The death of TV presenter and businessman Senor Abravanel, better known as Silvio Santos, shook Brazil on August 17, 2024. Having been away from TV for years – which made him an icon of the country’s popular culture – due to health problems, Silvio was 93 years old and had been hospitalized at the Albert Einstein Hospital since the beginning of August.

The street vendor, the son of immigrants who was born in the suburbs of Rio and built a communications empire, was as controversial as he was beloved aleftt a void in the changing industry. For more than 60 years, Sundays were “his”, with a talk show where he made history. He was the owner of a conglomerate that includes a network of television stations, a capitalization company, a hotel chain, and, a cosmetics brand.

“Selling” has always been his forte. They say that even as a child he knew how to negotiate sweets to buy more, and his “career” as a street vendor began when he was only 14 years old. The streets of downtown Rio were his first stage: he stood out for turning his activity into a show. His charisma was undeniable, which is why radio – the largest means of communication at the time – was the first step in a legendary career. He took a test and passed, but preferred to go back to being a street vendor, where he earned more. It was only when he completed his mandatory military service that he began to consider a career in communications again because on his Sundays off he worked at a radio station and reconsidered his future.

When he was released, Silvio joined the largest station at the time, Tupi, but he didn’t stay long. An entrepreneur who was so skilled as a communicator, he realized that there would be better opportunities if he had his own loudspeaker equipment on the ferry between Rio and Niterói, where he began to present himself as an advertising broker. He became rich, implementing other services and opportunities. And all this at just 24 years old.

Having passed a test at Rádio Nacional, Senor (who had not yet adopted his stage name) moved to São Paulo, where he would stay until the end of his life and forever connected to the city. Now known as Silvio Santos, he grew as a broadcaster, also appearing in circuses and other shows. As a founding partner of “Baú da Felicidade”, he quickly gained national popularity.

Always alert, before it became a “fad”, he realized that he should be on TV and used his earnings to buy air time, thus becoming one of the pioneers of the medium in Brazil. The programs Silvio presented were broadcast by TV Paulista, which ended up being bought by Organizações Globo (today, Grupo Globo) in 1966. It was there that the “Programa Silvio Santos” was born, which aired on Sundays and took up no less than six hours of the programming schedule. It soon became one of the most watched and loved programs in the country.

Still,, in the 1960s, Globo began to consider eliminating auditorium programs, which would directly affect Silvio and he did not talk: he launched his own channel. Years after he had already invested in other channels, Silvio managed to obtain the concession for four channels in more than one state (Rio, São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, and Pará), creating the SBT network. Its debut was on August 19, 1981, as the official home of the “Programa Silvio Santos”.

For more than 40 years, SBT had its ups and downs, but it threatened TV Globo’s audience leadership on more than one occasion. He did not measure investments, but was quick to discard what he saw was not working. He became famous for “taking inspiration” from other formats and not paying for licensing, but I ran into him in international markets: what went on air was personally chosen by him.

What made Silvio a popular hero was always focusing on the working class, without ever trying to please the elite. He spoke simply, did not show off luxuries, and was always ahead of prizes or competitions that the poorest class could participate in and win.

Idolized as a rebel and original, Silvio was also the protagonist of traumatic moments for Brazil when his daughter was kidnapped and only released after a million-dollar ransom was paid. And the presenter himself was taken hostage. In 1988, he even tried to pursue a political career by running for president but was blocked by the Superior Electoral Court. Yes, he would have been a Donald Trump 40 years before him.

Without the slightest problem with nepotism, he put his daughters on the air and in charge of his business, gradually stepping back when his health began to fail. He died as a result of bronchopneumonia after a bout of the flu caused by the H1N1 virus. Today is the day to talk about the longing for his good initiatives and forget his misogynistic or conservative mistakes. A day of mourning for those who work in communications in Brazil.

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