A few years ago I was fascinated by it Millennium; In case this doesn’t sound familiar, let me tell you that, according to the TVE website, it was a space for “debate, analysis and reflection on current issues and human interests”. They didn’t use augmented reality or spectacular graphics; They were four people chatting about the problems raised by their director and presenter Ramón Colom. In their over one hundred and fifty broadcasts, available on RTVE Play – bless them – they talked about everything: God, algorithms or laughter. Always calmly and with knowledge of the facts, because every week the experts in the sector came, one, not all, as usual. I was waiting for it until it came back one day in the early hours of the 2nd. I inquired via tweet and was told it was awaiting renewal. It may seem like a small effort, but I’m not one to mobilize. My most vindictive act was to write to Miko to complain about the disappearance of one of their frozen chocolate truffle cones—priority—; In my defense I will say that protesting had more merit back then, you had to worry about writing a letter, buying an envelope and a stamp and looking for a mailbox. When getting indignant requires so much bureaucracy, the irritation disappears sooner.
This French farewell is common to all networks. With series they are usually a little more respectful and a sad press release warns of their cancellation, but many programs simply remain in limbo.
Every season I worry that some of those cultural and outreach programs that have been there so long that we take them for granted will disappear due to some budget adjustment approved by their meager audiences. If we celebrate the good data of TVE, why shouldn’t someone think of asking for them from La 2, that TV which one day proudly announced itself “for an immense minority”? They will say I put the bandage on the wound, but the combination of profit-seeking and short-termism scares me as much as superbugs.
For this reason I was extremely happy with the mobilization which caused its cancellation at the time The brain hunter. I have discovered that after programs that are almost imperceptible to audiometers there are loyal viewers. And that’s why I celebrated big Ondas a Page two. I’m much less interested in getting annoyed by the controversy over a literary prize than in being happy that such an attentive, enjoyable, stimulating and necessary space like the one that La 2 dedicates to books is being valorised. Long live essential programs for a (not so) immense minority.
