The newsroom walls had held their breath as a brewing conflict finally surfaced. After a long stretch of dispute at the public broadcaster, the moment arrived when the resignation of the TVE president and the ouster of the general content director could no longer be postponed. At Tuesday’s board meeting, amid mounting disagreements from weeks past, the council accepted a high-stakes reshuffle that ended with Elena Sánchez leaving the presidency and José Pablo López stepping down from his post as content chief. The decision marks a turning point for RTVE and signals a broader shakeup in the leadership ranks after a period of tense negotiations and strategic misalignment that had already unsettled the organization.
Disillusionment with the direction of the network had grown alongside a controversial push for what supporters called a rejuvenation plan. The pivot to bring David Broncano onto the public network had been a lightning rod for debate, with López strongly backing the hire while Sánchez faced persistent resistance from a segment of the board. The vote on Sánchez’s fate, cast on the 11th and reexamined at the council gathering, reflected the high tensions and the blunt reality that the production partnership under consideration needed revalidation. Movistar Plus+ had been aligned with the production groups Encofrados Encofrasa and El Terrat, via Mediapro, whose contracts were approaching expiration, amplifying the stakes for the board as it weighed the long-term strategy for RTVE’s programming slate.
The board meeting ended with a dramatic shift in leadership. Sánchez and López exchanged sharp remarks as the vote concluded, signaling a broader political and managerial showdown. The presidency is now in a rotating phase, and the possibility exists that new agreements could be confirmed at subsequent sessions. Broncano’s presence loomed large as the central figure in the conversation about primetime and audience strategy for the public network, potentially shaping the channel’s future priorities in the wake of the upheaval.
domino effect
The departure of López did not occur in a vacuum. It rested on a coalition of votes that included the president and three councilors from the PP, namely Jenaro Castro, Carmen Sastre, and Consuelo Aparicio, along with one Unidas Podemos advisor. In contrast, another Podemos representative opposed the dismissal, while PSOE and PNV members offered mixed positions. The result was a cascading set of motions throughout the council as López’s exit triggered calls to question interim President Sánchez, who had assumed the role about a year and a half earlier after López’s surprise resignation. Eight council members participated: a balance of votes from PP, PSOE, and the Podemos side supported the removal, while a representative from PNV abstained and another from Somos was opposed by the Podemos adviser Martín Medem.
The changes arrived as RTVE wrestled with the idea of Broncano’s contract and the potential ripple effects on viewership. The program Resistance, which had earned recognition at the Ondas Awards in 2019, stood as RTVE’s flagship bet to reenergize the network’s image. Its primetime ambition and social media impact were central to the strategy, aiming to connect with younger audiences whose engagement increasingly occurs on digital platforms where Broncano’s interview style typically finds viral traction. The flame of debate around the show’s fit and format highlighted the broader challenge of aligning high-risk content with a public service remit and the expectations of diverse audiences.
Compete against El Hormiguero
The central question facing RTVE was how to position the Broncano-led project against a formidable rival, El Hormiguero, which had already solidified its position as the audience leader and served as a benchmark for success in late-night and variety formats. The rivalry intensified as other programming moves unfolded, including Jorge Javier Vázquez’s recent efforts and Telecinco’s temporary hits, which underscored the harsh realities of competing for ratings in a crowded market. The extraordinary March 11 meeting proposed a three-year agreement valued at around 14 million euros, but the vote ended evenly with four in favor and four against. The president ultimately tipped the scale by moving from abstention to opposition, a decision that produced immediate discomfort among senior management and crystallized the impasse.
Inside sources described the turn as a tipping point born of longstanding strain between the top leadership and the managing team. The decision to shelve Broncano’s signing briefly and then reconsider a smaller package highlighted the volatile dynamics at play as RTVE attempted to balance ambition with prudence. The board subsequently explored a one-year contract and discussed a two-year alternative, with performance conditions measured by audience share. If the target of a 7.5 percent audience share did not materialize, the longer commitment could be cancelled at the end of the first year. The unfolding saga also touched other potential collaborations, including a show titled This is My Jam from LACO, historically linked with Arturo Valls and broadcast on Movistar Plus+, which now faced reevaluation in light of the executive reshuffle.
The collision of leadership, strategy, and creative risk created a moment of upheaval that extended beyond a single hire. RTVE faced a critical test: can it reinvent a flagship format in a way that resonates with younger audiences while preserving public service values and credibility in a competitive landscape? The board’s decisions in the days ahead would determine not only the fate of Resistance and Broncano but the broader direction of how the public broadcaster navigates risk, innovation, and accountability in a rapidly changing media environment.