Won Emmy awards: Details of TV executive boss killed in Samburu crash
This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.
- Jose Alberto Suarez, a former Telemundo general manager, was among seven people killed in Kenya
- The tourist helicopter came down near Lolokwe Mountain in Samburu county, with five of the seven victims confirmed as American nationals
- Suárez's colleagues remembered him as a visionary mentor who spent over two decades championing Spanish-language journalism across the US
The Latino media community in Northern California is mourning the loss of Jose Alberto Suarez, a veteran broadcast executive who dedicated more than 25 years to Spanish-language television in the United States.
Suarez died on Wednesday, August 19, when a tourist helicopter crashed in Samburu county, Kenya, killing all seven people on board.
Suarez served as president and general manager of Telemundo 33 Sacramento and Telemundo 51 Fresno from April 2019 to February 2024.
Which awards did Jose Alberto Suarez win?
After his time in Northern California, he relocated to his home state of Florida, where he took charge of Telemundo's Orlando, Tampa, and Fort Myers stations.
NBC reports that before arriving in California, Suarez held senior leadership positions at Telemundo stations in Las Vegas, Utah, and San Antonio.
Over the course of his career, he earned a Lone Star Emmy, a Suncoast Emmy, three Best Daily Newscast Emmys, and multiple Associated Press honours, reflecting the consistent editorial standards he brought to every newsroom he led.
In a joint statement, staff at the Sacramento and Fresno Telemundo stations described him as "a visionary, someone who united people, a mentor and a tireless advocate for our Latino community," adding that he had a rare gift for rallying people around a shared belief that collective effort makes families and neighbourhoods stronger.
The Eurocopter EC130 B4 went down near Lolokwe Mountain.
The aircraft had departed from Loisaba and was heading to Ewaso Nyiro when it crashed.
Kenyan authorities identified the seven victims as Americans Roger Edward Duarte, Adam Martin Hlavaty, Henry Parra, and José Alberto Suarez; Ecuadorian-American Stephany Maria Hollihan Vasconez; Ecuadorian Michele Sensi-Contugi, a former national intelligence chief; and Kenyan pilot Josh Outram.
The US State Department confirmed that five Americans lost their lives in the crash and said the embassy is actively supporting the affected families while extending its deepest condolences.
Telemundo announced it would release details in the coming days on how it plans to honour Suurez's life and the mark he left on the network.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.