For City Island resident Roberto Soto, there was never a question about what he wanted to pursue in his life — and he didn’t wait to start chasing it.
Soto, whose mother was a teacher and father was an architect and lawyer, was born in Cuba before the family relocated to the United States when he was only in grammar school. From there, they rebuilt their lives in Florida, where Soto grew up.
“[Fidel] Castro was the impetus for us leaving Cuba, leaving all our worldly belongings behind – our house, our money, all that stuff – and we got to the United States penniless and started all over again,” Soto told the Bronx Times.
From that point on, he found his passion on and behind the screen, beginning with the story of the famous 1950s sitcom, “I Love Lucy,” a show that depicted a Cuban American man married with a happy family in the States inspired Soto.
“When I saw that program, I looked at my mom and I said, ‘Ma, I want to get into television,’” said Soto. “This is the American Dream.”
Then 11-year-old Soto honed in on his life’s work when he stumbled upon Walter Cronkite on CBS. He knew, even from that young age, that he wanted to work in news and communication.
Soto earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in speech communication at Florida International University and later went on to earn his master’s degree in communication arts at William Paterson University.
But Soto didn’t wait until after college to get time in the newsroom. He worked at the Washington Post as an intern for three months before being offered the opportunity to anchor the Spanish language news and public affairs show of the Post’s Miami-based Channel 10.
After his time with the Post, Soto went on to join AFTRA before moving from Miami to New York, where he joined NABET and began working with NBC, where he stayed for almost 10 years.
Following his time with NBC, he had a successful career at Telemundo, which was interrupted by a recruitment from the president at the time, George H.W. Bush. He went on to work for Voices of America, where he stayed for the duration of Bush’s term.
“When you get recruited by the president, you go,” said Soto.
In the late 1990s, shortly after his time ended with VOA and he went back to work with Telemundo again, Soto decided to take an ambitious chance and move across the country once more to New York City. There, he would live in the Bronx and launch News 12 The Bronx.
“When I started News 12, the building where I was working was full of cobwebs, spiderwebs, rats — it was an abandoned bowling alley and roller rink,” said Soto. “We had to actually build the thing.”
Soto said that in order to build a genuine identity of News 12 The Bronx, he set out to expose himself and his reporters to all of the different facets of the borough, including “the good, the bad, and the ugly,” as he put it.
“Every place has good neighborhoods, bad neighborhoods and great neighborhoods,” said Soto. “The Bronx is really vibrant and it’s moved up and it’s the hidden gem of New York City.”
His love for the Bronx has shaped how he decided to go about his career in highly influential ways, said Soto.
“Diversity is very important in the Bronx and it’s very important in my life,” said Soto. “Every place that I’ve been at, it’s always been the focus of my existence. Diversity makes everything better. Everywhere I’ve been where I’ve had a say, I like to mix it up. I look for people who speak multiple languages, people who are smart and can think on their feet, and who embrace a culture of diversity”, said Soto.
“It’s a pleasure to rely on diversity,” he added. “I think that’s always been the key to success: to respect other cultures and embrace other cultures. I love the Bronx. The Bronx is so cool. The Bronx has it all.”
Despite his numerous accolades and accomplishments, Soto still makes ample time for his Bronx community. Soto volunteered to teach Spanish classes, prepare coursework and council students at the New York Public Library, in addition to being a member of the Friends of Pelham Park.
“My strongest love affair with a non-media entity would have to be the library,” said Soto.
When asked what accomplishment he was most proud of, Soto was quick to respond.
“My kids and my grandkids”, said Soto. “Without a doubt.”
Now, Soto resides in City Island is an adjunct professor at Mercy Univerity’s Bronx campus, where he teaches journalism and communication. He is also a senior executive at Imaginus Media.
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