Caballero was born in Tampico, Tamaulipas, into a family of 11 children,[3] moving to Mexico City at a young age[4] and was a normal school teacher who also studied anthropology.

[2][4] In 1981, he was tapped to head Canal 13, at the time state-owned, leaving soon after to help establish and lead state broadcast systems in Sonora (1982–1984), Quintana Roo (1983–1988),[6] and Oaxaca (1988–1992).

[2] After a pair of two-year stints in the press offices of the Secretariat of Tourism and National Savings Bonds,[2] Caballero returned to television in 1996, hosting the successful series Realidades for CNI Canal 40.

The head of the Chamber of Deputies, Beatriz Paredes Rangel, opted to remove Caballero from the post in 2002 after a series of controversial decisions, including covering demonstrations by striking teachers, placing former students of his in high-paying positions, and staging three straight hours of coverage of an EZLN event.

[7] Caballero remained active in journalism and communications, founding the Mexican Association for the Right to Information (AMEDI) in 2001 and hosting a program on TV UNAM from 2012 to 2014.