Gerson Borrero

{{short description|Puerto Rican journalist, radio host, and TV political commentator}} {{Infobox writer  | name = Gerson Borrero | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | pseudonym = | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = Ponce, Puerto Rico | death_date =  | death_place = | resting_place = | occupation = Journalist, TV Personality, Radio Host | language = English, Spanish | nationality = | citizenship = U.S. | education = | alma_mater = | period = | genre = | subject = | movement = | notableworks = | spouse = Ruth Noemí Colón | partner = | children = | relatives = | awards = National Hispanic Media Coalition "Excellence in Broadcast Journalism" Award (2017)

Heavy 100 list of "Most Important Radio Hosts" (2002)

Hispanic Media Award Achievement in Radio (2001)

Best Hispanic on Air Personality (2000)

Best Talk Radio Program GLOBO Award (1999)

| signature = | signature_alt = | module = | website = }} '''Gerson Borrero''' is an American journalist, radio host, and TV political commentator. Among other posts, he has been editor-at-large of City & State NY<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/opinion/podcast-gerson-borrero-reveals-cuomos-new-secretary-of-state.html |title=''City & State''; Feb. 3, 2016; 'Gerson Borrero reveals Cuomo's new Secretary of State' |access-date=2018-03-06 |archive-date=2018-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216210119/https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/opinion/podcast-gerson-borrero-reveals-cuomos-new-secretary-of-state.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> and editor-in-chief of El Diario/La Prensa, the largest Spanish-language newspaper in New York City.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/30/nyregion/nyc-words-served-hot-not-minced.html Clyde Haberman, ''New York Times''; June 30, 2001; “NYC; Words, Served Hot, Not Minced”]</ref>

In addition to his print reporting, Borrero has been a New York City radio host for over two decades.<ref>[https://www.luisnetwork.com/guest/gerson-borrero/ Luis Network, ''Gerson Borrero'']</ref> He currently appears on the popular TV news show ''Political Rundown'' on New York 1, with Errol Louis and WABC Radio's Curtis Sliwa.

==Early years== thumb|left|270px|Ponce, Puerto Rico, with the Caribbean Sea in the background Borrero was born in 1950 in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and came to New York City at age 4.<ref>[http://www.puertorico-herald.org/issues/vol4n13/RadioHost-en.html Elizabeth Llorente; ''Puerto Rico Herald;'' March 19, 2000; "The Radio Host Hispanics Love -- and Love to Hate"]</ref>

He and his brother were raised by their single mother, Noelia Maldonado, who worked at a jewelry factory and sold Avon and home cleaning products.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2001/07/09/in-nyc-mano-a-mano-radio/a4d71c3a-2adc-4d8b-82c4-dbd44141f5b1/ ''Washington Post;'' July 9, 2001; "In NYC Mano-a-Mano"]</ref>

Growing up in the Bronx, Borrero was argumentative in school. He disagreed with his teachers frequently and vehemently. To this day, Borrero "wonders how he managed to get good grades."<ref>[http://www.puertorico-herald.org/issues/vol4n13/RadioHost-en.html Elizabeth Llorente; ''Puerto Rico Herald;'' March 19, 2000; "The Radio Host Hispanics Love -- and Love to Hate"]</ref>

Borrero's "notorious candor" got him in trouble with an elementary schoolteacher. The teacher pulled his ears and dug her nails into them, which prompted Borrero to throw a milk tray at her. At this point, Borrero's mother sent him back to Puerto Rico for a few years.<ref>[http://www.puertorico-herald.org/issues/vol4n13/RadioHost-en.html Elizabeth Llorente; ''Puerto Rico Herald;'' March 19, 2000; "The Radio Host Hispanics Love -- and Love to Hate"]</ref>

