Page 20 - MIN TTC 1 DEC 2015

LOCAL A13
Tuesday 1 December 2015

Aruban Born “Nando” Romero Honored as Colombia’s
Best Radio Journalist and Announcer for the Year 2015!

BOGOTA/ORANJESTAD Bogotá. Beginning in 1986 documentaries.
- During a ceremony Nando with three young Despite his fame in Co-
held last week in the Luis colleagues created “El lombia, Nando has always
Carlos Galan Hall of the Zoologico de la mañana” had Aruba on his mind. At
Congressional Capitol in (The morning zoo), a pro- every opportunity Nando
Bogotá, Aruban born Her- gram aimed at the youth. uses his radio program as
nando “Nando” Romero It became the most lis- a platform to promote his
received the coveted tened to radio program island and he himself trav-
“Gacetas de Colombia” in Bogotá and Nando be- els to Aruba with his wife
award from the hands came a celebrity known and two children almost
of Senator Juan Manuel as “’Capi’ (Captain) of every year. The first time I
Galan, son of the late Luis the zoo”. Nando also be- visited Nando in Bogotá I
Carlos Galan, a promi- came famous for bring- noticed that in the small
nent political leader who ing Casey Kasem’s “The studio at his home where
was assassinated in 1989. American Top40” pro- he tapes commercials
Interestingly, Mr. Romero gram to the Colombian and programs for future
received his first journal- radio listeners, in Spanish. use, he uses a picture of
istic award 26 years ago Nando has a voice seem- the Aruba Natural Bridge
from the senior Galan. The ingly designed for radio, as “wallpaper” on his com-
award is a creation of Las imposing baritone reminis- puter desktop.“Reminds
Gacetas, an independent cent of Edward R. Murrow me of my beautiful island
organization of Colom- and Walter Cronkite. For whenever I am working
bian journalists; the selec- his voice, Nando is often at home” Nando replied.
tion is made in different contracted to make com- clydeharms@yahoo.
categories by thousands mercials and to narrate comq
of fellow journalists in all of
Colombia.
Nando Romero, an old-
er brother of Benjamin
Romero who is a journal-
ist with Bon Dia Aruba, is
the son of Mr. José Anto-
nio “Toto” Romero and
Mrs. Nora Romero Bariza
who had immigrated to
Aruba. Nando was just
four years old when his
mother passed away two
days after giving birth to
her fourth son. Caring for
baby and his three broth-
ers became too much of
a burden for “Toto” alone
and after two years the
family decided it would
be best if the children,
all born in Aruba, were
reared by their aunts and
uncles in Riohacha, Co-
lombia.
Nando attended high
school in Riohacha and
subsequently studied jour-
nalism at the Universidad
de la Sabana in Bogotá.
At both schools he partici-
pated in radio broadcast-
ing activities. After gradu-
ating, Nando entered the
real world of radio broad-
casting at a small station in