The journalist, screenwriter, and researcher Víctor Francisco Pérez-Galdós Ortiz passed away this Friday morning at the age of 81, as reported by several Cuban media outlets, including Radio Progreso and the Cuban News Agency. With his passing, Cuba loses one of the most prolific figures in radio journalism and historical research in recent decades.
Born in Cienfuegos in 1945, Pérez-Galdós Ortiz arrived in Havana to work as a motor winding electrician before making the turn that would define his life: in 1968, he enrolled in the Journalism School at the University of Havana, where he also began his collaboration with Radio Progreso, a connection that, according to the station itself, remained unbroken until his final days.
His career spanned more than five decades and multiple fronts. He was the founder and deputy director of the then National Information Agency —now Cuban News Agency— from 1974 to 1987, news director at Radio Progreso, and a scriptwriter, reporter, and producer of series and special programs at Radio Habana Cuba and Radio Taíno.
The focus of his research work was the figure of José Martí and that of Ernesto (Che) Guevara. The Portal of Cuban Radio attributes to him the authorship of 15 books, among which stand out A man who acts as he thinks (1987), Joseíto Fernández and his Guajira Guantanamera (1999) and One Hundred Moments in the Life of Camilo Cienfuegos (1999), titles that earned him recognition among readers and colleagues, the sources indicate.
His professional legacy is underscored by significant awards such as the José Martí National Journalism Award —recognition from the Cuban Union of Journalists for a lifetime of work—; the Historical Journalism Award 2023, granted for over fifty years of disseminating history through scripts, interviews, and reports; the Juan Gualberto Gómez National Journalism Award (1998), and the National Award at the Radio Festival (1988).
The news moved colleagues and acquaintances, who responded on social media with words of affection and recognition. "I had the privilege of knowing him, a professional with enviable capabilities, very dedicated," wrote a user on the Radio Progreso Facebook post. Another, who worked with him at the former National Information Agency, recalled: "He provided me with great learning experiences at the AIN, for which I will always be grateful."
A colleague from the station described him as "a special human being [...] an exceptional professional, as well as the great person who was by our side until his last days," and extended condolences to his son and family. Someone who knew him since university remembered him as "an excellent person, warm, attentive, and very decent."
The departure of Pérez-Galdós Ortiz comes at a time of deep crisis for Cuba, where economic deterioration and prolonged blackouts have also hit the media sector, already quite discredited among Cubans for prioritizing official party propaganda and spokesperson duties at the expense of genuine journalistic function.
The passing of Pérez Galdós adds to other significant recent losses in the radio and journalism sector, such as the broadcaster Guillermo Rivero de la Rosa, the National Radio Award winner René González Dussac, and the journalist María Salomé Campanioni, who was awarded the Microphone of Cuban Radio.
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