You had to hit the ground running. How did you experience the early days of the lockdown, considering that you had been leading RTVE Catalunya for just over two weeks?

It was disconcerting. Almost half our staff members had to be confined and filming for most of the programmes came to a standstill. From the moment it all started, my first priority was to ensure the safety, health and welfare of each and every employee. Everyone had to be able to work in a safe environment so we quickly implemented preventive measures.

How did the staff organise themselves?

With over 750 people working at RTVE Catalunya, distributed between the production centre in Sant Cugat and the Radio Nacional headquarters at 22@, we decided to split staff into three groups: those who work in television, those who work in radio and those who work from home. That way we were able to react in the event of an infection.

Has the situation improved since then?

About half our staff members are still working remotely. Writers have their tools available and we have even experimented with new technology, such as equipment for editors. Although this is not the ideal scenario, since the teams need to be together and share experiences, the truth is that we have all been surprised by how easy the process has been.

What do you mean?

The general perception has changed. There used to be some resistance to interviews via videoconference, for example, but now no one questions it. Content has taken priority over quality, and some of the barriers that were holding us back have vanished. We have become more flexible and this will allow us to explore new opportunities for communication.

Can you give us an example?

We started to circulate the newsover smartphones and mobile devices, which have allowed us to offer a wider range of content. Videoconferencing now forms part of all news bulletins, and even talk shows such as NomsPropis or Punts de Vista started to incorporate it during the lockdown. We are also using Objetivo Tokyofrom the sports channel as a test bed for incorporating cloud-based video production, a technology we might introduce into our work circuit. I could name many other cases like these.

Saber y Ganar, one of RTVE Catalunya iconic programmes, never stopped airing.

It didn’t but some changes were made. During the lockdown, we went from three contestants to two per programme and they were all residents of Catalonia, which was due to the health and safety restrictions.

We also got the chance to see some cultural performances during the months of lockdown.

Yes. We created synergies between the cultural and social networks to showcase those activities that could not be attended by the public. Among others, we presented theMercat de la Música Vivafrom Vic and the Festival Castell de Peralada. We also doubled our broadcast channels byallowing viewers to stream content as well.

You also coordinated with institutions to compensate for the lack of on-site classes.

Together with the Ministry of Education, we promoted Educlan, a platform with educational audiovisual content for children aged 3 to 10, which was broadcast on La 2, Clan TV and RTVE's online platforms. It is important to consider the fact that 99% of households in Spain have a television set but only 83% have access to the internet, so we didn't want to leave anyone behind.

What has been the biggest challenge you encountered over the past few months?

RTVE Catalunya had committed to increasing from 20 hours of programming in Catalan to 40, and we achieved it. And we plan to do twice as much next year. Putting it into practice under the current circumstanceshasn't been easy, but the strategy for the new programmes is working very well. In addition, we have begun to offer the great La 2 documentaries in Catalan and we will soon be broadcasting films in Catalan again on Televisión Española, as we did 30 years ago.

And you managed thison top of your work as a lecturer at a university that hasn't slowed down either.

That’s right, #UICNonStop. The first lockdown took the entire university community by surprise, but we were soon able to reinvent ourselves and find a way to continue teaching. The second time, a few months ago, we already had the tools to hand and were able to adapt more quickly.

What do you miss most about on-site classes?

From a teaching point of view, it’s not as exciting. It is much easier to convey passion for your profession in a face-to-face setting than in a virtual one. Although there are positive aspects to the online classes, I love conveying what the professional experience has taught me in person and I hope to do it again very soon. On top of that, I learn a lot from my students and finddiscovering their points of view very enriching.