On Monday, January 15, Mediaset begins its revolution in news with its debut. Carlos Franganillo in front ‘News telecinco’ at nine o’clock at night after the retirement of Pedro Piqueras, the chain’s biggest reference for the last 17 years. Not only the presenter is changing, but also the set, which incorporates different technological innovations to make the information more dynamic. Coincidentally, on the same day and at the same time, Marta Carazo, Franganillo’s replacement in La 1, is premiering.
Many people were surprised to learn that he would be leaving TVE to sign for Mediaset. What led you to make this change?
Many elements. First of all, Pedro Piqueras was very persuasive and I know that everything he suggested to me was with the best intentions. I learned the details of what would happen next and it was a very exciting project. There has rarely been a situation in my professional life when one of Spain’s largest media organizations invited me to the process of renewing news and investing in this area so clearly in its future plan.
Did Piqueras chase you for a long time?
Not much, but he had been giving me sarcastic remarks and hints for a few months. I didn’t agree with him either because it was nothing serious but then other circumstances came together and the arrival of Paco Moreno [el nuevo director de Informativos de Mediaset]He was also betting on me and that made me take the final step.
There are those who say that this will also be a matter of money.
A highly desired project is of course combined with a good personal offer. But I believe that in any change in life and work, everyone values both elements. Without one, the other wouldn’t work. If it wasn’t a project I believed in, I would never have implemented it. He has strong values and desire to do a project.
“It is a mistake to set leadership as a target in a news program.”
Is the goal to achieve leadership?
The goal is to make the best news possible that will benefit the audience, be ambitious and continue to grow.. It is a mistake to set leadership as a target in a news story. That time may or may not come, but there are many components that are foreign and uncontrollable. Frankly, I think that the quality of a news program is not determined by the audience.
However, the goal of leading the news audience ‘ranking’ in third place (after Antena 3 and La 1) will also be present. And more in a special chain.
We all want to transcend. Otherwise, our work has no meaning. And we aim to grow. But I don’t think the main obsession is the audience. If this is the only parameter to measure news, I think we are making a mistake.
There is a political stance in the news on other channels. Does he approve?
We will provide meticulous reporting based on facts, trying to be very descriptive. In a time of so much information overload, I think a television news program can now provide calm and analysis. But it will not be a political or fixed-minded attitude that seems very legitimate to me. But that’s not the option I feel comfortable with.
When TVE journalist Anna Bosch learned that she was going to Mediaset, she wrote: “We are mourning at RTVE. We want to cry.” How does your body feel when you read things like this?
It was so sad, leaving TVE was one of the biggest tears of my life. It wasn’t an easy decision in that sense, but that crossroads came to me and if I hadn’t taken this path, maybe I would have regretted it a few years later. And when I received it, I was struck by the fact that I had left behind so many loved and admired people, in an environment where I felt so valued and so comfortable. If only I had left RTVE angry, the decision would have been much easier!
How do you differentiate yourself from the competition in journalism? In principle, when everyone starts with the same news that left its mark on the day.
This is a huge challenge. For example, one may focus more on non-agenda issues or try to stay away from current events, but their contents are very similar. How these things are explained can also make a difference: I think being more descriptive and having more capacity for context and analysis can help understand complex things. We have a duty to maintain order and a certain peace there.
Do you think the public is also drawn to the news anchor, are they generally loyal to him?
Frankly, no presenter is the author of a news program on his own. This is such a complex and multiple mechanism that ultimately everything comes together on one or both sides, but talent or success depends on many parts. Many, even abstract things that we don’t even know how to describe. Why does one person create more credibility for us and the other less? This also plays a role in whether the presenter has more or less inflection.
This won’t happen to you because ‘Save me’ is no more. However, Piqueras had to deal with the passes he was given from Jorge Javier’s program. How would you experience this?
You need to see yourself in this situation and control your reflex ability to succeed. Pedro did this with great skill and kindness because he was a first-class man. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable, especially when the first news of the day is terrible. Making this leap with this opposition can be very compromising.
Is it normal to be exposed to pressure, working in charge of the star news program of a television channel?
This largely depends on the bosses you have. I have always been lucky to be protected by those above me. And here I guarantee that this will also be the case. If you want the teams in the newsroom to work autonomously, there needs to be a top level that defends against attacks and pressures and does not extend below. We can all sense tensions and at the end of the day you are involved in a very complex system that generates a lot of concerns. There are political and economic actors… There can always be moments of tension or conflict of ideas. But the important thing is that there is a higher level that protects the editorial team.
What type of information are you least comfortable working with?
What I enjoy most is international knowledge. National politics also interests me very much, but I don’t follow it in that much detail. But I would die if I had to talk about sports because I have no clue. I remember going to watch a Sporting de Gijón match when I was at Radio Nacional in Oviedo. I had a really bad time.