Unacceptable squandering

The track record of Spain's 13 regional public television systems has been negative in practically all parameters, beginning with that of their massive debt, and their excessive dependence on subsidies from the regional governments that maintain them (in 2010 they received more than 1.2 billion euros). It does not seem, however, that a radical financial restructuring, or a serious reconsideration of their future, has ever been contemplated either by the outgoing regional governments or by the newly elected ones. Everything indicates that the austerity plans to reduce the regional deficit are chiefly aimed at much more substantial services, such as public health.

Some cases are more outrageous than others. And among the worst is the public television system in Valencia, for several reasons. Its huge size, since it employs more than 1,800 workers (more than the national networks Antena 3 and Telecinco put together). Its disastrous management, having accumulated a debt of 1.139 billion euros. Its pathetic audience ratings, which stood at 4.2 percent in July — one factor that perhaps explains this being the sectarian nature of its news broadcasts, which completely ignored the corruption scandal that ended in the recent resignation of the regional premier, Francisco Camps.

In the area of regional television the arrival, following the May elections, of new governments in some regions, such as Castilla-La Mancha, has been characterized more by the traditional game of musical chairs (replacement of audiovisual executives), this time in favor of personalities of the extreme right, than by any general reconsideration of these expensive systems. The underlying message is that the squandering of public funds is of little importance as long as the regional systems can go on serving as mouthpieces for the regional government in power.

The immense, disproportionate size of the regional television systems, their slipshod management and their lack of professional ethical considerations in terms of objective news reporting — together with increasing competition from the private networks — have resulted in dwindling audience ratings; yet there have been no second thoughts even about their operating methods, that is, by following the example set by the national television network TVE, which has eliminated advertising.

The present adverse economic situation constitutes a good opportunity to reconsider the future of these regional public broadcasting systems. If they justify their existence on the grounds of being close to their local viewers, only to be subservient to the party in power in the region, then the prudent course would be to sell them, or to close them. The only arguments for the continuance of some of them are the service they bring to communities of more than one language and strongly differentiated cultures, where they do make a positive contribution; or the excellence of their content — but examples of the latter are few and far between.