Carmen Jovet

Carmen Jovet Esteves (born June 9, 1944) is a journalist and the first Puerto Rican woman news anchor in Puerto Rico. Carmen Jovet Esteves, daughter of Manolín Jovet-Viruet and Doña Carmen "Cuca" Esteves, was born and raised in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico into a family where having a good education was important. She was considered a gifted child and quickly advanced in school. She started making speeches when she was 6 years old, first appeared on radio at the age of 7 with radio personality Pedro Ojeda on WPRA-AM in Mayagüez, and by time she was 12, she was a competent orator. She enjoyed participating in her school's extracurricular activities. She was a member of various academic groups including the school's drama club. Jovet graduated from high school when she was 14 years old and enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico on a scholarship. When she was 17, she graduated with honors with a bachelor's degree in Political Sciences. Jovet's first job was at "WIPR" Channel 6, where she hosted a program called "Club Seis" and later a program called "Fabrica del Arte". In 1968, Jovet caught the attention of Leopoldo Santiago Lavandero, who invited her to join his production "Panorama Mundial" as a reporter, at the same Channel. A few years later she was offered the position of anchor for "El Once en la Noticias" at Channel 11 and thus became the first Puerto Rican woman news anchor on the island. In 1975, Jovet founded her own independent production company and became the host of a show which investigated and interviewed public figures. Among those interviewed was the President of Venezuela Carlos Andrés Pérez. She also covered the arrest of Puerto Rican actress Lydia Echevarría. Jovet hosted the TV show Sabado en Grande (Big Saturday) for a short time before joining Channel 2, where she hosted her own show, "Carmen Jovet, Controversial", a talk show in which the public was encouraged to participate. In the 1980s, she hosted a daily television broadcast that followed the adjournment of the day's Puerto Rico Senate public hearing about the controversial Cerro Maravilla incidents on July 25, 1978.