Valley radio, TV pioneer ‘Aqui Rogelio’ dies at 75

McALLEN — Rogelio Botello Rios, host of a popular local variety show for 38 years, died Wednesday at the age of 75.

“There was a tradition here in the Valley every Sunday — you got your barbacoa or menudo and you sat down in front of the TV to watch Rogelio,” said Mando San Roman of the radio station 102.1, who began working for Botello in the 1980s.

The retired broadcaster had been hospitalized at Rio Grande Regional Hospital. Hawkins Funeral Home of Donna is handling funeral arrangements.

Botello’s show, “Aqui Rogelio,” which began in the 1970s, ran on KGBT-TV on Sunday mornings for nearly four decades but before that, he worked at the KGBT radio station.

“I consider Rogelio probably one of the first-rate, legendary, disc jockeys the Valley has ever produced,” said Nano Ramirez, a former concert promoter for the Villa Real concert hall.

His personality and his consummate professionalism is what Ramirez said he remembered most about Botello.

“He was really easy to get along with and I have always had one of the highest regards for him as a person,” he said. “He had a lot of power as a program director at a radio station and he never flaunted the position that he’s always had.”

Ramirez noted the difficulty for local bands to get airtime on the radio because of the national programming that most radio stations carried.

“He would give that opportunity by putting those bands on his TV show,” Ramirez said.

One of those was Balde Muñoz, a retired musician who was a drummer and band leader of several Tejano bands including Carlos Guzman y Los Fabulosos Cuatro, Los Unicos, and Fandango USA. He was also part of Tejano artist Laura Canales’ band.

“Any time we would bring out some new songs in our new album well, ‘Let’s call Rogelio, here we go with Rogelio,’” Muñoz said. “We were one of the blessed groups to have him play our music.”

But it wasn’t just local talent. His show also featured stars such as Juan Gabriel and Rocio Durcal, according to San Roman of 102.1.

“He had everybody on the TV show from local to international stars on it,” he said.

Roman began working with Botello in the 1980s when the latter was the programming director at KGBT radio. Both eventually left and began working at a radio station called La M, La Mejor, from 1998 to 2002.

During that time, Roman was able to work on the TV show, which had been extended from one hour to 90 minutes.

“He was strict and when you worked under him, you had to do things the right way,” he said of his mentor. “He demanded professionalism and the strictness of it on himself so expected the same from everybody else.”

In 2011, he was inducted into the Texas Conjunto Hall of Fame.

“He helped a lot of bands by playing their music,” said Muñoz, who referred to Botello as a pioneer of radio and television.

“He was a very nice man, nice gentleman, very professional,” he said. “A good friend that we’re all going to miss.”