Mario Mactas, Influential Argentine Journalist, Dies at 80
A towering figure in Argentine journalism, Mario Mactas, has died at the age of 80. The news was confirmed by TN, the news channel where he had a long and distinguished career, leaving a void in the nation’s press landscape.
Mactas passed away on Saturday following admission to the Favaloro Foundation due to pneumonia, a condition exacerbated by pre-existing lung problems. His death marks the end of a more than 60-year career spanning print, radio, and television.
Colleagues at TN expressed deep sorrow. “We are very sorry. He was our partner, such a clear person in every way, in the professional and journalistic,” a channel representative stated. Mactas was a regular columnist on a program hosted by Guillermo Lobo and Lorena Maciel.
According to reports, Mactas’ health had been compromised following a bout with Coronavirus. “He was affected by different problems, was admitted to the Favaloro Foundation. Its medical parts were always handled with great austerity and we thought it left this. The Covid had had bad to bring different problems of his pulmonary health,” explained a colleague. Just six days prior to his hospitalization, Mactas had publicly acknowledged struggling with bronchitis, posting on X (formerly Twitter), “Bronchitis. The monologuist and by culture. Today, they are winter hard. Apologies.”
Born on August 13, 1944, in Carlos Casares, province of Buenos Aires, Mactas’ journey began at the Buenos Aires National School, where he participated in student magazines alongside future luminaries like journalists Mario Sábato and Rolando Hanglin, economist Pablo Gerchunoff, and writer Pepe Eliaschev. He initially pursued studies in medicine and philosophy at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) but ultimately dedicated himself to journalism.
Mactas played a pivotal role in the founding of influential magazines Satiricon and People. His radio partnership with Hanglin on “The Cat and Fox” remains a beloved and iconic segment in Argentine broadcasting history.
His career was marked by both professional success and personal adversity. In 1977, during the height of Argentina’s military dictatorship, Mactas was kidnapped for ten days while working at The Mouse of the West and Emanuelle, enduring beatings and interrogation alongside director Oskar Blotta and another journalist. Following his release, he and his colleagues immediately fled the country, first to Colombia and then to Spain, before eventually returning to Argentina.
Upon his return, Mactas became known for his incisive and ironic columns for TN, published under the moniker “The Mactas Touch.” His daughter, Mariana Mactas, recently honored her father with the documentary One Mario, describing his perspective as “particular, original, outside the box or unclassifiable.” Mariana called the documentary her “prima opera.” In April 2024, Mactas gave his final interview to La Nación, reflecting on his time in exile and his enduring love for Argentina. “But ours is also a country that produces Pleasure, beauty, emotion at times. It is our land,” he stated.
Mactas’ legacy extends beyond his prolific output; he represented a commitment to fearless journalism and a uniquely Argentine voice. His passing is a significant loss for the nation’s cultural and political landscape.
