Corporation journalists on the future of 3/24: "Stop the nonsense"
They warn that they want to make radio for television and television for radio
BarcelonaThe Catalan Broadcasting Corporation (CCMA) has been immersed in the redesign of its news programs for months, and this includes greater convergence between radio, television, and digital media. Among the planned measures is the unification of channel 3/24 and Catalunya Informació into a single new brand, 3CatInfo, which would also include a web presence and serve as the umbrella for all real-time information. However, the public broadcaster's journalists have sounded a warning about what they consider "an absurdity," since, according to them, the forecast is that in some time slots, the same team will broadcast through both radio and television, even though each requires a different language.
This is detailed in a statement sent by the TV3 News Professional Council and the Catalunya Ràdio Professional Council. "The future of Channel 3/24 has been a topic of debate and concern for days in the editorial team," they write. "Change and keeping up with the times is good and shouldn't scare us. But not at any price." What is most worrying is the idea of joint broadcasts: "Doing radio on TV or TV on radio without changing the language that characterizes each medium is not the solution. Management is proposing a new operating structure for the channel during certain time slots without the approval of the editorial team."
The concerns they express have to do with the different dynamics of live radio and television: "What will happen when undesirable situations arise in radio production (technical problems, unexpected changes, etc.)? What will happen in the middle of the night when there is a last-minute change?" The professionals of the house, represented by both boards, finally ask that consensus be sought "so as not to spoil the good work carried out for so many years" and they swear to jointly analyze the tests that are being carried out: "We ask that they be exactly that, tests to see where synergies can be created and where they cannot."
Sources from the CCMA defend that the process has been carried out with numerous consultations with the professionals: "The new news project is the result of a broad participation process with the workers to adapt to the consumption habits of citizens and continue being a reference in information. And like all transformation processes, it implies changes in the transformations. We have intensified tests and meetings and we will continue working in the coming weeks along the same lines, with meetings and dialogue with the professionals."
Apart from that, the relaunch of news also includes a renewal of presenters in the News, the launch of a new 400-square-meter studio with robotic cameras and a 40-meter-long screen, and the creation of various news products specifically tailored to the networks, including a new mobile app, a revamped website, dedicated channels on WhatsApp and Telegram, a weekly newsletter, and a daily podcast.