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- Identity: the
building blocks of
2. Literature
and philosophy
3. Art and
architecture
4. Performing
arts
5. Cinema
and fashion
6. Media and
communications
7. Food and drink 8. Living culture:
the details of
Today, Spain’s publicTV and radio output is managed
by the Corporación Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE), the
various incarnations of which have been mired in
political and financial scandal almost since their
inception.The public channels are still viewed with
some suspicion by the majority of Spanish people, often
seen as the tool of whoever happens to be in power at
the time. Prime Minister Zapatero set about addressing
public scepticism after his election success in 2004.The
current version of RTVE (now a corporation rather than a
public body) only came into existence in 2007.The hope
is that a truly impartial (and debt free) public broadcaster
will now evolve.
TVE: La Primera
The original Spanish TV station is still the most popular, despite the issues with
political bias. This, its primary channel, busies itself with light entertainment,
comedy and soap operas.
TVE: La 2
The second string of the state-owned station pitches its ambitions slightly higher,
with documentaries, regional programming, culture and sport.
Antena 3
Broadcasting family-friendly content, in particular soap operas, since 1990. Antena 3,
one of various commercial channels, has the second largest share of the national
audience.
Cuatro
Broadcasting since 2005, Spain’s fourth channel (as the name implies) shows
everything from Brit-comThe Officeto talent showFactor Xand international football.
Telecino
The schedule for Spain’s fifth channel is padded with light entertainment fodder, from
children’s shows to American imports, soap operas to the SpanishBig Brother.
Telecino has traditionally been seen as the least biased channel for news.
The big five Spanish TV channels
Big Brother’s
bigger brother
Although theGran Hermano
(Big Brother) format is as
well established in Spain as
it is across much of the rest
of the world, it comes a
poor second to the nation’s
pre-eminent reality TV show
Operación Triunfo. This
cross betweenPop Idol,
X FactorandBig Brotherhas
created unheard of success
for the Spanish pop stars
it moulds. At one point,
Spain’s top ten album chart
consisted entirely of the
show’s participants. In
particular, David Bisbal,
who came second in 2002,
is hugely successful in the
United States and Latin
America, selling millions
of records.
