Matías Prats: Half a Century Leading a Daily News Programme

Matías Prats' voice and image have accompanied Spaniards through their most significant moments over five decades. The presenter is celebrating a historic milestone on the small screen: 50 years since his first appearance on a television news programme. In other words, more than 10,000 editions, witnessing the political and social changes in our country since the Transition. He is the first Spanish journalist to reach this figure, a unique case not only in Spain but also in Europe.

Of the half-century leading a news programme, the last 27 years have been at Antena 3, where he co-hosts the weekend news edition with Mónica Carrillo. Prats began in black-and-white television under the public channel's monopoly (TVE). From those moments in the 70s, he recalls the first time he stood in front of a camera. "I was a young, inexperienced, and dull lad. It could have been my first and last chance to participate in a news programme. But I was lucky that no boss, as it turned out, could watch that first broadcast. My colleagues worked hard to correct me, and I could continue," the journalist reminisces.

From TVE's 'Telediarios', Matías covered milestones in Spain's history. From Franco's death to the Constitution referendum. But he will always remember his broadcast of the coup d'état on February 23, 1981. "My trial by fire was the 23-F. I had to comment live on the images coming from Congress. I then introduced the footage of the assault. My work, I confess, was not top-notch," he reveals.

The ETA attacks, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the kidnapping and murder of Miguel Ángel Blanco, the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers (Antena 3's longest news programme), the 11-M attacks, ETA's ceasefire declaration, King Juan Carlos's abdication and the arrival of Felipe VI, or the dana disaster and the Kings' visit to Paiporta – "it's something that has marked me deeply," the journalist reflects – are other major events he has narrated firsthand.

In 1998, he left TVE to move to the private sector. Prats confesses that his move to Antena 3 had much to do with "the strength and enthusiasm they showed" in his new home to accept the change. There, some of his friends in the profession awaited him, like Jesús Hermida or Olga Viza, with whom he narrated the unforgettable opening ceremony of the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. "It was a pivotal change in my career. I had spent 23 years in public television. Then, making that leap was a great challenge, but also a good opportunity to grow in a different and more competitive environment," he says. He debuted with a young Susanna Griso, forming a good tandem that viewers still remember years later. In 2003, he also achieved the milestone of 'Antena 3 Noticias 2' dethroning, for the first time and sustainably, the leadership of the public television's nightly news.

Matías Prats' image has also been a reference in sports information, participating in programmes like 'Estudio Estadio', 'Europa en juego', 'Territorio Champions', or 'Champions Total'. He has covered six football World Cups and six Olympic Games. He is recognised by the public and the profession, with awards as prestigious as the National Television Award, granted to him in 2017.

Prats has also witnessed how television news itself has changed. "Although I believe the most significant change has been the increase in number and variety. Today we coexist with multiple platforms, with constant immediacy and, of course, with a more active and demanding audience," he explains. "The form, speed, aesthetics, technology have changed... but the figure of the presenter faithful to their principles remains, which should always be rigour, commitment to truth, and respect for the viewer," he argues.

Meanwhile, Matías warns that his retirement from the profession is not in his immediate plans: "We will keep insisting. For now, I don't foresee the end, so you'll have to put up with me a little longer."