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Carioca Testimonials: memories of Rio in the remarkable voice of Léo Batista
Published on 10/07/2023 - 16:54 | Updated
On the eve of his 91st birthday, sports announcer and presenter Léo Batista – one of the greatest names in the history of television, radio and the Brazilian sports press – will share, starting at 17 pm this Tuesday (11/7), his memories of the city of Rio de Janeiro, where he has lived since 1951. A very rich story of someone who had his wedding officiated by Dom Helder Câmara, frequented Café Nice (a meeting point for the main artists of the radio era), narrated Carnival parades on Rádio Globo and broadcast the report on the suicide of President Getúlio Vargas, on August 24, 1954. Léo Batista is the interviewee in the series Depoimentos Cariocas, from the General Archive of the City of Rio de Janeiro, which had special appearances by narrator Luís Roberto, reporter Carol Barcellos and commentator Paulo César Vasconcellos.
The video will be available on Youtube channel from the City's General Archives, with an open chat for those watching the premiere. The veteran TV Globo announcer was interviewed by the General Archives' cultural promotion coordinator, Pedro Paulo Malta. Born in Cordeirópolis, in the interior of São Paulo, Léo Batista relived old football memories, such as his first football match broadcasts, the 1950 World Cup final and the beginning of his passion for Botafogo, one of his favorite clubs – in addition to XV de Piracicaba, Renner gaúcho, América Mineiro and Ferroviário cearense.
In the interview, Léo also recalled important figures from the city, such as the composer Miguel Gustavo (who he worked with at Rádio Globo), the severe police chief Padilha (who pursued crooks) and the famous rogue Madame Satã (who got into major fights with security agents). Other old memories came from his adolescence in the interior of São Paulo, where he debuted as an announcer on the Cordeirópolis public address system as Bellinaso Neto – a stage name he changed to Léo Batista when he was hired by Rádio Globo and moved to Rio de Janeiro.
Léo Batista's interview is the seventh in the 2023 season of Depoimentos Cariocas, an initiative created in May 2021 by the General Archive of the City of Rio de Janeiro to record memories and reflections about the city. There are 27 testimonies available on Institution's YouTube, with characters from different areas, such as Ruy Castro, Marieta Severo, Hildegard Angel, Nei Lopes, José Carlos Araújo, Zezé Motta, among many others.
