The 2015 Suncoast Silver Circle Honorees were inducted at an afternoon reception and luncheon on Sunday, April 26, 2015 at the Westin Beach Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale.
Mark A. Baker – WPBT
Mark Baker was hired in 1979 by WPBT Channel 2 in Miami as a studio cameraman for the production of two landmark programs on public television: ¿Que Pasa, USA?, television’s first bilingual sitcom, and Nightly Business Report, America’s first business news program. Since then, Mark has written, produced and directed numerous cultural, historical, arts and science programs for PBS including New Florida, The Flying Days of Riddle Field, Anatomy of a Hurricane, Miami: Reflections on the River, The Story of Florida’s State Parks and Wild Florida to name a few. Mark’s programs have earned many awards of distinction for WPBT.
Teri Forbush – WPBF
Teri Forbush was hired at WPBF in 1988 as a Director. With the exception of 6 years when she was a full-time producer, she continued to direct live newscasts at WPBF since signing on January 1, 1989. Currently, she is responsible for producing commercial and sales presentations, as well as editing these projects on Avid.
Emilio Marrero – Baptist Health South Florida
Emilio Marrero did internships at WTVJ and WCIX in 1987. In 1988, he was hired by WSCV. Emilio is currently the Director of News Services for Baptist Health South Florida. He is responsible for providing strategic direction and oversight for all content production, including digital, video, social media and healthcare blogs. Prior to 2014, a year which saw him launch Marrero Media Consulting, he was the news director for Univision WLTV-23 in Miami. He also served as the regional news director for Univision’s Southeast region, overseeing news operations in Atlanta and Raleigh. Emilio’s career at Univision spanned 23 years, joining them as an assignment editor and later holding positions as managing editor and assistant news director. He has won three Suncoast Regional Emmy® awards and is a six-time Emmy® nominee.
Jackie Nespral – WTVJ
Jackie Nespral is an Emmy® Award-winning journalist who started her career in 1986 on the S.I.N. Network which is now Univision. She became the first Hispanic ever to anchor a network news program when she taped for the NBC’s Weekend Today show in 1992. She currently anchors “NBC6 News” at 5pm, 6pm and 11pm. She has extensive experience covering stories such as Elian Gonzalez, the peace accords in El Salvador, the Papal visit to Cuba, presidential debates, hurricanes and the World Series and NBA championships among others. Her work has been recognized with four Emmy® awards, an Easter Seal award, an honorable mention from the American Women in Radio and Television to name a few.
César Ricardo Núñez – City of Miami / CRNFILMS
César Núñez is Video Producer for the City of Miami Special Events Parks and Recreation and Executive Director/Producer for CRNFILMS Multimedia Productions. He is also Founder and President of FILM MIAMI FEST and WIDESCREENFEST, both of which are international festivals based in Miami. César has received 5 Emmy® Awards, and 14 nominations. He began his broadcasting career in 1987 as a freelancer and then as a playback operator and editor for Colony and Dynamic Cablevision respectively. In 1993, he worked for Univision Channel 23 as a photojournalist and editor. In 1996, he moved to WCIX Channel 6, which is now WFOR/CBS4 and WBFS/TV33. He is the winner of numerous awards for excellence in broadcast journalism, producing and news integrity.
Francisco “Cisco” Suarez – UNIVISION
Cisco was fourteen when he arrived in America. His first job in television was at WPTV, West Palm Beach, where he was hired at the age of 17. Through his dedication and hard work, he was promoted to a director. In 1979. he took a job at WTVJ in Miami as director of the 11PM News. In 1984, he began working at the S.I.N. Network as an Executive Producer, then on to Telemundo in 1987. Today, Cisco is Senior Vice President Special Events for the Univision Network. He is an award winning producer/director of some of the most important live events for Hispanics, including the annual Latin GRAMMY® Awards, Premio Lo Nuestro Latin music awards and Premios Juventud youth awards, in addition to special productions such as the 2015 search for the ultimate Latino boyband, “La Banda”.
