Socialist Party (PSOE) and People’s Party (PP) wants to renew the board of directors of Spanish Radio Television (RTVE). In recent days, the contacts between the two formations have intensified. The goal is to have everything ready by September 27th. That’s when End of Concepción Cascajosa’s term as interim presidentIf there is no consensus, public television will be doomed to a new institutional crisis.
Sources close to these conversations explain to EL ESPAÑOL that the objective is to avoid a situation like the one experienced last March after the dismissal of Elena Sánchez from the presidency. At that time, and with the mandate of half of the council having expired, It was decided to elect Cascajosa for six months with the idea that within that time frame Congress would reach a renewal agreement.
So that’s where they are. Felix Bolaños, by the PSOE, and Cuca Gamarra, for the PP, to lead the contacts to carry out this process. It is out of the question that a competition will be held to elect the directors and the president, as provided for by the RTVE law. The new names will therefore be designated by the parties, as already happened in 2021, when the current board of directors was formed.
The supreme body of RTVE is composed of ten members. Four were appointed by the Socialist Party: the interim president, Concepción Cascajosa, Ramon Colom and Elena Sanchez. Added to this is the empty seat left by former president José Manuel Pérez Tornero, whose position was not filled after his departure.
For his part, The people appointed three advisers: Carmen Sastre, Jenaro Castro And Consuelo Aparicio. Sumar chose two: Roberto Lakidain And José Manuel Martin Medem. And finally, the PNV has appointed Juan Jose Baños.
The rule governing the RTVE board of directors establishes that Its renewal is carried out by half every three years. Thus, in March, the mandate of the three members proposed by the PP (Sastre, Castro and Aparicio), one of those chosen by the PSOE (Ramón Colom) and the one appointed by the PNV (Juan José Baños) ended.
Bolaños and Gamarra will have to put on the table the names of the two representatives that the PSOE expects and the three from the Popular Party. In addition, they will also have to negotiate with the PNV. This assumes that the majorities do not change, which seems unlikely.
The representation
The sources consulted explain that a priori, in PP prefers not to open battle over representation in Congress that the RTVE board should have and that would give it the majority at that time.
Above all, it is a question of avoiding an attempt by the socialists to incorporate representatives of other nationalist formations such as the ERC; apart from that This could also open the door to a mandatory presence of Vox on the RTVE board of directors.
For now, there is peace within the organ. They claim to be aware that the situation is critical and insist that the councils must be renewed by political parties. If the agreement does not arrive before the 27th, the situation could get even worse, since there is no “plan B” to elect a new interim president.
The search for this “plan B” will be discussed next week at an extraordinary board meeting that has not yet been convened. Well-informed sources explain that the call It depends on the day Cascajosa has to appear before the RTVE Commission of Congress. Once this date is known, the meeting will be scheduled.
Elena Sanchez
Another hot potato on RTVE’s table is that of Elena Sánchez. The socialist councilor was dismissed in March in the midst of controversy over the signing of the David Broncano by the public channel. It was she who submitted the proposal to the council at the request of the director of general content, José Pablo López.
She was also the one who requested López’s dismissal, a decision that led to his dismissal. “Nobody knew what consequences this movement would have. They pressed the nuclear button,” sources within RTVE management said at the time.
Since then remained as advisorbut it is true that in some key votes he abstained or took a position against President Cascajosa’s proposals. He even delegated his representation in some meetings. So it is considered that in the long term this could pose a problem when it comes to articulating majorities. Especially because you cannot force them out.
Who’s who on RTVE
The RTVE board of directors is made up of 10 members, although currently only nine positions are filled. There is one vacant position that corresponds to the seat occupied by the former president José Manuel Pérez Tornero. Who are the members now?
Elena Sanchez: She was proposed by the PSOE and held the position of Secretary General of RTVE until 2020, with Rosa María Mateo as the sole administrator.
Ramon Colom: Also proposed by the PSOE in the last renewal in 2021. However, in recent months he has moved away from the official line. He has worked at RTVE since 1974 and was general director of TVE between 1990 and 1996. His term expires on the 30th.
Cascajosa Design: This was proposed by the PSOE. She is currently interim president of the Society. She was president of the RTVE Equality Observatory. She is also a professor of audiovisual communication at the Carlos III University of Madrid.
Carmen Sastre: Advisor by appointment of the PP. The journalist has developed her entire career in the public company, where she worked for more than 25 years in the information services. She was an advisor to the board of directors and director of institutional relations of RTVE. Her term ends on the 30th.
Jenaro Castro: Another advisor proposed by the PP. He has worked in the Society for over 30 years. Director and presenter of Informe Semanal, he also presented the newspaper News News. His term ends on March 30.
Consuelo Aparicio: The writer and journalist has spent part of his professional career in the Basque Country. He signed his first pieces in Diario 16 and in the Basque delegation of El País. He worked for 14 years for RTVE, at the Regional TVE Center of La Rioja and at the TVE Center of the Basque Country. He was proposed by the PP and the mandate expires at the end of the month.
Roberto Lakidain: He began working at the public channel in 1990, where he was also appointed as an advisory member of the TVE information boards. His profile is linked to the union sector since he is a union representative of the company’s workers’ commissions. Proposed by Podemos.
José Manuel Martin Medem: Proposed by Podemos, Martín was a correspondent in Mexico, Colombia and Cuba for RTVE. In 2007, he was among those affected by the early retirement plan. He was part of the RTVE board of directors at the proposal of Izquierda Unida between 1994 and 1996.
Juan Jose Baños: He was proposed by the PNV, which was already part of the list presented in 2018. He was director of the Basque newspaper Deia on two occasions. Baños was also a member of the board of directors of Basque public television. His term ends at the end of the month.
