Laura Folguera (Barcelona, 47 years old) has been the new director of La 2 since December, following the retirement of her predecessor in the position, Samuel Martín Mateos. She started at the network 25 years ago as an editor for a classic of its programming, The green beetle. He has developed his professional career at the RTVE Production Center in Sant Cugat, where from now on he is once once more in charge of the channel.
The journalist explained last Thursday morning from her office in Prado del Rey that she arrived with a clear idea of how she wants to bring the second public channel closer to a broader and more diverse audience; without fear of the popular or the alternative. Its first objective is to create a stable programming that extends from Monday to Friday, so that the viewer gets used to its contents.
Ask. What was La 2 like in 1999, when you arrived?
Answer. It was a chain that largely continues to maintain the same essence. It was modern, innovative, risky… and with more economic resources than now.
P. Last week he explained during the presentation of Ciphers and letters that the arrival of the contest begins a strategy of horizontal stripes.
R. There is a change in consumption on television. There is too much offer with so many platforms and the linear television offer has to be very organized. You have to create events, anchors so that the viewer knows what to find at all times.
P. How will it be noticed in the programming?
R. For example, there will be a vertical strip every Friday followingnoon that will be the followingnoons of culture in La 2: Página Dos [literatura], Attention Works [teatro] y Movie days. I would love to create another horizontal stripe on the late night to finish anchoring and covering the maximum audience content along with Ciphers and letters.
P. Would that mean that Late Xou with Marc Giró became a daily program?
R. It is a wonderful program, we created it in Sant Cugat and it is like my creature. Nothing is closed. We thought regarding several possibilities, because a fixed offer is necessary in the late night Monday to Thursday. And of course, Late Xou is one of them.
P. If you are looking for innovation, that strip is perfect to experiment.
R. Yes, to tighten the screws a little, both in content and tone. And break the tone of political correctness, which is so boring. I think we are a little tired of that, of the offended. Public television can be done with a relaxed tone and, as Candela Peña says, stirring up the hornet’s nest.
P. This plan is reminiscent of the modernity of TVE in the eighties, with programs like The Golden Age y The Cristal ball.
R. The role of public television is also that, to be irreverent and risky. It is necessary to provoke a little. Another strategy of the chain is to be able to nourish ourselves with well-known faces that fit with the values of La 2, such as Marc Giró or Berto Romero. They can get an intermediate audience to reach us, an audience that would not go as much on La 1 and that would add a new social spectrum to the group.
P. Is the objective to increase the audience of La 2?
R. Yes, we seek to have relevant audiences, but not at any price. We want to offer attractive content without losing the essence.
P. For years, TVE at the national level has been nourished by formats born in RTVE Catalunya, in addition to Giró’s nighttime program, the Obrim Fil by Javier Sardá. Is this the reason why the management of La 2 returns to Sant Cugat?
R. The management of La 2 has spent more years in Catalonia than in Madrid. He moved to Madrid in 2018 due to the appointment of Samuel [Martín Mateos, su anterior director]. Furthermore, Sant Cugat is one of the driving forces behind La 2’s own production. To know and to win, Little pieces, The green beetle, For everyone La 2, Cultures 2…
P. Is the decentralization of public media important?
R. Completely. In the 21st century we have to be able to network and broaden our vision both in content and in production and direction. It is something very positive.
P. What of To know and to win, which daily surpasses networks like Cuatro and La Sexta 25 years following its premiere, is a miracle. But, judging by the screen share, the myth that people come to La 2 for its evening documentaries is not completely false…
R. And there they will continue. What works, we are not going to change. We have a very extensive catalog of documentaries and we can play with trends and current affairs to make your offer more attractive.
P. These days some titles related to the tragedy of Los Andes have been programmed on La 2, which JA Bayona recreates in The Snow Society and Netflix.
R. It’s an example. And we want to reinforce it with La 2’s social networks, start creating synergies between our Twitter, Instagram and TikTok channels with these current contents in the linear broadcast. Let one window lead you to the other.
The role of public television is also that, to be irreverent and risky”
P. Another window of the public entity that remains somewhat unknown is RTVE Play. Will there also be synergy with it?
R. A lot. It is a free platform that is a treasure. It will also help us attract audiences to the shelves and vice versa. Original content like the series This is not Swedeninternationally awarded, might fit into La 2. Maybe we have to do some self-criticism, maybe until now we have not promoted it as it deserves.
P. One of those trends and new sensibilities that La 2 will pay attention to this season is the broadcast of sports with women.
R. It is a way to, in addition to attracting new audiences, profile the chain and nourish it with brand values.
P. The 2 News offered that brand value. Are you planning to return to the grill?
R. We all remember that news. When you finished watching it, you felt like it reconciled you with life. We are analyzing the possibility of some news programs on La 2. But it would not be something immediate. It would be a more medium or long-term plan, because many departments would be involved.
We are analyzing the possibility of some news programs on La 2″
P. Another genre that is giving luster to the current La 2 is that of interviews. Of The mathematics of the mirror a The three doors.
R. We premiere a new season of The mathematics of the mirror in April, once more with Carlos del Amor. Interview formats can be done in many ways and with many personal styles. Carlos’s maintains that conciliatory tone that we talked regarding The 2 News.
P. In recent times, La 1 is opening up to programming strategies, formats and characters typical of private broadcasters. Is it incompatible with public service?
R. As a general concept, it is compatible. Also in La 2. You don’t have to be afraid of trends or what’s popular. It has been proven that dissemination, rigor and public service can be combined with entertainment and the issues that people talk regarding on the street. If you combine the ingredients with seriousness, professionalism and intelligence, a cocktail that is good can come out. When Rocío Carrasco visited the Late Xou that was done in Catalonia gave very good results.
P. Did something happen when Marc Giró interviewed faces from Save me in La 2?
R. No. The content was adapted to the essence of La 2. It is good not to be exclusive. It is risky, because you can heel, but you have to dare to find balance and break certain barriers and niches, because there is a lot to gain.
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