"Culture, girl": why they cancelled the magazine presented by Tània Sarrias

Barcelona«Good morning, it's time for culture. It's time for 'Cultures 2'Only fifteen days remain, until November 27th, to hear these words live. Tania Sarrias has said so many times to open Cultures 2A program that still airs Monday through Thursday on La 2. Today we learned it's being cancelled. It's very bad news. I immediately discussed it with a friend who knows very well what it's like to work in cultural programming on TV, and one of her phrases gave me the title of this article: "Culture, girl."

There's a certain resignation in this expression. And the thing is, for those of us who work in culture and the media, these things don't come as a surprise, unfortunately. It will be a year old on such and such a day. And it will be a year old on such and such a day, yes, but today I want to protest, and above all, to highlight a job, a way of doing things, that we will miss. Many writers, when they talk about their writing process, agree that the most important thing is finding the tone of what you want to say. Once you have it, you also have the novel, they say, but you have to dedicate time and effort to finding it. For me, one of the virtues of Cultures 2 They had found the perfect tone to bring viewers closer to culture. It was—and still is!—casual and approachable. The interaction with the contributors is familiar, relaxed, and trusting. They have a sense of humor, as demonstrated by the mock mini-interview they conducted with a mock interviewee. Haruki Murakami The day it was announced that no, he hadn't won the Nobel Prize that year either. I really like that they joke about it, that they don't talk about culture as if it were sacred. At the same time, make no mistake, the program's rigor is undeniable. They know what they're talking about, and the content always feels well-researched. It's also very thoughtful: you encounter the most powerful and prominent figures in the cultural world, but there's always room for those creators who aren't in the spotlight, and who have very few opportunities to explain what they do.

There's something that's clear, and that's that the team is good and committed to the program and to culture. "The fact that practically the entire team burst into tears when they were told the news means that this goes far beyond work. We believe that what we're doing is important, and that it can make the world a little better." Tania Sarrias tells me this, having generously agreed to speak on the phone during a difficult time for her. She's hurting, and very sad. It was already tough when the program's time slot was changed from 7 pm to 11:30 am, causing them to lose thousands of viewers. That says a lot about the network's regard for content. A program that, incidentally, the Observatory of Culture chose as the best cultural program on television in 2024. Now, quite conveniently, TVE has announced they're already preparing another one. But someone please explain this to me: why cancel a program that managed to reach viewers, despite the obstacles you put in its way? A program that also resonated with industry professionals, who found themselves with a well-prepared presenter who listened to them. "I'll always remember every person who came on here. You'd talk, and then they'd get up with a smile and hug you, because they felt you loved what you did," she told me today. What a shame they're letting this go. This team, led by Tània Sarrias, departs gracefully, expressing her gratitude and her characteristic sense of responsibility: "We have eight shows left, let's make them the best. I just need a couple of days to recover from this awful knee injury, and then we'll get back to it."