In 1980, Borrero was a co-founder of the "Committee Against Fort Apache," which protested against the negative imagery and racial stereotyping of the movie ''Fort Apache, the Bronx.''<ref>[http://www.wbur.org/npr/139916927/on-location-fort-apache-a-war-zone-in-the-bronx WBUR News; August 24, 2011; "On Location: Fort Apache, a War Zone in the Bronx"]</ref>

On another occasion, Borrero led a protest when Madonna rubbed a Puerto Rican flag between her legs.<ref>[https://www.salon.com/2001/10/31/borrero/ Rachel Scheir; ''Slate;'' October 31, 2001; "Gerson Borrero, Freestyle Ranter"]</ref>

Borrero helped found the Institute for Puerto Rican Policy. He later opened a public relations firm, and helped Rep. Nydia Velazquez in her initial, and successful, run for US Congress.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2001/07/09/in-nyc-mano-a-mano-radio/a4d71c3a-2adc-4d8b-82c4-dbd44141f5b1/ ''Washington Post;'' July 9, 2001; "In NYC Mano-a-Mano"]</ref>

His journalism career started when a friend asked him to deliver occasional commentaries for a local Spanish-language TV station, and he discovered that "there was a market for his belligerence." In 1995, Borrero began writing full-time for El Diario/La Prensa, the largest Spanish-language newspaper in New York City.<ref>[https://www.salon.com/2001/10/31/borrero/ Rachel Scheir; ''Slate;'' October 31, 2001; "Gerson Borrero, Freestyle Ranter"]</ref>

==Journalism== Borrero's journalism has covered a broad spectrum of New York City life: particularly in the areas of government and politics.<ref>[https://muckrack.com/gerson-borrero/articles ''City & State NY:'' Gerson Borrero articles]</ref>

{{ external media | video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49TkoaJp2gc Borrero receives the 2017 "Excellence in Broadcast Journalism" Award from the National Hispanic Media Coalition]}}

In 1996 he landed a column called ''Bajo Fuego'' ("Under Fire") in ''El Diario/La Prensa.'' In announcing this new column, ''El Diario'' publisher Rossana Rosado declared that Borrero understood the city in a way that the paper's Latin America-trained reporters did not.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2001/07/09/in-nyc-mano-a-mano-radio/a4d71c3a-2adc-4d8b-82c4-dbd44141f5b1/ ''Washington Post;'' July 9, 2001; "In NYC Mano-a-Mano"]</ref>

For nineteen years, from 1995 through 2014, ''Bajo Fuego'' was published thrice weekly in ''El Diario/La Prensa''. The column won several awards for its in-depth research, and its unique perspective on Latino life in New York.<ref>[https://www.luisnetwork.com/guest/gerson-borrero/ Luis Network, ''Gerson Borrero'']</ref>

For three years, from 2000 through 2003, Borrero also served as editor-in-chief of ''El Diario.''<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/30/nyregion/nyc-words-served-hot-not-minced.html Clyde Haberman, ''New York Times''; June 30, 2001; “NYC; Words, Served Hot, Not Minced”]</ref><ref>[https://www.salon.com/2001/10/31/borrero/ ''Slate;'' October 31, 2001; "Gerson Borrero, freestyle ranter"]</ref><ref>[https://www.luisnetwork.com/guest/gerson-borrero/ Luis Network, ''Gerson Borrero'']</ref>

==Radio==

{{ external media | audio1 = [https://www.wnyc.org/story/power-100 Gerson Borrero on WNYC Radio, discussing ''How the Power 100 Affect You'']}}

Borrero's ''Bajo Fuego'' column caught the attention of Radio WADO's management in New York City. They gave Borrero a sprawling three hours-per day, five days per week, talk show. New Yorkers enjoyed his brash, dramatic style of reporting and interviewing - and according to Arbitron ratings, the show's audience grew to 165,000 a week.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2001/07/09/in-nyc-mano-a-mano-radio/a4d71c3a-2adc-4d8b-82c4-dbd44141f5b1/ ''Washington Post;'' July 9, 2001; "In NYC Mano-a-Mano"]</ref> "He's a very popular guy. He could make you, and he could break you," said New York State Senator Rubén Díaz Sr., who is also the father of Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2001/07/09/in-nyc-mano-a-mano-radio/a4d71c3a-2adc-4d8b-82c4-dbd44141f5b1/ ''Washington Post;'' July 9, 2001; "In NYC Mano-a-Mano"]</ref>

