Profile: Helen Aguirre Ferré

Helen Aguirre Ferré is an award-winning, bilingual journalist in both print and broadcast media and host of WPBT2’s public affairs program, Issues. Issues is WPBT2’s weekly news and public affairs program which covers stories of state and local interest.

Helen has been leading discussions with top newsmakers and panelists for over ten years. But her professional roles extend beyond broadcast television. For more than twenty years, she has served as the Opinion Page Editor of Diario Las Américas, an independent, family-owned Spanish-language newspaper founded in Miami in 1953. Her commentary also extends to a Sunday column in the newspaper, covering current, national and international affairs. She also provides political commentary on Spanish-language Univision Radio.

The path that ultimately led her to host Issues was rather coincidental.

Helen got her start on Issues years before she was approached to be the host. The story has it that her brother was a regular panelist and one day he could not attend the taping. Knowing he couldn’t leave the producer in a pinch at the last minute, he offered his sister as a stand-in. Helen was a hit, and soon she became a regular on the program. After being a regular panelist for some time, she was ultimately asked to host. Her first program as host was in September, 1999—she had her trial-by-fire with Issues’ continuing coverage of the Elian Gonzalez affair that would take place a month later.

Helen and Issues have gone on to cover many important Florida stories, such as the Terri Schiavo case, the 2000 election between George W. Bush and Al Gore, the real estate boom and bust, and many more.

To watch Issues, tune into WPBT2 on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 12:30 p.m. or visit its website at www.wpbt2.org/issues.