After the PSOE and its partners presented and approved the 11 directors which the Government’s decree-law granted them for the Board of Directors of RTVE, it is now the turn of the election of the 4 directors which could be elected by the Senate, where the PP has a majority.
The four candidates, who are expected to be approved in the second ballot, where only a majority of votes in the full Senate is required.Despite this, the delegates of the PSOE and of the Grupo Plural appointed in the Appointments Committee opposed to their suitability.
Paula Alicia Somalo (PSOE) even showed her frontal rejection of the candidate Ignacio Ruiz-Jarabo for being a columnist. in media such as The Objectivewhere he has published numerous articles criticizing the PSOE. The political position did not, however, bother the PSOE in the congressional commission, where all of its members have clear political positions, which they clearly defended.
However, thanks to the majority of the PP, the four proposed passed the commission’s filter and will now be voted upon. their appointment in the plenary session of the Senate on November 19.
The four candidates and their proposals for RTVE
Eladio Jareño
Born in Barcelona in 1958, he holds a degree in Information Sciences from the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. Between 2003 and 2004, he was director of TVE in Catalonia and territorial delegate of the RTVE group in that autonomous community. In 2014 he began his work as director of RTVE Catalonia.
For the former director, his priorities for RTVE are to pay attention, as he said, to the “accelerated transformation of the audiovisual sector and the fragmentation of audiences and new consumptions”, which “makes necessary a RTVE adapted to these changes in the digital world, updating the processes of creation, management and broadcasting of contents”.
Of course, paying attention to the corporation’s accounts, which must be kept with a “strict and transparent”.sustainable management, ensuring economic equilibrium and financial balance, something that does not occur at present, where there is a 47 million euro deficit, which could reach 60 million euros by the end of the 2024 fiscal year”, as he pointed out.
“Now the financing is too limited and limited after the approval of the law that prevented the inclusion of advertising,” added Jareño, who also advocated for a “unbiased, plural information with social and ideological independenceseparating opinion and information in a perceptible way and encouraging reflection”, in addition to “cultural and linguistic diversity, as well as equality between men and women and attention to minorities”.
“The organization chart is strongly presidentialist, I hope that in the near future it will not fall back into presidentialism, but that it will recover the structures of directorates and that the management structure will be slimmed down and directorates with bombastic names but without real functions will be eliminated”, advanced the candidate. It should be noted that the decree law of the PSOE government changed the power of the president of the Council. to give him almost full powers, such as appointing or dismissing managers and signing contracts of up to two million euros without consulting the board.
Ignacio Ruiz Jarabo
He is an economist who was Chairman of SEPI and General Director of the Tax Agency. Besides, he was a State Auditor technician in 1980 and Tax Inspector in 1982, besides being Director of the Escuela de la Hacienda Pública (1993-1996) and of the Tax Collection Department of the Ministry of Finance. (1997-1998). He is currently a columnist and consultant.
“I have worked in various public expenditure control tasks,” Ruiz Jarabo emphasized in his speech. “I feel a human satisfaction, that it has been thought that with my background I can be useful. and contribute to RTVE my experience for the socially transcendent function of public service”, he said, besides feeling that he can “contribute to the democratic debate, plurality, equality, care for the environment…”, in RTVE.
“The position of director is a position of responsibility where it is necessary to combine in a balanced way the fulfillment of the public service with the responsibility for the principles of legality, effectiveness, efficiency and transparency“, he said about the position he is expected to occupy.
It was there that the PSOE deputy, Paula Alicia Somalo reproached him for having expressed his opinion. “You have made statements throughout your career that do not comply with the principles of neutrality, so we cannot support your suitability,” it said.
Ruiz Jarabo made it clear that he did not agree with this criticism. “I have expressed my opinions in written or audiovisual media. and I have always argued and substantiated them, unanimity can never be reached, many like it and others dislike it. I will try to ensure that my opinions do not condition my work in the Board of Directors, where the principle of neutrality must be respected”, he promised.
Marina Vila Menor
She worked as a presenter on TVE and She was part of the channel’s news services in Galicia, in addition to having worked at Antena 3.
He began his speech by echoing current events: “I would like to denounce before you the aggressions suffered by my colleagues. of RTVE while they were trying to do their work in the Valencian Community”, he said.
Regarding his work, he assured that he will go to the board in order to “give a boost to journalism in the corporation, which must be a public service”, and made it clear that “audiences do matter”.
According to the candidate, RTVE must “recover its credibility and become a reference media. As a professional of the house for more than 10 years I have suffered the shortcomings and I know that the talents and virtues of a corporation full of great professionals can be enhanced”, she said, always with values such as “independence, honesty and truthfulness, without wasting public money”.
Vila Menor wants to “create a quarry within the corporation and in all positions and avoid the flight of talent to the private media”, and to promote the territorial centers, which are “a source of talent”.a sign of identity, we must support them so that they do not remain the little brother of a television news program”..
The PP candidate wants to give a “boost to the non-daily news and the 24-hour channel, reinforcing the staff and giving them value”, in addition to attending to the “purchase of rights for the broadcasting of films, series and sporting events”.but always at the lowest possible cost for citizens”. And he insisted on paying attention to the “neutrality of the news”, which is “essential, because prestige is at stake there”.
Rubén Moreno Palanques
Doctor of Medicine, former member of Congress and former senator for the Popular Party, was Secretary of Health Management and Cooperation and President of Insalud.
“My motivation lies in a deep conviction in the capacity of public service. to achieve an informed and critical citizenry“, he said about the reasons for accepting this position.
“RTVE must be a model of transparency and professionalism. RTVE must be modern, efficient, committed, with a plurality vocationpublic service and capacity to adapt to new challenges”, said the candidate.
As a manager, he wants for RTVE “long-term stability and regulation, transparent and effective governance, quality. and relevance of content, stable funding model, continuous performance evaluation, support to the cultural sector”, always being the corporation “impartial, efficient and accountable to the society to which it owes”.
“This is a board of directors, not a news board, it is necessary to make balance sheets, to manage, and people with different experience are needed”, He made a point about the suitability of his profile and his distance from the world of journalism. or the audiovisual media.
On the council he will encounter, which is highly politicized, he assured that he will have no problems. “I have worked with whomever I have met, no matter if they were socialists or of another ideological condition.but whether they were capable of doing their job,” he said.
Eduardo Pujol (Junts) questioned the suitability of the candidate because of his profile. “PP, PSOE, PP, the ones, the others, is the great battlefield of the Spanish democracy and where it is clearer is in the management of RTVE.. It seems to me that the same song and dance, the same gestures and the same policy will continue”, predicted the senator.