His memory was no longer so reliable and his health had deteriorated, but Julio E. Sánchez Vanegas remained the imposing man who presented the television that arrived in Colombia on June 13, 1954. as master of ceremonies for General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, the country's then president.
His name remains one of the hallmarks of Colombian television and his death, which occurred yesterday, leads us not only to make him part of the memory, but also to him for his love for audiovisual media, for his entertaining programs and for I want to put Colombia in the spotlight. Calendar of companies that broadcast major shows such as the Oscars and Miss Universe, of which it was a pioneer in broadcasting in our country.
Related topics
(Read also: This is how they say goodbye to Julio Sánchez Vanegas, a television pioneer who died this Friday)
“My hero is gone. I owe him everything and more … Already from heaven, tomorrow from anywhere in the world … Goodbye, beloved father,” wrote his son Julio Sánchez Cristo on the X network (formerly Twitter).in reference to the phrase that made his television programmer and producer's international broadcasts famous.
For the media analyst and television columnist of this newspaper, Ómar Rincón, Sánchez Vanegas leaves a deep mark on the way programs were made on television, through the programmer he created.
“Don Julio E. Sánchez Vanegas is like an institution. It marks a way in Colombian television to create a style: to present competitions, with “Concentrese”; Animation of music programs. She became a programmer dedicated to the show. This is the “show” of Colombian television, but also because it created a family whose great heir is “Julito”. I think he definitely shaped his destiny with the kind of television he made. It’s not a soap opera, it’s not a news program, it’s the show as the main axis,” explains Rincón.
Reactions
Personalities from politics, journalism and television reacted this Friday evening when the news of his death became known.
“I met Don Julio Sánchez Vanegas, we always had a good conversation. I appreciated it. “I regret his departure and express our condolences to Julio Sánchez Cristo and the entire family.” Former President Álvaro Uribe wrote in X.
Former minister and journalist Alberto Casas For EL TIEMPO he recalled: “Julio Sánchez Vanegas was everything on Colombian radio and television. He was a great woman, his family is a role model. He was the first Colombian to appear on television and was always innovative as an actor and radio presenter. The Miss Universe broadcasts and its competition program Concéntrese were a novelty; I particularly had the privilege of working with him at Panorama and I have always enjoyed his talent.”
“Julio Sánchez Vanegas, pioneer of Colombian television, left us today (yesterday). I will always remember his creative abilities, his sense of humor and his kindness. A hug to Julio, Jaime, Gerardo and his lovely family,” wrote journalist Daniel Coronell on X.
The businessman Mario Hernández He also regretted his departure: “My great friend and brother Julio Sánchez Vanegas, a man who left his mark on Colombian radio and television, has left this earth. We were very close and shared very special moments, thanks to which he left me some unforgettable lessons. Rest in peace”.
Gustavo Gómez, director of 6 am Hoy Por Hoy, on Caracol Radio, He remembered it with great nostalgia for this newspaper: “My sadness today is huge, from the bottom of my heart.” Tomorrow from anywhere in the world. Julio E., I don't need “focus” to confirm how much happiness and joy you have given my generation with your programs. Your warmth cannot be extinguished by anyone. Goodbye, beloved “Cacharilas”. “See you on the other side of the screen and of life.”
Nubia Gamboa, a journalist who was press manager for his programming company, says that she worked alongside him when Producciones JES started to get big and win more places in the tenders (a type of programming before private television), and I have always see him working.
“He was the owner and could afford certain luxuries and licenses, but no, he came and kept to his schedule, in fact he was the first to arrive,” he says.
“I always admired his persistence because he did it by hand and was very articulate with his children,” he continues.
Television pioneer
So she did her programming work by hand after spending some time on the radio. Producciones JES was born in 1964 and went off the air at the end of the 90s, just as commercial television was arriving in the country.
Born on July 19, 1930 in Guaduas, Cundinamarca, he was the creator of programs such as Concéntrese, a puzzle competition that began with a huge board and 30 squares and in its early days They moved manually and as Sánchez Vanegas said in an interview with Los informantes: “They had three faces: that of the number, that of one of the sponsors of the program and that of the hieroglyphic symbol”, which was the highlight of Concéntrese and gave to the one who did it had guessed, a special price.
(You may be interested in: Profile of Hilda Strauss, the woman who left her mark on radio with her voice)
Likewise, he created and presented Espectaculares JES, a program to promote Colombian and foreign musicians. From Julio Iglesias, a great friend of Sánchez Vanegas, to Celia Cruz and Héctor Lavoe and many others who passed through there.
At that time (decades from the 70s to the 90s) the competition was the show of the stars of Jorge Barón, but in the end, on a television with two channels, the viewers won because they could see their artists. Favorites.
Sánchez Vanegas coined several famous phrases from television, including “Concentrate so you don't forget,” which he said at this point, and “Today from (Moscow, Manila, New York or wherever you broadcast) and tomorrow from.” “everywhere in the world”.
With him, Colombia began watching the Academy Awards and also the Miss Universe pageant because he was said to be a great admirer of female beauty.
At the end of the 1990s, the introduction of private television, with strong competition from the channels RCN and Caracol and a severe economic crisis in the country, led to mixed television, as the private company model was called, being anchored in the public spectrum. disappeared and the programmers had to give up their rooms because they had accumulated high debts due to a lack of advertising.
At this time, JES became a producer with a glorious history of great productions, including soap operas like Sangre de Lobos and magazine shows like Panorama, whose hosts included the most beautiful women in the country, including former queens.
He was married to Lili Cristo for more than 60 years and had four children: Julio (director of W Radio Colombia), Jaime, Alberto and Gerardo. He was funny and had a great sense of humor. Gamboa said he was famous for giving his employees nicknames.
“She called me 'Miss Journalist,' she called a man who had an accident and almost died 'Half a Life,' and she called another colleague who was very white 'Pale Face,'” she says.
His grandson Emilio Sánchez Salamanca, son of Jaime, has the unforgettable memory of the holy gatherings on Saturdays with his uncles and cousins at his grandparents' house. “My grandmother, like a good Lebanese woman, made sure everything revolved around food. But they say that when the whole family was at Producciones JES, these meetings became boring because they ended with the board,” he said in conversation with EL TIEMPO.
Sánchez Salamanca refers affectionately to his two grandparents. However, when he thinks about the legacy of Don Julio Enrique, he is filled with nostalgia and a deep sense of pride.
“My grandfather started a family in which there was neither money nor resources. And he left this family a very good name, respected and loved in the media,” he commented.
He describes his personal relationship with his grandfather as “absolute adoration.” I admire him, but what honors me most is that he also admired what I did. He told me several times that he thought I was very serious and prepared. “It was a relationship of mutual admiration.”