Died on Wednesday (23), at the age of 87, in Rio de Janeiro, the broadcaster, producer and host Hilton Abi-Rihan, victim of a hemorrhagic stroke. Born in Mimoso do Sul, Espírito Santo, Abi-Rihan, as he was known, he started on the radio very early, as a speaker, on Radio Diffuser, from his hometown, where he acted between 1957 and 1959.
From there he went to Rio de Janeiro, where he acted on the reporters team of Carlos Palut’s team on Continental Radio. There was a team of reporters who became famous. You Continental commandsintensified the practice of the external and live report.
This changed the radio characteristic in Rio de Janeiro. With the slogan: “Continental is where the news is” several reporters followed the unfolding of the news. This team was made up of Ary Vizeu, Peres Junior, Hilton Abi-Rihan, Paulo Caringi, Afonso Soares, Celso Garcia, among others.
Abi-Rihan stayed on Continental Radio until 1976, when he went to Radio Nacional, from Brazil Communication Company (EBC), as head of journalism. At the station, he brought the experience gained on external coverage and started to cover the major events of the city. Carnival had coverage on every day of parade, in addition to the access group parade on Rio Branco Avenue. But the most proud journalistic coverage was the coverage of Pope John Paul II’s visit to Brazil in 1980.
Abi-Rihan also participated in striking coverage on Continental TV and Bandeirantes and, before, on the extinct TV Tupi, where he was a speaker and presented the daily chronicles of Gilson Amado, educator, writer and journalist.
In National radiocreated the national program 80, along with Washington Rodrigues, with reports and daily interviews with television artists.
As director of journalism at National radio From Rio, he set up the whole scheme for the live coverage of the judgment of the Minas Gerais Ângela Diniz, shot dead by her boyfriend, Raul Fernando do Amaral Street, known as Doca Street, in 1976, at Praia dos Ossos, Buzios, in the Lakes Region. The crime, an emblematic case of femicide, shocked the country and triggered a wave of protests, marking the beginning of discussions about violence against women in Brazil. THE National radio It was the only broadcaster of the time to transmit the Cabo Frio Jury Court all the trial.
Later, when he moved to Radio Globo, presented, in the 90’s, the show of the Show of the Madrugada, who commanded alongside broadcaster Washington Rodrigues.
Currently, it also presented the program Samba & Historyin good will TV and the Super Rede Goodwill Radio, from the Legion of Goodwill, where he interviewed and narrated episodes of Brazilian culture.
The executive manager of the radios of the EBCThiago Regotto, who lived with Abi-Rihan on MEC radio and met with him to this day, said Abi-Rihan was on the radio the same person who was at home. Shooty Catholic was also known by his colleagues as God of God. Regotto cites the memory and stories that Abi-Rihan told the radio.
“He was a very catchy person. He was spontaneous, natural and a great friend. He liked to mark lunches to tell radio stories. A great friend and a great human figure,” said the executive manager.
Hilton Abi-Rihan leaves his wife, Clemens Abi-Rihan, whom he met in National radiobesides two children and two grandchildren.
