Former minister Fábio Faria, husband of Patrícia Abravanel, walked, smiling from ear to ear, in studio eight of the Brazilian television channel, SBT, in Osasco. He walked quickly, waving his forelock, to give himself time to socialize with the many important people arriving by helicopter. The hair pomade must have been good, and the hairstyle finished Friday night intact.
The launch event of SBT News, a project Faria is most passionate about, managed to bring together a strong line-up. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), his vice-president Geraldo Alckmin (PSB), STF minister Alexandre de Moraes, governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans) and mayor Ricardo Nunes (MDB), all seated in the front row, next to the Abravanel clan, in front of the stage where they then spoke.
The channel debuts on closed television, on YouTube and on the +SBT platform on Monday (15), at 6 p.m., promising more than 20 hours of live programming.
In addition to the guests, the diversity of the political spectrum was also revealed among the company’s sponsors. They range from Luciano Hang’s Havan to the Batista brothers’ JBS, including EMS, Gerdau, Tim, Amil, BYD, BTG Pactual and Cedro.
Perhaps no station embodies the mambembe spirit of Brazil as much as the one founded by Silvio Santos, between slogans, brands, slogans and attractions — Jequiti, Baú da Felicidade, Bathtub do Gugu, “Roda a Roda” and the slogan “má ôe” are legacies kept in emotional memory.
All the authorities who spoke at the podium, from Lula to Nunes, spoke good-naturedly about certain entertainment programs of the channel, without mentioning the journalism of SBT, a sector of the house in fact marked by historical controversies.
Killed last year and “resurrected” at the event thanks to artificial intelligence, Silvio said the news should be favorable to the government — from the period of dictatorship to redemocratization. During a controversy five years ago, he vetoed an edition of SBT Brasil, the main free channel, after highlighting a leaked video of the infamous meeting between Jair Bolsonaro, to whom he was close, and his ministers, in May 2020.
But this complete package, perhaps the broadcaster’s greatest asset, could on the other hand represent an obstacle to what SBT News aims to be: a sophisticated prestige product between classes A and B.
People within the new channel say, on condition of anonymity, that they are more than aware of this challenge in the symbolic realm and that the marketing team is focused on this challenge.
In the SBT News “switchers”, audience control will only have eyes for GloboNews and CNN, with which the new channel intends to compete for audiences. The focus, they say, will be behind the scenes in Brasilia and the financial market.
According to these sources, the launch of the journalistic channel comes after the Silvio Santos Group understood that it did not reach classes A and B, much less the so-called “triple A”, the upper layer of the Brazilian food chain. And it is to this audience, the decision-makers, that SBT News wishes to address.
Regarding the challenge of reaching this segment of the population, the team says the content will speak for itself.
To do this, Faria turned to experienced names in journalism, known for their searing reporting and scoops. From the Brasilia branch of Leaf Five journalists came, including the editorial director, Camila Mattoso.
Another important figure is Leandro Cipoloni, who was one of those responsible for the creation of CNN Brasil, after spending years at Record. In front of the cameras there will be journalists like Celso Freitas, Amanda Klein, Raquel Landim and commentators, like doctor Ludhmila Hajjar and the former director of the Central Bank Luiz Fernando Figueiredo.
Fábio Faria is a member of the Progressives. Leader of the implementation of SBT News, in addition to being the son-in-law of Silvio Santos, he has a pedigree and a curriculum vitae. He was Minister of Communication in the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) between 2020 and 2022. Previously, he was a federal deputy for four terms, after working for the PMN and the PSD, before joining the PP in 2022. He also held the position of senior relations manager at BTG Pactual for two years, the bank being one of the channel’s sponsors.
He is the son of Robinson Faria, who was governor of Rio Grande do Norte between 2015 and 2019, then in the PSD, but who was not re-elected. He is today a federal deputy for the PL.
“Journalism cannot just be a political weapon,” Faria said at Friday’s event. “I hope we have a lot of common sense, a lot of discernment to be able to contribute to good journalism.”
“SBT does not have a party, SBT does not have a camp. I think that all of you being here today, of all the authorities here, shows what SBT is all about,” he said. “And the SBT News side will be the SBT side, which is Brazil.”
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