Reporter Geraldo Rivera has never been one to take his stories lightly.
Rivera was discovered while he was working as a lawyer for the New York Puerto Rican activist group the Young Lords and then went on to work for ABC after being spotted by the station's news director. He followed that up by looking inside Al Capone's vault, which led to his own controversial talk show, Geraldo, that had him dodging chairs thrown by skinheads and uncovering Satanists.
His radio show—also called Geraldo, on WABC-AM—is gaining ground across 54 stations, and is distributed by Cumulus Media Networks.
Recently he hosted the 2012 Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Chicago; he discussed his career, immigration and gay rights with Windy City Times.
Windy City Times: Hello, Geraldo. I just watched the Oprah Winfrey Show episode where you and all of the talk-show hosts were onstage at the same time, Sally [Jessy Raphael], Ricki [Lake], Montel [Williams] and Phil [Donahue].
Geraldo Rivera: She was the only one that could have gotten us all together on one stage. My wife said it was the third biggest event in her life after marrying me and having kids. She is a huge Oprah fan.
WCT: You went from being a lawyer to a talk-show host.
Geraldo Rivera: Yes, sir. I still am a lawyer. I try to keep active.
WCT: You fell into the talk show biz, from what I have read.
Geraldo Rivera: I was representing the Young Lords, a Puerto Rican activist group. They were active in the anti-war movement, also. They were the Black Panther equivalent in the Puerto Rican community. They took over a building kind of like the Occupy movement, but back then it was very kinetic. I was the spokesman and lawyer for the group.
Al Primo from ABC had seen me on television and asked if I wanted a job. I had no experience. He said it wasn't necessary and wanted to send me on assignment. It was 50 dollars more than what I was making as a lawyer. I was looking for a career change and accepted the proposal. I went to work for the WABC Eyewitness News. Now I am WABC Radio, it is kind of ironic. I have gone full-circle.
WCT: Do you like a radio show more than television?
Geraldo Rivera: "The older I get the more I have a face for radio," my wife says—little family joke. You don't have to get dressed. I like it. Rivera Live on CNBC had an eight-year run, where I could talk about anything in an unfiltered way. It is a little more difficult at Fox being a war correspondent because it limits your ability to have dialogue over politics. Radio is perfect. It is very intimate, with my own feelings and the audience's feelings. I think it is important. I find it very engaging. Except for the hours I look forward to going to work every day.
WCT: During the storm [Hurricane Sandy], I'm sure it was important there in New York.
Geraldo Rivera: The televisions were out for many people so they used radio and we gave them real updates. Even though it is a national show some stories are trans local. I think everyone here in Chicago was engaged in the hurricane, too.
WCT: Is there anyone you have wanted to interview but haven't?
Geraldo Rivera: There is always someone. In no particular order: Vladimir Putin, Hafez Assad in Syria and Madonna. I may be the only person on the planet that has interviewed all four Beatles and Elvis Presley.
WCT: Madonna doesn't do many interviews because she thinks people know her already.
Geraldo Rivera: I have met her but it was brief. Maybe someone in the royal family would be good, too.
WCT: What advice do you give to reporters?
Geraldo Rivera: It is interesting you ask because yesterday I spoke at a class of young reporters. My advice is to go out there where the news is. You can't wait for the news to come to you; nothing historic happens in the studio, generally speaking. They have to work hard and put themselves in a place where there is opportunity to be noticed in a highly competitive environment. They have to work hard as if it is the most important story even if it is the new panda bear in the park. You can't be discouraged.
WCT: What did you think of the election?
Geraldo Rivera: I endorsed Romney-Ryan. I thought their plan was better for the economy but I voted for Obama-Biden because of Republicans' obnoxious positions on social issues like gay marriage and my personal litmus test, immigration. I was very happy the way the election turned out. Republicans deserved the spanking they got.
WCT: You covered many LGBT topics on your shows in the past. Is there a certain one that you are proud of?
Geraldo Rivera: That's a very big question. Let me just go chronologically. I'm very glad in 1972 on PBS in New York we were the first to talk about VD—not just in heterosexual relations but in an equal way. It is an equal-opportunity affliction. In 1983 on 20/20, we did the first AIDS broadcast nationally when Rock Hudson died.
Over the years I have been very conspicuous of my support of gay organizations and causes. Now I am just delighted. Like I just said, it was one of my personal requirements as to whom I voted for. I feel Republicans are being so self-defeating on their Neanderthal positions on a lot of things.
WCT: Like immigration, [which] you also mentioned.
Geraldo Rivera: Sean Hannity said his thoughts on immigration are "evolving." Yes, they are evolving because you got your ass kicked! I feel like the President's position evolved on gay marriage and about time. Shame on him it took him so long from where he came from. But a lot of that has been credited to politics. That is the only reason I am not real crazy about the President because he's a real politician but the stakes were too high on the alternative.
WCT: You wrote a book covering immigration called HisPanic: Why Americans Fear Hispanics in the U.S.
Geraldo Rivera: I have written seven books; two have been about immigrants from the Hispanic demographic. I said after 2008 there would never be another Republican president unless the party changed its position on immigration as long as Latinos turned out the way they did in 2008. The turnout this time was 25-percent larger than in 2008. The vote was even more dramatically slanted than in 2008 towards Democrats. They got 75 percent of the Latino vote.
WCT: Do you feel like things are changing now?
Geraldo Rivera: Yes, but it took this electoral branching to make this issue effective. Now everybody is saying that they want immigration reform. That includes some form of amnesty and citizenship. Right here in Chicago you probably have 400,000 Mexicans here, maybe half without documentation. You will have to ask my buddy, [Congressman] Luis Gutierrez, the exact number.
Visit www.geraldo.com to keep up with Rivera's current projects; past radio shows may be streamed on iTunes.
