José María Íñigo, