Alfredo Urdaci’s return to RTVE followed a judicial ruling that acknowledged his earlier dismissal as improper, a decision that set the stage for him to rejoin the national public broadcaster. He was invited to a formal meeting with the company’s Human Resources department on December 13 to discuss what his next role might look like within the organization. This development was corroborated by El Mundo, which has tracked the veteran journalist’s long-running interaction with RTVE and the legal process surrounding his departure and reinstatement.
To understand the broader sequence, it’s important to note that at the end of July, the Madrid High Court of Justice ruled in favor of Urdaci’s right to return to public radio and television. During his earlier tenure, he served as news director from 2000 to 2004, a period marked by significant management shifts within the newsroom. The court’s decision reinforced the idea that personnel changes at state-run media outlets are subject to judicial scrutiny when they intersect with established rights and prior appointments.
Urdaci had left the post following a series of accusations relating to how information was presented, and he subsequently requested a ten-year leave that ended in 2014. When he sought re-entry at that time, RTVE rejected his application, citing that the journalist’s former position had already been filled by another candidate who had won the role in 1985. The court’s record also noted there were no vacant positions available at that moment, and other re-entry cases were prioritized, which contributed to the decision not to reinstate him then.
Undeterred, Urdaci pursued legal action against RTVE, initiating a lawsuit that sought not only reinstatement but also financial compensation. He claimed 300,000 euros in damages for the economic impact caused by the period from 2015 to 2021 during which he alleges he did not receive remuneration. This legal contest is part of a long arc of involvement that has seen the journalist hold various roles within RNE and TVE since 1985, including an early period as a reporter for public radio in Rome for eleven years, before moving to TVE in 1998 as deputy director of news services and later advancing to director in 2000. The broader context indicates that the National Court has repeatedly examined cases involving information management and editorial decisions within Spain’s public television system, underscoring the ongoing tension between journalistic independence and institutional control in the public broadcasting sector.