(Logo courtesy of Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional)
The first all-female broadcast and production televised team in Venezuela baseball history happened on Saturday with Canal TELEVEN televising the Leones del Caracas and Cardenales de Lara game at Estadio Antonio Herrera Gutiérrez in Baraquisemeto.
Lara de Cardenales won 11-5 over Leones del Caracas on Saturday. On Sunday prior to the leagues’ All-Star Game on Monday Leones del Caracas lost two games in their doubleheader against Caribes de Anzoategui 7-6 and 7-5. Tigres de Aragua swept Lara de Cardenales in their doubleheader with the first game score 6-1 and the second game 5-0. Lara de Cardenales is in first place at 29-20 and Leones del Caracas is in second place at 28-21 in the 2023-24 Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional regular season.
Katherine Rosales, Andreina Gandica, Rosberling Pacheco, Maria Alexandra Bastidas, Rebeca Salama, Vanessa Fereira, Stephany Sanchez, Adriana Flores, Maria Alexandra Azar, and Maria Cristina Santoro all appeared on Canal TELEVEN with the televising and production of the game in Barquisimeto.
The Leones del Caracas and Cardenales de Lara game on Saturday in Barquisimeto was in observance for “Fin A La Violencia Contra Las Mujeres Y Niñas”, which interprets the initiative for the elimination of gender violence, led exclusively by women.
The United Nations Population Fund in Venezuela was the sponsor for the “Fin A La Violencia Contra Las Mujeres Y Niñas” event in Barquisimeto for the Leones del Carcas and Cardenales de Lara game.
The OIM Respuesta Refugiados Migrantes Venezuela, the United Nations Population Fund in Venezuela and FIAT PANIS Venezuela are the three major organizations in the country that have activist roles with the ongoing crisis throughout South America and in Venezuela.
Officials of the UNPF in Venezuela attended the game in Barquisimeto to meet with all of the assigned reporters for Canal TELEVEN during pregame of the historic event at Estadio Antonio Herrera Gutiérrez.
Gandica and Flores were the two color play-by-play commentators on Canal TELEVEN during the Leones del Caracas and Cardenales de Lara game on Saturday.
Maria Alexandra Bastidas was the on-field in-game reporter during the game on Saturday in Barquisimeto.
Bastidas, Maria Cristina Santoro, and Vanessa Fereira were also part of the on-field pregame coverage on the third base side during Saturday’s game in Barquisimeto.
Rosales and Sanchez were both on air during the pregame show on Canal TELEVEN outside the Estadio Antonio Herrera Gutiérrez field concourse on Saturday.
Rosales spoke to World Baseball Network through WhatsApp on Friday on what it meant to be on air in the first all-women broadcast and production team in Venezuela baseball history to call a regular season game in the Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional during Saturday’s game.
World Baseball Network Q&A interpreted from Spanish to English on WhatsApp From Reporter Katherine Rosales:
Q: 1. What does it mean to be a reporting analyst in your country and seeing so many figures throughout the Venezuelan media pave the way for so many young women that want to be in your shoes reporting in LVBP and MLB?
A: “For me, the development means an ambience for sports for all the women in our country on a level not just in my country but around the world because we are following the initiatives in the biggest leagues in 2021 after what happened during the COVID-19 Pandemic. It means before and after the Venezuelan sport not just being with BEIN Sports, but also on a level in sports in general. It shows that women can take on other roles without a problem and give insight in their own style that way when they cover sports. This can be a differential factor, and it’s very attractive to the audiences in multiple platforms – without a doubt it represents an advance for the new generations’”.
Q: 2. How does it feel to see someone like Caroline Guillen inspire so many young women in sports media that want to pursue their career in baseball or other angles of professional sports?
A: “When I see Caroline Guillen, I feel total admiration because she represents the Venezuelan woman who is represented in notable names such as ESPN. Listening to her narrate a game, allows us to feel fully confident that we can develop without taboo or complications. She is an inspiration for all of us, and I can tell you with certainty she is one of the most respected women in our medium and seeing her gives us security to keep making way in a competitive male field like baseball”.
Q: 3. What does it mean for the other colleagues that you worked with on Saturday on Televen Andreina Gandica, Vanessa Ferreira, Maria Alexandra Bastidas, Rosberling Pacheco, Maria Alexandra Azar, Adriana Flores, Rebeca Salama, Maria Cristina Santoro, and Stephany Sanchez to have this opportunity with you in Barquisimeto and hard everyone has worked to get to this position in their careers in sports media?
A: “All of the women who will be there have a respected trajectory, significant in different sports, soccer, radio, tv, social media… they have gained popularity and respect from the audience to be recognized not just as women but beyond that, as people that can contribute to Venezuelan sport … of course, to be surrounded by them to mean means a big honor, I am very happy and it’s a great feeling to spend time with big representatives of women in media in a large event. As I mentioned before, this will mark a before and after in our country, for all the kids and women and men to know that they can always take on their roles confident that they will have the opportunity when it gets to that point. It really is a big honor to be there with them”.
Rosales is a reporter with SimpleTV for her full time position during the leagues season and has studied sports law in the past in her career.
The last day of the 2023-24 LVBP regular season is on December 27. The Round Robin playoffs for the 2023-24 LVBP season will begin on January 2.
The 2024 LVBP best-of-seven Championship Series will be during the mid-late January time frame after the Round Robin.
The 52nd annual LVBP All-Star game will be played on Monday in Caracas, Venezuela at Estadio de Béisbol Monumental Simon Bolivar.
SimpleTv, Tele Tuya, IVC, Venevision, TELEVEN, Canal i, and BYM Sport are all the broadcast televised channels in Venezuela for the 2023-24 LVBP regular season.
https://www.beisbolplay.com/ is a paid subscription service for live games and has highlights of all league games and along with talk show segments on their website.
The winner of the 2023-24 LVBP best-of-seven championship series will represent Venezuela in the 2024 Caribbean Series at loanDepot Park in Miami on February 1-9.