CBS’ Maggie Rodriguez Interviews Miners’ Family Member in English & Spanish

By Molly Stark Dean on October 14, 2010 3:28 PM

CBS “Early Show” Co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez interviewed José Sanchez this morning in both English and Spanish. Sanchez talked to Rodriguez via satellite from Chile about his three family members who were trapped inside the mine: Victor Segovia, Esteban Rojas, and Pablo Rojas.

“English-speaking anchors are at a disadvantage when it comes to stories like this,” Rodriguez tells TVNewser, “I’m so proud that we gave our viewers something they can’t get anywhere else.”

Rodriguez, who joined “The Early Show” from Miami’s CBS station in Dec. 2007, said the interview “happened so fast. My producer was with him all night, but this morning it was sit down, check levels, and go.” Sanchez had been at Camp Hope, near the mine site, for 69 days. His family members were some of the first rescued, but he “stayed until the last miner was rescued,” Rodriguez says.

When asked about CBS’ efforts to get an interview with one of the trapped miners, Rodriguez said “everybody in the entire world is trying for that interview.”

And if the next international tragedy happens in France or Italy, Rodriguez could jump into action again.

“I grew up speaking Spanish,” says the Cuban-American Rodriguez, “I know some Italian” and she says she’d be more comfortable speaking French if she went to France, but with two kids and a career, “who has time to go to France?”

Rodriguez recently returned from maternity leave after giving birth to a second son. “I have quite the juggling act,” she told TVNewser, “Getting up is easy, because I don’t really sleep. There aren’t enough hours in the day. I’m exhausted.”