Ramon Pellicer: "Leaving the 'Telenotícies' is a long-awaited change."

BarcelonaRamon Pellicer speaks with ARA in his first interview after it was revealed that he will not continue as head of the Weekend newscastThe journalist and presenter also reveals what projects he's already cooking up for the coming months.

They've announced the names of the presenters for the 'Telenotícies' starting next season, and yours isn't there.

— Yes, I leave the Newscast After 20 years of experience in this news genre, I believe I've already established a good foundation and know enough about them to return to other areas I'd shelved in the past that still interest me.

Would you have wanted to continue?

— It's a change that has been desired and discussed for some time in my circle. I haven't stopped wanting to do reports, interviews, or debates. I've put it aside to do the TN, which is a very specific and tempting format but also very forced and limits creativity and ingenuity, so in the new stage I will try to have opportunities to recover that spirit. And to that I add that I have been working on weekends for many years now. At the time they were a joke for me, regarding the education of the children and accompanying them to extracurricular activities. While I was in the TN I missed a good part of these experiences on weekdays. However, now it's over: they go wherever they need to go, so having the weekends back for me is also exciting.

And from now on? You'll be 65 in November, but I understand that retirement is still a long way off.

— Age doesn't determine my future, at least not if it's up to me. What should determine you is desire, enthusiasm, motivation, and I've kept that intact.

Which is it?

— From entrance to The Marathon, which this year is once again dedicated to cancer, as The Marathon from 2004, which I also presented, and which was my first solo project. It's a reunion I'm really looking forward to. Not only for its social component, but also for its public service. And, starting in January, I'm going to launch a project within the social sphere, which is a field I've long explored through the program. Between the lines from TV3.

You talk about the rigor that is required by the TNWould you have liked to have messed up your hair more?

— I haven't fought to change this, because it's absurd. The format is what it is. But yes, when the new ones started Newscast, they allowed us to have our say. They told us, listen, give us ideas, and we gave them. And that's why the Weekend newscast has the space for the report, or the agenda.

In any case, is the initiative to close the stage yours or the network's?

— The initiative is common.

Okay, but it's like relationships: someone always speaks first.

— Man, yes. There comes a day when they call you and say: let's talk about the future. But I'm telling you, before this conversation, there are others in which you express your will, your concerns, or desire to do things. If they tell me no, I'll do it. Newscast or we have reached this point, then I don't know what reflection I would have made, but since it hasn't been like that because from the very beginning the desire for continuity has been expressed, then I have finally seen my desire to do other things satisfied.

Your situation at TV3 is atypical, in fact. You're not part of the staff, but rather through your production company.

— Exactly. But I had a position. When I went to Madrid, I requested a leave of absence, and when I returned, I didn't take it back.

I don't know how to interpret this decision psychologically. Usually, a position at TV3 is quite coveted.

— It hasn't been a priority for me. I've always tried to do what made me feel comfortable and what excited me. That's why, unlike many TV3 employees, I have a career in different media outlets: I started at Cadena SER, then I was at Catalunya Ràdio, then RAC1, and I've been at Radiotelevisión Española, Telemadrid... I like to discover new ways of working.

The production company offers more room for negotiation, but I don't know if it's more complicated to consider a hypothetical retirement.

— No, if in life you're a person with a hole in your hand and a squanderer of resources, and you've thrown everything out the window to live from day to day... but that's not my nature. I'm not like that, because I wasn't raised that way either. I've always been aware of the value of things.

I've rescued a quote of yours from 2012, when you were interviewed by Carles Capdevila for ARA. You said: "I don't see myself getting older doing the TN"It's not good to stay in places forever."

— Look, premonitory! There are other colleagues who have gone much further than me, and I don't blame them; on the contrary, they still have value and are still interesting at work. Pedro Piqueras, for example, who retired two days ago. Or Matías Prats, who continues to put in the work.

For months and months there has been talk of renewing the NewscastAnd we talk a lot about LED screens, brand clusters, studios, and the convergence of editorial teams. Shouldn't we talk about content too?

— We talk a lot about the image of the TN Because this time we've stretched the life of the current set to its limits: you can't even imagine what it's like behind the scenes! But, in fact, it's not just a change of mask and colors, or a change of direction. That's why it was a participatory process in which everyone was able to have their say, and which has served precisely to rethink how we explain things to satisfy the interests of new generations, but without forgetting our majority audience, which is what gives us the audiences we have.

Another public channel immersed in an important transformation process is La 1. El tiempo del Newscast is getting shorter and entertainment is expanding and, during the conclave, The TV family He even made informative connections. Do you think we're headed this way?

— I hope not. It's true that those of us in the news are jealous of our work and like to do it ourselves and how we want to do it, so when other programs come in to cover our content, we always look at them askance. And this doesn't just happen on Televisión Española, but also on TV3, and everywhere. Of course, in an entertainment program, the same margins of relaxation don't exist, so we journalists see that this can harm the network's overall image if it generalizes a lack of rigor, respect, or consideration in the treatment of a topic, which is then attributed to the entire network. This worries us and hurts us.

Let's be specific. I understand you're talking about the Process period, during which the programming was dominated by entertainment programs with a lot of political topicality. Are you more comfortable in this current phase, when this has been sorted out?

— Yes, I do. I think this should be taken into account. There's a huge amount of room for other programs, which don't necessarily have to rely on current events.

We've seen you for years and years on news sets, but you started with music radio. You were a boy 40, in fact.

— At Los 40 Principales, yes. I liked music, but it wasn't my world. The thing is, there were auditions at Radio Barcelona. I was studying at university, so I applied, and they took me. It was a very short stint. When I had the opportunity to move into news, I jumped right in.

You joined TV3 in 1988, so you have a very broad perspective on its history. What are the most noticeable changes?

— TV3 was a model of innovation, a cutting-edge model of creativity compared to other television channels. There wasn't the competition there is now, and everything that aired on TV3 had weight and notoriety, if only because there were no significant alternatives. It aired Barça matches, for example. It's been more sedate since then, but without renouncing change and risks. And there have also been times when television has been more restrained, and I haven't detected that desire to be a pioneer. There used to be a department called New Formats, but all that has disappeared somewhat. Perhaps we don't have enough energy to dedicate to all the open fronts.

In that early stage, your partner was Julia Otero. In addition to the inevitable fame of appearing on television, you were also embodying the birth of a star system Catalan who bordered on the world of the heart.

— Running away from this, running away from this stereotype!

Did it bother you? There was a lot of talk about it.

— You're absolutely right, but it was done in spite of us. If you talk to Julia, you'll see that her opinion of popularity is based on a direct effect of her work, and she'll tell you that the most important thing is her work. I think exactly the same. If one of the consequences of work is this, then you have to think about whether you'll put up with it or not. If the answer is yes, you shoulder it and go for it. But what you never do is encourage it, pave the way.

Of the things that are said about you, are there any clichés you'd like to shake off?

— Now they're starting to crack me up, if some of them persist. When I started, one of the clichés was that I was too young to do newscasts. But why too young? Am I good at newscasting or not? Curiously, over time, people now tell me just the opposite: "Maybe I'm too old!" And I still think age isn't a determining factor.

Throughout your career, you've heard many siren calls. What have you been offered that surprised you?

— There have been surrealists, and now I'll tell you one. But the truth is that there hasn't been one that was so compelling that I could value it and consider leaving where I was. In any case, when I left Televisió de Catalunya and went to do the NewscastOne of the most surreal offers I received—also due to the way the director, Ramon Colom, explained it to me—was an offer to star in a Venezuelan television series. Of course, Ramón laughed his head off and told them I wasn't an actor, nor did he think I had any plans to be one or anything. I found it funny.

Beyond your long career at TV3, you also spent four years at TVE. What did you learn during that time?

— It was positive to see how people who've been doing this much longer than I have work. In Madrid, I found real monsters in each section. Very competitive, too.

That ended suddenly. When the People's Party (PP) urged the appointment of Ernesto Sáenz de Buruaga as head of news, and, pardon the cheap joke, you lasted two newscasts, literally.

— Yes, exactly. I won't reveal to you the temptation politicians have to influence the media now. Sometimes it's a fortune, and other times it's more difficult. In that case, it was a fortune very quickly. They told me: listen, from now on we'll put a person above you who will be in charge of the content of the media. Newscast, with which it will be opened and with which it will be continued. I told them that I was not prepared to accept it.

Has this happened to you more times?

— Not with that intensity, because he even went to the Congress of Deputies with Francisco Álvarez-Cascos, who questioned my salary. But compared to what? To the ones paid on television? No. Compared to his? No, either. My lawyers told me that, if I wanted, I could sue him. But, of course, I thought: now I'll sue the vice president of the Spanish government? It's not worth it.

And with a lower intensity?

— There have been other issues that I want to think about that are not directly political. When I was seven years in charge of the TN Night, with a magnificent audience, for no apparent reason there was a change. Why? Because there was a change in management, and the new management thought: so that my change would be noticeable, let's change the faces and change the people. Let it be noticeable. This happens. They have every right to do so, but it happens.

How have you handled the pressures?

— On TV3 and off TV3, there's always pressure. Television is an influential medium, and people want to keep it under control, and pressure exerts pressure. If the people above you do their job well, they handle this pressure and don't pass it on. Once, during an interview with a president of the Generalitat (Catalan government), I was asked not to ask a certain question that was already scheduled to come up during the program with other guests. Immediately afterward, the president came in and asked, "What are we going to talk about?" I responded generically that we would talk about the economy, society, current affairs... And then he asked me, "And you're not going to ask me this question?" Of course! And it was the first. And I glanced at what he'd told me to withdraw the question and said, "See, you're being more Catholic than Papa?" Or I also remember being scolded for questioning Javier Solana one day. They told me we had agreed to ask a question, but not to ask him again. Oh, if only I hadn't answered by running away from the studio...

Which president was he?

— Jordi Pujol.

We always see you confined in the four corners of the plain of TNWhat is Ramon like from Monday to Friday?

— Well, look, last Monday I taught at the UIC, on Wednesday I had a meeting of the University Advisory Council, and in the meantime, and above all, I'm in charge of the logistics at home. I'm the one who does the shopping and I'm in charge of what my children need. Now we're sending one to study abroad, and that requires an enormous amount of paperwork, to the point of having to go to Madrid just to get a visa.

I saw some pictures of you on a sailboat and I imagined you spent your days sailing.

— No, no! I sail in the summer and nearby. Just four coves and that's it. I'd love to sail more, because the sea has been a constant throughout my life.

Are you still a biker? You've owned a BMW K75 and a GS 1200, which are two beasts.

— Ah, I enjoyed them a lot because, when there were two of us in the family, my wife and I traveled practically the entire Peninsula on motorcycles. I don't have them anymore because here in the city, they're limited, and because, when there are more than two of us, one motorcycle just doesn't work, so we've swapped them for a more domestic motorcycle.

Another constraint on the news is that it must convey neutrality. Would you like to give your opinion?

— I reserve it for when my job allows it.

Are you making progress on a memoir?

— No, not really. But sometimes I listen to discussions and play around with giving my point of view, or think about how I would defend it and with what arguments. But, of course, I've got this under control at the moment.

For example, now that some time has passed, if I asked you about the Process, what would you say?

— Well, it was a rather murky time, from the perspective of clarity of objectives and direction. It was rushed, and many of us were caught off guard. And time has proven this to be the case. We experienced it with confusion, doing a lot of work and with great responsibility because we were aware that it was being scrutinized. I also remember a somewhat bitter feeling about the criticism we received, influenced by the fake news that was being called out about us. It was all a bit disappointing.

In what sense?

— That it was later diluted by reasons beyond the control of those who promoted it seems regrettable to me, as do the consequences it has had, which in my opinion have been absolutely disproportionate and absurd. And this leads us to comment on a judicial system, which is what we have and suffer from, which, like many other areas, can clearly be improved.

Have you always voted?

— I've always voted. I've never failed, not even in the municipal elections. I'm even taking part in the current participatory process in Barcelona to make proposals about the city. And I've made them... but I have to tell you, they didn't come out.

What proposal have you made?

— I've asked for a bike lane here on Paseo de la Bonanova. If we're committed to a friendlier and more sustainable city, it's the right thing to do. I must say I ride my bike more than my motorcycle these days. It's faster, healthier, and I take advantage of it to get some cardio in. Plus, with these modern bikes that have that electric touch, you don't feel lazy about going up. Because, of course, I'm at the top of the city, and if you go down below, it's great, but then... you have to go back.

Finally, the last day and the last TN: What news would you like to share?

— Linking with The Marathon What I will do this year is to announce that cancer is no longer a fatal disease.