Rafael Pineda, who served as a news anchor for Univision in the New York City area for over 40 years, has died. He was 88.
He was pronounced dead at his residence in Florida on Jan. 25, Univision Nueva York confirmed in a Monday newscast. No cause of death has been released.
“Univision 41 today announced with deep sadness the passing of Rafael Pineda, a longtime colleague, respected journalist and pioneering voice in Hispanic media whose legacy helped shape Spanish-language journalism in the United States,” the station said in a statement.
“Throughout his distinguished career, he was recognized for his integrity, professionalism and unwavering commitment to the communities he served. He was among the first Hispanic television anchors to interview a sitting U.S. president, and his contributions to journalism earned him numerous honors.”
Pineda helmed the news desk at the station from 1972 until his retirement in 2013. At the time of his departure, he was the longest-serving news anchor in New York television history — he was later surpassed by WNBC’s Chuck Scarborough.
Born in December 1937 in the Cuban city of Pinar del Río, Pineda embarked for the U.S. as a teenager and proceeded to launch a four-decade reporting career beginning in 1968. He eventually landed a position with Univision four years after launching into journalism and never left.
“His death leaves a deep emptiness in the N+ Univisión Nueva York family and with generations of viewers who he accompanied for decades,” the Univision affiliate reporters said Monday.
In 2000, Pineda became the first Latino inducted into the prestigious Silver Circleof the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which honors “those who have made significant and impactful contributions to the industry.”
New York State Senator Jessica Ramos honored Pineda in an X statement Monday.
“Today we lost Rafael Pineda, a voice that felt like family for many,” she wrote in Spanish. “I grew up watching his report, and in my house, his voice was always present. He accompanied us in hard moments, and in those of hope.”
Reflecting on his time at the Univision affiliate, Pineda said that he wouldn’t change a thing about his career.
“If I had a chance to do it all over again, I’d do it the exact same way,” Pineda said in a 2013 interview following his last broadcast. “This [station] was my family.”
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