The Popular Party has proposed, through the Senate, four people to be councilors of RTVE. Among them, the most remarkable is undoubtedly Ignacio Ruiz Jaraboa great economist, graduated from the first classes of the Autonomous University of Madrid, of great prestige.
This designation is very good news because RTVE needs at least three things: a good general managementa meticulous economic management and a informational independence essential. RTVE fails to respect these three facets: the general management of the public entity is deficient, subject to the whims of the government for political reasons, such as the signing of a presenter for an amount of several million dollars, simply to try to thwart another from a private channel which is not laughing thanks to the Government.
For its part, economic management is very poor: despite the aid it receives, RTVE’s accounts cannot be balanced, constituting a bottomless pit for taxpayers, who must pay their taxes to maintain the signatures of millionairesas mentioned above.
With 530 million contributions from the PGE in 2023 and 630 million in 2024 (with this increase of 100 million to broadcast the Euro and the Olympic Games, while that was not its function at that price of course, notably the ‘Euro), in 2023 had losses of 4 million eurosbut it rains in wet weather, because for several years, with the exception of 2021 and 2022, there have been losses, which means that in the Sánchez’s six-year term has accumulated 10 million imbalances.
Only in sports rightsSince 2007, RTVE has spent 1.5 billion euros at taxpayer expense, with exorbitant prices on several occasions. In addition, he committed citizens’ money to the bid for the rights to the Olympic Games, ensuring their broadcast at a premium until 2032.
This means that RTVE’s budget of 1.193 million euros devotes more than 500 million euros to staff, thus accumulating a debt of 600 million euros. All of this constitutes an unsustainable hole, while there are other needs to be filled.
As for your informational pluralismis zero. It’s a simple manipulation. It is not that it is compensated by opposition voices, but that the information must be neutral, it must not express an editorial opinion, since it is a public entity financed with the money of all taxpayers. It must inform, it must cover the necessary informational and institutional elements, but it is not there to waste taxpayers’ money on million-dollar signatures with political connotations, nor to squander the money of a channel broadcasting 24 hours a day simply to raise government slogans. in programs with almost no audience.
It is for this reason that we need a person of the economic prestige of Ignacio Ruiz-Jarabo, who is a great economist and who accumulates a lot of experience. The general management would benefit greatly from following his advice, because it was president of SEPI at the most efficient time. Likewise, his background as director of the Fiscal Agency means that he is very familiar with the taxpayer’s efforts to cover public sector expenditure, which allows him to be careful and prudent in the use of public money. taxpayer. He knows the budget perfectly. Finally, his great professionalism reinforces his independence in saying what he thinks, as he does in his weekly articles in the press, which ties in with the necessary independence that RTVE must have.
RTVE needs a budgetary and organizational adjustment deep so that it is a viable entity and does not continue to choke taxpayers. If they listened to Ignacio Ruiz-Jarabo, they could achieve it, because it is a profile of great efficiency in management, who would currently be the Minister of Finance that Spain needs, with the seriousness and the rigor of yesteryear. It is true that he will not be able to do much from a minority position on the council, but, at least, his voice will be heard to show the deviation in the management of RTVE. His appointment is excellent news.