The show ran until 2001, and Borrero continued as a radio broadcaster for over twenty years.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2001/07/09/in-nyc-mano-a-mano-radio/a4d71c3a-2adc-4d8b-82c4-dbd44141f5b1/ ''Washington Post;'' July 9, 2001; "In NYC Mano-a-Mano"]</ref><ref>[https://www.luisnetwork.com/guest/gerson-borrero/ Luis Network, ''Gerson Borrero'']</ref>

He is also a frequent guest on the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC.<ref>[https://www.wnyc.org/people/gerson-borrero/ WNYC People: Gerson Borrero]</ref>

==Television== {{ external media | video1 = [http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/politics/2018/01/04/curtis-sliwa-gerson-borrero-opinions-cuomo-state-of-the-state-address-bill-de-blasio Gerson Borrero and Curtis Sliwa kick off the first ''Political Rundown'' of 2018, with Errol Louis moderating] | video2 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yste0hVpXo4 ''Political Rundown''] on New York 1, with Gerson Borrero, Curtis Sliwa and Errol Louis }}

Borrero is a political commentator for New York 1.

For over a decade he has appeared with WABC Radio's Curtis Sliwa on a weekly show, as part of the Time Warner Cable News program, ''Inside City Hall''.<ref>[https://www.mediaite.com/print/meet-the-prensa-gerson-borrero-on-univision-telemundo-and-the-drive-by-racists-of-fox-news/ Jose Simian; ''Media Ite;'' August 11, 2009; "Meet the Prensa: Gerson Borrero"]</ref>

This show, ''Political Rundown'', features Borrero and Sliwa squaring off over the week's top local, state and national news stories.<ref>[https://www.mediaite.com/print/meet-the-prensa-gerson-borrero-on-univision-telemundo-and-the-drive-by-racists-of-fox-news/ Jose Simian; ''Media Ite;'' August 11, 2009; "Meet the Prensa: Gerson Borrero"]</ref><ref>[http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/radioland-rumble-curtis-sliwa-gerson-borrero-blog-entry-1.1682913 ''New York Daily News''; January 31, 2011; Celeste Katz; "Radioland Rumble: Curtis Sliwa Vs. Gerson Borrero"]</ref>

The segment, which airs each Wednesday and is moderated by political anchor Errol Louis, has been reported as a “must see” in New York political circles.<ref>[http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/politics/2018/01/04/curtis-sliwa-gerson-borrero-opinions-cuomo-state-of-the-state-address-bill-de-blasio ''Political Rundown;'' January 3, 2018; Inside City Hall; Time Warner Cable TV]</ref><ref>[https://www.luisnetwork.com/guest/gerson-borrero/ Luis Network, ''Gerson Borrero'']</ref>

Borrero also appears as a cultural and political commentator on the Spanish-language channel of Time Warner/Spectrum. The program is called ''Para Que Lo Sepas,'' and the TV channel is NY1 Noticias, a division of the Time Warner NY1 channel.<ref>[https://www.luisnetwork.com/guest/gerson-borrero/ Luis Network, ''Gerson Borrero'']</ref><ref>[http://www.ny1noticias.com/nyc/noticias/noticias/2016/12/16/para-que-lo-sepas-12-16-16 ''NY1 Noticias'', 12/16/2016, "Para Que Lo Sepas" by Gerson Borrero]</ref>

