Lourdes Maldonado La 1 has already become one of the new faces of TVE’s morning show. The journalist has already debuted at the beginning The new magazine ‘To be frank’ presented with Marc Calderó that he is the great hero of the present.
Accompanied by a group of experts, analysts and journalists, Maldonado is responsible for dealing with daily news and political news, always aware of the rhythm set by the live programme. YOTELE Talk to Lourdes Maldonado about the premiere of ‘Speaking clear’ on TVE’s La 1, among many other topics.
–Queen of England II. Due to Elizabeth’s death, you had to postpone the premiere to Saturday. Actually, you went to the UK to tell about it. How did you experience coverage from there?
-London II. Leaving TVE covering Elizabeth’s death and learning from the many colleagues displaced in this important deployment has been a real gift. What determines our scenario is what is current. The day we premiered, we planned a dress rehearsal for the premiere, and it eventually became a special episode.
-Moreover, death was reported minutes after finishing your presentation at FesTVal de Vitoria-Gazteiz.
-Look, we were already on the train to Madrid when they confirmed the news of his death. From there phones were smoking on what to do. ‘Speaking frankly’ is a contemporary program and we were supposed to be in London. TVE chose this and it turned into a great adventure.
-Speaking of adventure, tell me how you experienced this event in London…
-She was unforgettable. It was the privilege of telling something that would go into the history books because it was a first-order event. We immerse ourselves in that atmosphere of British respect, silence and pain. We were glued to the door of Buckingham Palace and were able to talk to a lot of people. From tourists to Londoners. Finally you get that feel of many Brits to say goodbye to the person who was their queen for 70 years.
-The gift is also the data you broadcast on La 1 that Saturday.
-It was a good welcome, but it’s also true that you have to go step by step. What we want now is to evolve because we’ve only just begun. Our goal is to win the trust of the audience and to speak to them in a close tone and with the information that most interests them and impacts their diary. This is our opinion. So enjoy this moment and this beginning.
I want to go back to the beginning of everything. How was the call you were offered to come to TVE?
– Without going into details, I was outside of Spain and it was very unexpected. But very exciting. At three o’clock in the morning you get a phone call, a TVE program offer in a great, competitive and fun slot with lots of stuff in it… You can just say “yes, I’m doing it”.
-You share this new professional adventure with Marc Calderó. What do you admire about him and how do you think you complement each other when it comes to presenting ‘Hablando Claro’?
–We didn’t know each other at all, but we got along very well. I believe very much in first impressions and it turned out very well. Rather than complementing each other, we are in harmony, we are close, we are familiar, we speak the same language. The two ‘speaking frankly’
-Back to the format, what makes ‘Hablando Claro’ different from its competitors?
-We know the competition in that lane is complicated but there’s cake for everyone. What we want to contribute, the way we say things, our personal imprint. We want to bet on intimacy apart from rigor and be one of the family. There are three hours in the morning where a lot of things happen and we’ll be covering it live at a hectic pace, but beyond the title we’re looking for analysis and contextualization with data. Although not today, we want to make a friendly program. And, of course, with the civil service profession, with useful information.
-Do you have a specific audience profile you want to target?
– Such a wide range that we appeal to all citizens. We start at 11:30 which may be true for the older age group but we arrive between 14:00 and 15:00 which is a different population profile and that’s when we’ll bet. on politics and debate because it’s a time of high demand for information.
-How to address a population tired of politicians and politics?
– We are so tired of the harsh tone, that tension and political confrontation. Whether we want it or not, we want to tell the citizens that political decisions affect all of us. And in the end, the most disadvantaged, those with fewer resources, suffer… Our program is for them all, with useful information and an explanation of why these decisions affect them. We do not want to echo quarrels, conflicts; We will tell what happened without political anger, with discussion and analysis. Focusing the shot on the citizen.
-And will the citizen have a place on the set?
Of course, there will be times when citizens pass in front of the set. We will give a voice to everyone. It will be a social program in which the citizen is at the centre.
-Is there a principle in your ideology that all views are valid? For example, is it permissible for a flat-earther or a denier to speak up and then deny it?
-Apriori, I say we will listen to all voices. We are a program that has a field of discussion and analysis, and will produce sounds of all genres and colors. We are connected to a plural field of current affairs.
-How is TVE’s reception to the “external” signatures that even the News Council condemns?
-The truth is, I am extremely grateful for the welcome I received from my colleagues at TVE. I can only say good things, lots of kindness. They came to introduce themselves and we are in Prado del Rey, which is like the mega city of television, and in the first days we almost had to ask to get to the venues. Style, hairdressing, tailoring, writing, it’s glorious in every way. Charming, very professional and I can only say that we received help and friendliness.
-RTVE president José Manuel Pérez Tornero argued that TVE can also sign from abroad. Do you support this “external” talent aggregation?
-I am very grateful for the trust of TVE and Cuarzo Producciones. This is an opportunity, a program gift, and I will do my best. I already have a career in television and the truth is that it was a surprise, why would I say otherwise, but I think it came at an ideal time in my life and profession. I will give everything and I am very excited, but also nervous and eager because it is a responsibility.
-After your scene in Telemadrid, which ended after Ayuso’s final electoral victory in the Community of Madrid, was TVE’s public service mission decisive for this new adventure?
-The time I spent in Telemadrid, where I had great friends and great professionals, those years were great. We have achieved that the center is in the citizen, especially Jon Ariztimuño. These were the years when the weight of politics in Telemadrid’s content decreased. Everything we do is in the newspaper library and I am very proud of the four years I spent on public television in Madrid. And of course this public service experience is useful to me at this stage when I started on national public television. Because I believe in public service, that this information is useful and transforms reality. I am determined and I strongly believe that we can do a lot and help citizens through ‘Speaking openly’.
-How do you see Telemadrid’s situation now, did that phase end with less politics immersed?
-I can talk about the years I was there, and as I said, I am very proud of those years when political interference was minimal and we worked in complete freedom. It was a success and we built quality public television. Now I wish all the best to my colleagues at Telemadrid.
Source: Informacion
