above political vicissitudes.

 

When Tealdo studied Literature in the old Plaza Francia premises, in 1935, an APRA militant killed the director of El Comercio and his wife; an event that moves the country and accentuates the persecution against APRA and its leader, Haya de la Torre.

 

In 1937 Tealdo began to publish some articles in El Comercio. He then wrote essays and did interviews for Tourism magazine. In 1944 he would win his first award, none other than the National Journalism Award.

 

He would not stray further from the profession, even in his time as a diplomat. During the government of Luis Bustamante y Rivero (1945-1948) he was appointed cultural attaché in Mexico and then returned to Lima to found the famous Gala magazine.

 

In Gala, relations with the high world would be provided by Jorge Holguín de Lavalle and publicity would be provided by Doris Gibson. They finally launched it into circulation in May 1948 at the inconceivable price of twelve soles when newspapers cost 15 cents and magazines one sol. It was a journalistic and social event but a commercial failure.

 

He “imposed the interview-attack in which he tried by all means to relentlessly put his interviewees in trouble.”

 

Tealdo then decided to move into the information and political area with the weekly ¡Ya!, which circulated since February 1949. Its first cover featured the photo of the Brazilian fakir Urbano. This, by coincidence, chose the same day of the launch to leave the urn where he had allegedly broken the world record for fasting.

 

Now! He would be independent, but a few weeks later Tealdo proclaimed his support for the candidacy of José Quesada Larrea, who competed with Manuel Prado in the elections of 39 and was ambassador to Argentina for the Bustamante government. The elections were scheduled for July 2 of the following year.

 

Soon Tealdo abandoned ¡Ya! Soon after, the advertising campaign for Pan, his new magazine, began: “Pan: it will be like bread, it will be on everyone's table. In that of the poor and in that of the rich.”

 

Pan got off to an auspicious start due to an ingenious advertising campaign. On the day of departure, July 8, 1949, a Faucett company plane flew over Lima dropping vouchers for prizes (suits, fountain pens, etc.) and copies of the magazine.

Pan was not spared from persecution. The police notified Tealdo that he had to close it, and he accused La Prensa: “Ravines has not triumphed. My closure means his defeat. His definitive defeat (…) I will see him selling sugared cotton in the streets.”

 

The following years were one of intense bohemianism, some advertising, collaboration in newspapers that accepted his essays and interviews, and some small-scale editorial adventures such as Dedeté, whose motto was: “A weekly against all kinds of parasites,” or partnership to edit the humorous Loquibambia, a highly successful radio program with scripts by Freddy, a talented Argentine.

 

In 1958 Tealdo ventured into radio writing La Voz y la Pluma for Radio Nacional, a text that was read by the well-known announcer Guillermo Lecca. Then he will transfer his program to Radio Central and later to Radio Panamericana, both stations owned by the Delgado family. It will be the Delgados who launch it on television with probably unexpected success.

 

In 1960, Ante el Público began on Channel 13. The program began under the direction of Jorge Luis Recavarren, but shortly after Tealdo would replace him.

 

For him, however, more adventures awaited him in the written press. The next was as editor. In 1961, and with the sponsorship of Pedro Beltrán and La Prensa, he launched the evening newspaper El Diario, a good tabloid that had a fleeting history.

 

Everything indicated that the 1962 elections would be very close; Fernando Belaunde Terry, from Acción Popular, and Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre, historical leader of APRA, faced each other.

 

It was the first time that television had the opportunity to cover a major electoral event. As will be remembered, the commercial era of the new medium only began with Channel 4, in 1958. Four years later, in 1962, the program Las Cartas sobre la mesa appeared, hosted by the editor of La Prensa, Luis Rey de Castro.

 

“The media that reported on his disappearance remembered him as the best interviewer in the history of Peruvian journalism”

 

The following years were of full collaboration with television, together with the Delgado Parkers. Tealdo directed the El Panamericano news program until 1965, the year in which he was replaced by Julio Estremadoyro. Carlos Paz Cafferata would later call him up for the Peru-67 Saturday program. This changed its name every year. There he took charge of the interview sequence called “Tealdo Asks.”

 

It was Tealdo's moment of glory on television, say colleagues who worked with him or remember his programs. According to them, he imposed the interview-attack in which he tried by all means to relentlessly put his interviewees in trouble. To do this, Tealdo investigated the topics in depth and since he considered that he already knew the answers, he constantly interrupted his 'victims' and did not allow them to develop complete concepts.

Great interview to Orson Wells

 

The program was suspended around 1973. Only the Ferrando Springboard to Fame sequence remained and Tealdo had to wait until the new 24 Hours news program was founded. There they offered him a space for interviews.

 

In March 1976, the military government decided to renew the directors of the newspapers in the process of expropriation and called Tealdo to direct El Comercio, a position he held until June 1978. He no longer collaborated with the military government and returned to television for a last stage characterized by the accentuation of bohemianism that finally caused him a terminal illness. He died on June 31, 1988. The media that reported on his disappearance remembered him as the best interviewer in the history of Peruvian journalism.

With affection,

Ruben