Cat 2 takes advantage of the No-Do
This week saw the launch of La 2 Cat, RTVE's Catalan-language channel, which is still operating at half speed and will gradually incorporate programs. It remains to be seen whether it will be able to compete with TV3 in the process, especially considering the two clearly opposing editorial lines. While 3 Cat remains obsessed with providing entertainment that captures young audiences, with erratic results, La 2 Cat seems to be betting on a public service based on dissemination, with absolutely conventional content and such a low budget that creative possibilities are very limited. Furthermore, the deficiencies in lighting and sound systems make the overall result even more precarious.
Of all the new programs, however, the most notable so far—also because it has been noticeable in the audience figures—is The year you were born, a program that travels back in time with two illustrious guests. It is presented by journalist Xavier Bundó, who in front of the camera has the gift of transmitting communicative humility. He doesn't need to affect his attitude or raise his tone of voice to capture the viewer's attention, and this is appreciated amidst a general tendency towards excessive television affectation and theatricality.
Gemma Nierga and José Corbacho were the first guests, to remember in 1965, although, in the end, the year is only the excuse to recover the images of the No-Do in a more transversal way. It is already ironic that it is the archives of the regime's newsreel that seem to reactivate the new Catalan-language channel. Minoria Absoluta is making extraordinary use of the film archives of the dictatorship, which they have also recently searched for The secret files of the No-DoMinister Gabriel Arias-Salgado and the Vice-Secretary of Popular Education of Franco's government would be pleased to see the use made of his legacy. Perhaps it would be good to be a little more original in the selection of major events, because the Beatles' visit to Spain is a bit of a no-brainer.
The year you were born It's a format that exploits nostalgia, one of the most common but most effective media strategies. It also plays with a certain musealization of the past. Retro television, or that exploration of heritage television that delves into collective memory, usually works because it engages the viewer from an emotional perspective. Bundó gives it a warm, relaxed tone, and Nierga and Corbacho rowed in favor of the format. Although the final result is somewhat static and not at all innovative, the program is entertaining and, above all, makes us wonder from the first episode whether this more adult television, which pays attention to the story and the details, which reinforces observation and seeks the emotional bond between one side of the screen and the other, is what the audience is missing, and which is increasingly missing the audience.
