José Pablo López Appointed as New President of RTVE

José Pablo López has just been appointed as the president of RTVE. The candidate proposed by the PSOE to lead the corporation managed to gather enough support in the Congress of Deputies in the second round of secret ballot voting this Thursday, securing 178 votes in favour, the absolute majority required for the appointment. Once again, as was the case in the election of board members in previous weeks and in the first round last Tuesday, neither the PP parliamentary group nor Vox participated in the voting.

The green light came two days after the first attempt failed, when José Pablo López did not manage to secure the two-thirds majority of the lower house (234 out of a total of 350 votes) required in that first round. Before that vote, also secret and by ballot, a brief but heated debate took place, with crossfire between the PP, Sumar, and PSOE. "Unfortunately, we are witnessing the final act of the most obscene manoeuvres," said PP spokesperson Macarena Montesinos, who believes López's election "will allow him to hire friendly producers and decide what information is broadcast." The PP maintains its opposition to the decree law that allowed the reduction from a two-thirds majority to an absolute majority for both the election of new RTVE board members, which increased from 10 to 15, and the corporation's president. Socialist deputy Vicent Sarrià, on the other hand, praised López's credentials, noting his "invaluable" experience. "He increased audiences and defended the independence of Telemadrid," he added.

The new president of RTVE is no stranger to the corridors of Prado del Rey. Until March of this year, he effectively served as the second-in-command in the role of Director of General Content at the public broadcaster, but the controversial recruitment of comedian David Broncano led to his departure. It occurred during what became known as the 'red wedding' of the Board of Directors, where former president Elena Sánchez dismissed her subordinate José Pablo López due to a loss of confidence after months of tensions and disagreements. She, minutes later, was also removed from her top position by the majority of board members, resulting in a rotating and interim presidency assumed by Concepción Cascajosa.

In his appearance as a candidate in Congress, López vigorously defended the incorporation of the 'La revuelta' team into RTVE. "We made the right decision because it not only changed the nights of La 1 but also expanded the television audience in this country with viewers who had completely abandoned linear broadcasting," expressed the new president, who declared his autonomy in closing and proposing the recruitment of the popular presenter. "I proposed it without anyone suggesting it to me, not even the Prime Minister," he stated.

He first joined the public corporation in May 2022 during the presidency of José Manuel Pérez Tornero, replacing Amalia Martínez de Velasco, who was dismissed after less than a year. He was responsible for the General Content area of TVE, RNE, and RTVE Digital. During his tenure, he achieved La 1 becoming the second favourite channel among audiences, surpassing Telecinco and breaking the psychological barrier of a 10% share, with offerings like 'La promesa' or the return of 'Grand Prix', although public radio remained his major challenge, recording its worst historical figures according to the EGM in terms of listeners.

López joined RTVE following clashes with the Madrid president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, and her Chief of Staff, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, at Radio Televisión Madrid (RTVM). Particularly irritating at the Puerta del Sol was an interview conducted by Silvia Intxaurrondo during the pandemic. "Such questions are not asked to a regional president," the regional PP leader told the journalist, unable to respond about the number of healthcare professionals going to the Isabel Zendal hospital. Notably, there was also a complaint letter sent by the Community of Madrid regarding a humorous video on the regional channel's programme 'Aquí hay madroño' (produced by the 'Sálvame' production company), which, according to the 'populars', mocked Infanta Elena. After the May 2021 elections, the PP and Vox coalition led to López's dismissal, replaced by José Antonio Sánchez, a familiar figure in the public entity.

López joined the Madrid public broadcaster in 2017 under the government of Cristina Cifuentes, becoming the first consensus leader elected among all political forces in the Assembly. An unprecedented agreement was forged with the support of PP, PSOE, Ciudadanos, and the abstention of Podemos. He took the reins of Telemadrid and Onda Madrid in a period marked by the consequences of the ERE that left 861 workers unemployed and strong accusations of news manipulation, causing some viewers to disconnect from the channel. His objectives included regaining the credibility of the Madrid public with a plural and public service programming, with a particular emphasis on the renewal and modernization of the channel's news broadcasts.

Before Telemadrid, López consolidated his professional career as General Director at 13 TV, from 2010 to 2017, during which he left the Episcopal Conference's channel with a 2% audience share, becoming one of the most-watched channels on DTT. A Journalism graduate from the Universidad San Pablo CEU in Madrid and a Law graduate from the Complutense, he was also a partner at Écija Abogados and in 2006 assumed the role of Legal Advisory Director at La Sexta, coinciding with the channel's launch, also working as an assistant to the General Management until the end of 2010.