Matías Prats Cañete

Matías Prats Cañete (Villa del Río, Córdoba, December 4, 1913 – Madrid, September 8, 2004) was a renowned Spanish journalist.

He was one of the best-known voices on radio in Spain, especially for being the voice of NO-DO, for broadcasting football matches and for bullfighting information. He is the father of Matías Prats Luque, a well-known journalist, Antena 3 news presenter, and he had two other children, Juan Jesús and María del Carmen, the result of his marriage to Emilia Luque Montejano. His grandson Matías Prats Chacón is also a journalist.

Biography

Beginnings in Andalusia

His parents were Juan José Prats Cerezo and Manuela Molina Cañete, both from Villa del Río. During his childhood in his hometown, the young Matías Prats stood out in the city's literary circles, mainly in the local Casino, for his emerging role as a poet, being interviewed on Radio Córdoba after winning a Christmas poetry contest..

He studied industrial expertise in Malaga and later went to Madrid, studying at the Official School of Journalism. In Madrid he intended to start a career as a poet by attending literary gatherings, but a few years later the start of the Civil War forced him to return to his hometown.

It was during the war when Matías Prats had his first professional contacts with the world of radio. Stationed in Algeciras he began working at the local station, Radio Algeciras, after he suffered an eye injury caused by a bullet. This injury was responsible for him suffering from photophobia for the rest of his life and being forced to always wear dark glasses.

Once the war was over, he was offered a job at the Malaga station of Radio Nacional, beginning to broadcast bullfights and football matches since the beginning of the 1940s, with Real Betis-Málaga in the second division being the first sporting event he narrated.

Consolidation in Madrid

He returned to Madrid again in 1945 when the new Radio Nacional facilities were inaugurated in Arganda del Rey. His journalistic career begins to gain renown and so does his responsibilities within the station. In this way, in 1947 he became head of the Station Production Department of the National Radio of Spain and from that same year until 1971 he was responsible for the writing and broadcasting of the Newscasts and Cinematographic Documentaries (NODE). Two years later, in 1949, after having attended the Official School of Journalism, he was able to graduate as a journalist. Since 1954, he held the position of head of Broadcasting at Radio Nacional.

In addition to radio, the journalist worked on Spanish Television since 1956, broadcasting sporting events and bullfights. He also directed programs such as Pantalla Deportivo (1959), La Copa (1963), Graderío (1963), Cartel (1965) or Yesterday Sunday (1965). He retired in 1985 although his job as a radio announcer ended in 1974, at which time he began working in the Technical Advisory Department of the General Directorate of Radio Spain. Despite this, he promptly returned to sports broadcasting during the 1981 European Cup and during the World Cup held in Spain in 1982.

Among his most memorable broadcasts is that of Zarra's goal at the Maracaná stadium in Rio de Janeiro on June 2, 1950, during the match between Spain and England at the World Cup in Brazil. Likewise, Marcelino's goal at the Bernabeu in 1964, in Spain's match against the USSR in the European Nations Cup.

He is also well remembered as a bullfighting narrator, Prats was a great fan and on August 16, 1947 in El Chofre (San Sebastián) he conducted the last interview with Manolete before his death.

He died in 2004 when he was close to turning 91.

Prizes

Others

• Apart from the Ondas Prize of 1965 named Journalist of Honor.
• Pregoner of the National Days of Exaltation of Tambor and Bombo in Híjar (Teruel).
• Gold Medal of the Royal Sports Merit, awarded by the Superior Sports Council (1994).
• Gold Medal to Merit at Work in 1998 by the Council of Ministers of Spain.
• "All Life 2000" Award by the Council of the Academy of Sciences and Television Arts of Spain (ATV).
• Agustín Merello Award for Communication by the Press Association of Cadiz (1996)