The lawyer and journalist José Pablo López Sánchez today he became the new president of RTVEafter the Congress of Deputies will approve his election in a second vote this Thursdaywith majority of the camera.
López’s history with RTVE goes back a long way and is not exempt from being turbulent. In April 2021 he was appointed as director of General Contents of RTVE. From that position he promoted projects such as Benidorm Festivalthe return of The Grand Prix and Figures and Letters, The law of the sea, The promise, Bake Off either Late Show with Marc Giró, among others.
His work in the public entity It ended abruptly in March 2023when he was dismissed by the Board of Directors.
It occurred in the middle of the struggle within RTVE for the signing of David Broncano and The Resistance (now The Revolt) of which he was a firm defender, even with conditions (as a three-year armored contract) rare on the market audiovisual.
He returns more than a year and a half later, this time as president with almost full powers, something that was sponsored by the decree law of the PSOE Government, which in addition to modifying that the election of president of RTVE could be done by an absolute majority in the second vote (and not with a three-quarters majority as was essential before), gives you the power to sign contracts of up to two million euros and to appoint and dismiss positions without counting on the RTVE Council.
Passionate about TV, always a love for the world of save me and one of the confrontations with the Council could also have come from his efforts to recover faces from the missing program of Telecinco for RTVE, including Belen Esteban.
Graduated in Journalism from the San Pablo CEU University and in Law from the Complutense University of Madrid, José Pablo López Sánchez has more than fifteen years of experience in the direction of different television networks.
Taking a leap into the past, he worked as director of the legal department and as attached to the general management of La Sexta (2005-2010) and later it was for six years it was the head of Trece TV (2010-2016).
In 2017 it was elected general director of RTVM through a public tender by the company’s Board of Directors, an appointment that was ratified by the Madrid Assembly.
During that mandate had fights and quarrels with the PP governments and their leaders, both with Cristina Cifuentesas with Javier Lasquetty and with the main advisor of Isabel Diaz AyusoMiguel Ángel Rodríguez.
He PP government in the Community of Madrid changed the autonomous law in a way that allowed him to fire José Pablo López in July 2021, appointing in his place and as sole administrator José Antonio Sánchez, former president of RTVE during Mariano Rajoy.
Jose Pablo Lopez took his dismissal to courtclaiming that his dismissal had been unconstitutional and illegal and demanding his reinstatement in the position and the amounts he had not received in salary.
However, the Superior Court of Justice of the Community of Madrid rejected the contentious-administrative appeal in March of this yearclosing that legal avenue.
Now, José Pablo López returns to RTVE with a council of 15 membersof which 11, including himself, are proposed by the PSOE and its partners and 4 by the PP.
Miquel Calçada Olivella (proposed by Junts), Marta Ribas (Sumar), Esther de la Mata Ahedo, Mercedes de Pablos Candón, Rosa León Conde, José Pablo López Sánchez, Angélica Rubio (the five proposed by the PSOE), María Teresa Martín del Caz (Sumar), Mariano Muniesa Caveda (Vamos), María Solana (PNV) and Sergi Sol i Bros (ERC) They were elected in the Congress and the Senate, Eladio Jareño, Rubén Moreno, Marina Vila and Ignacio Ruiz Jarabo (proposed by the PP).
All of them will govern an RTVE in which, as these councilors advanced, The use of co-official languages will be reinforced, especially Catalan, with a La 2 in that language for Catalonia, in addition to the reinforcement of the territorial centers, a relaunch of external production and changes in the news.