Director of Business Relations for Latin America
Mr. Caballero is a broadcast pioneer, with 50 years of experience in Spanish-language radio and television and is generally acknowledged to be the “godfather of Spanish language media” in the USA.
Mr. Caballero is member of both the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame and the American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Fame.
Upon arriving from his native Cuba in 1962, Mr. Caballero began his American broadcasting career in local radio ad sales. He was the first Hispanic to hold the position of GSM at a U.S. radio station. Later, he moved to Spanish-language television as VP, GSM of the network called S.I.N.(which is now Univision).
In 1973, he started Caballero Spanish Media (“CSM”) where he created the first-ever US syndicated Spanish program entitled “Lo Mejor del Cine en Español” (The Best of Spanish Movies) which ran every week, for five consecutive years, in 29 TV Stations (27 of them General Market stations), at a time when only 7 TV stations – in 5 Cities – were carrying Spanish programming.
In 1975, when there were only forty four radio stations doing Spanish programming in the USA, Caballero, and his late wife Raquel, started what became the nation’s first and – eventually – largest Spanish national radio sales rep firm, which he sold, twenty years later, to Interep Radio. At that time, Caballero Spanish Media had grown to represent almost 200 Spanish radio stations (about 70% of the by then existing Spanish stations in the country), covering close to 90% of Hispanic households in the USA.
Prior to selling his radio rep firm, Eduardo formed The Caballero Radio Network, acquired the broadcasting rights from CBS Radio Network, and started syndicating, in Spanish, for the first time in the USA, the Major League Baseball World Series. At the same time, and also for the first time in USA, his Caballero Radio Network, acquired from NBC, the radio rights to Broadcast in Spanish three different Olympic games (from South Korea, Barcelona and Atlanta).
In partnership with MTV, Mr. Caballero’s company produced and syndicated MTV RADIO (in Spanish). Later, together with Turner Broadcasting, created and syndicated CNN RADIO NOTICIAS (CNN Radio News).
In 1998, Mr. Caballero founded and developed a broadcast television network to target young U.S. Hispanics. The result was Caballero Television, the owner and operator of 12 Class A and LPTV stations in California and Texas, and MásMúsica TeVe Network, a Spanish music video and entertainment network, with 41 affiliates within USA. MásMúsica TeVe was a privately Hispanic-owned company and Caballero Television was, then, one of the largest Hispanic-owned TV station groups in the USA. In 2006, Caballero Television sold 10 of its 12 owned-stations and its Network to Viacom, to be part of a new MTV venture, MTV tr3s (today TR3S, Musica y Mas).
In November 2003, the “Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame” inducted Eduardo, again the first Hispanic so honored.
In October 2005, the National Association of Investment Companies presented Caballero with the “Pacesetter Award”. In September 2006, Caballero was also the first Hispanic inducted into the Library of American Broadcasting’s “Giants in Broadcasting”, honoring his visionary work and paving the way for the growth of Hispanic media.
In 2008, Eduardo was selected to be a member of the Board of Directors of the Library of American Broadcasting.
In January 2009, the San Antonio’s Chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA) designated Eduardo as “Godfather of Hispanic Marketing” for his achievements, both in Spanish Television and Spanish Radio, which helped to create thousands of jobs for young Hispanic-Americans in the Marketing, Media and Advertising industries.
In May 2009, Radio INK Magazine awarded Eduardo the “2009 Medallas de Cortez Lifetime Achievement in Hispanic Radio” and dedicated its May’s issue to his accomplishments in the Spanish Radio Industry.
In 2010 Eduardo was elected into the American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Fame, the highest award bestowed within the advertising industry. He is the first Hispanic inductee in the 62 year history of the organization.
Squadron is honored to have Mr. Caballero as its Director of Business Relations for Latin America.