==HITN==

HITN (Hispanic International Television Network) is the largest Latino public broadcaster in the United States.<ref>[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/re-affirming-the-american-dreamwith-a-great-movie_us_5a087ea4e4b0cc46c52e6b6f Julio Pabon, ''Huffington Post;'' November 12, 2017; "Re-affirming the American dream: with a great movie"]</ref><ref>[https://hitn.tv/ HITN TV]</ref>

In 2016, Borrero hosted a twelve-part educational TV series for HITN called ''Tu Momento 21016.''<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.tumomento2016.org/ |title=HITN, ''Tu Momento 2016'' |access-date=2018-03-06 |archive-date=2018-03-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320113330/https://www.tumomento2016.org/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The twelve informational videos, all hosted by Borrero, provided a detailed yet easy-to-understand overview of the entire U.S. presidential electoral process - from candidacy to inauguration day. In this manner, from April through Election Day 2016, Borrero and HITN encouraged U.S. voter participation by educating the Spanish-speaking community, nationwide, about the complex U.S. electoral system.<ref>[http://myemail.constantcontact.com/NiLP-Guest-Commentary--HITN-s-Tu-Momento-2016-Presidential-Election-Program-.html?soid=1101040629095&aid=_LG9dmZtBsg NiLP; written by Mike Nieves; "HITN's Tu Momento 2016 Presidential Election Program"]</ref>

Currently, Borrero conducts a weekly interview series for HITN called ''Estudio DC con Gerson Borrero.'' It focuses on national political figures and Latino cultural leaders.<ref>[https://hitn.tv/actualidad/estudio-dc/ HITN, ''Estudio DC con Gerson Borrero'']</ref>

==Honors and awards== *Best Talk Radio Program GLOBO Award (1999) *Best Hispanic on Air Personality (2000) *Hispanic Media Award Achievement in Radio (2001) *Heavy 100 list of "Most Important Radio Hosts" (2002) *National Hispanic Media Coalition "Excellence in Broadcast Journalism" Award (2017) <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://hispanicbusinesstv.com/2017-nhmc-ny-impactawards-reception-gerson-borrero/ |title=National Hispanic Media Council, Awards Ceremony, 2017 |access-date=2018-03-06 |archive-date=2018-10-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012054110/https://hispanicbusinesstv.com/2017-nhmc-ny-impactawards-reception-gerson-borrero/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49TkoaJp2gc NHMC 2017, Borrero acceptance speech]</ref><ref>[http://www.nhmc.org/advisory-thurs-nov-9-nyc-local-latino-impact-awards-media-honor-veteran-ny-journalist-local-network-president-mitu-online-storyteller-brooklyns-oldest-latino-community-group/ Press Advisory: NHMC Journalism Award, for veteran journalist Gerson Borrero]</ref><ref>[https://www.luisnetwork.com/guest/gerson-borrero/ Luis Network, ''Gerson Borrero'']</ref>

==Family life== Borrero is married to Ruth Noemí Colón, an attorney who was the 66th Secretary of State of New York.

Borrero has two adult children - Taína, 38, and Gerson Felipe, 24.

==See also==

{{Portal|New York City|Biography|Government|Politics|Journalism}} : *Puerto Rican literature *List of Puerto Rican writers *New York City Council *New York State Legislature *Puerto Rican Day Parade *El Diario/La Prensa *Inside City Hall

==External links== *[https://twitter.com/GersonBorrero?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Gerson Borrero Twitter feed] *[https://www.gersonborrero.com/ Gerson Borrero blog]

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borrero, Gerson}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:American broadcast news analysts Category:American investigative journalists Category:American radio journalists Category:American journalists of Puerto Rican descent Category:American columnists Category:American political writers Category:Journalists from Ponce, Puerto Rico Category:Journalists from New York City Category:20th-century American non-fiction writers Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers Category:20th-century American journalists Category:20th-century American male journalists Category:21st-century American journalists Category:20th-century American male writers Category:American male non-fiction writers Category:21st-century American male writers Category:21st-century American male journalists