Spain’s RTVE name Concepción Cascajosa Virino as interim president

Spain’s RTVE has named author and academic Concepción Cascajosa Virino as its new interim president following the departure of its president and content chief earlier this week.

Cascajosa Virino was previously a member of the board of directors and had worked as president of the equality division at RTVE since 2021.

She has also been a professor at the Carlos III University of Madrid, where she held roles including director of its Masters in Film and TV Scriptwriting and vice dean of Journalism and Audiovisual Communication Studies.

Her arrival comes a day after the shock departures of Sánchez and López following ongoing disagreements between the execs, which came to a head around a proposed move for David Broncano and his interview show La Resistencia, produced by El Terrat.

Elena Sánchez (RTVE)

It had been due to move from Movistar Plus to RTVE, signalling a shift in focus for RTVE but also a significant investment of around €42m ($46m) for three seasons.

That deal was refused, however, by RTVE’s board, and the tension has now come to a head after Sanchez called for López’s dismissal at a board meeting yesterday.

The board duly obliged, but Roberto Lakidain – a board member representing Spanish political party Podemos – then also proposed to dismiss Sánchez as well.

RTVE’s board, which is made up of representatives from the main Spanish political parties, will now be led by Cascajosa Virino for six months.

The drama unfolded at the same time as six of the eight board members were meeting for the final time, with their legal mandates ending yesterday.