Miguel Sousa Azevedo, born in Lisbon but “completely from Terceira” and “attached to the traditions” of his homeland, starts his introduction to our newspaper in this way. As well as being a “journalist and press officer”, he is also a “rally navigator”, a passion that arose when he was “30 years old”; vice-president of the Terceira Automobile Club (TAC) and the Angra Radio Club and someone with an enormous love of writing. He explains to Diário da Lagoa (DL) that his involvement makes his life “hectic and complex.” He also shares his opinion on the current state of car racing and the media.

DL: How did your love of radio come about?

I’ve always had a taste for radio, but I had no idea what it was until I started doing it under pressure. For me, radio is still the purest broadcasting vehicle for the simple reason that anyone who can broadcast something on the radio has to be able to convey the images that people aren’t seeing just by using words and the way they are said. That’s the great magic that radio still has. I worked as an apprentice journalist at Rádio Club de Angra for two years, then left and came back. The truth is that I never stopped doing radio or journalism. I’ve been doing sports journalism continuously since 1997.

DL: You write for Diário Insular and have a blog. Where did this taste for writing come from?

It comes from family because I had people in my family who were connected to writing. I had a great-uncle who was a famous poet in the first half of the 20th century [António de Sousa]. My first relationship with writing was when I wrote a chronicle, and things started to happen from then on. I was invited to be a press officer for a political party. Still, I continue to do journalism in a different form because the production is the same, although the intentions are different. I love writing, and it has become a daily tool. It was always there. In between, I started writing more or less regularly in the newspaper A União, which closed a few years ago. I then moved it to Diário Insular. I have saved all the chronicles, and they always ask me when to publish them.

DL: Did your father, Jorge Azevedo, one of the founders of the Terceira Automóvel Clube and a former racing driver, influence your love of car racing?

No, and I never had that awakening to do it. When that happened, he was already involved in writing, and I took the opportunity to do a report from inside a race, and that happened several times afterward. Things crossed paths in a not very peaceful way.

DL: Have you never thought about being a driver?

No. I think I could be a good navigator and never a good driver. That requires above-average talent, and I’m a standard driver. But the navigator’s role is significant, regardless of whether you’re on familiar ground.

DL: Do people value the role of the navigator?

With the openness of information, which allows people to watch videos of the world’s great stars, the importance of navigators has already been realized. A good navigator sets the pace in the car.

DL: The Azores Rallye (Car racing event) has been canceled. What do you think about that?

It’s a shame that the region’s biggest sporting event won’t occur. Unfortunately, there was a lot of financial mismanagement.

DL: What’s it like being vice president of Rádio Club de Angra?

In recent times, being vice president of the Terceira Automobile Club has perhaps given me more work because the RCA is a “self-sailing vessel.” However, it needs money every month, which doesn’t always appear. We’re also short of people who like doing radio.

DL: The media is experiencing a crisis, and there is talk of government support. Do you think it’s essential to support it?

Yes. I can’t say directly what the best way is, but there has to be one thing, and that is justice. Less and less value is given to those who do things initially. (We’re living through an) intellectual property crisis.

DL: Are you considering releasing a book?

I have a “debt of longing” to my mother, which is to put together the poems of the two of us and publish them in any form. I also have around 400 chronicles; maybe some would make a nice collection. I’m certainly not going to write a book from scratch.

DL: When will we see you on the road again?

Next year, indeed.

In Diário da Lagoa – Carina Silva collaborates with DL, and Clife Botelho is the director.

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADE.