Maribel Vilaplana: the journalist who didn't want to be news
The journalist who had lunch with Mazón was the most well-known face on Channel 9
BarcelonaWhen Maribel Vilaplana (Muro de Alcoy, 1975) finished presenting her first news program on RTVE's Valencian Community channel in 1996, her bosses and colleagues applauded her enthusiastically outside the studio. She was only 21, but she already showed her composure by holding a steady gaze on the camera without flinching. Almost three decades after her television debut, Vilaplana returned to the cameras on Monday, but with a very different demeanor. Distraught and with her head bowed, she navigated the throng of journalists waiting for her at the courthouse before her appearance to explain the controversial lunch at El Ventorro with Carlos Mazón on the day of the devastating storm.
"I was in the worst place, at the worst time, and with the worst person. I wish I could go back." she admitted during her statement, tearfully.And indeed, before crossing the threshold of this centrally located Valencian restaurant, Vilaplana enjoyed considerable prestige. Before joining RTVE's Valencian branch, she spent three years as a radio announcer at the legendary local station 97.7, but it was later, at Canal 9, during the PP's time in power, where she became the network's most recognizable face, presenting the midday news for over a decade, until the channel was shut down. "Back then, Canal 9 had 30% audience share, and when the PP let it die, only the news programs survived. Ximo Rovira and she, who everyone knows, were the most well-known faces," explains a journalist from the now-defunct channel.
In that golden age, Vilaplana became a significant icon in thestar system of journalists associated with the PP's absolute majority who helped downplay the impact of the 2006 metro accident. In fact, Vilaplana was the presenter of the World Meeting of Families, presided over by Pope Benedict XVI, which was held in Valencia a few days after the disaster that killed forty-three people. That same year, Vilaplana leveraged her popularity to create Bencomunicat, a company that primarily hosts events with her on board. "A gala without Maribel isn't the same gala," Mazón summarized, referring to her presence at an event before the storm. When Canal 9 closed, Vilaplana focused on her company, which also... coaching He studied communications and became a board member of Levante UD and spokesperson for his beloved club. "I've reinvented myself many times," he never tires of repeating. Now things are more difficult for him. This is due to being in the wrong place, but also because of his constant changes of direction and his exoneration of Mazón, claiming he knew nothing about what was happening.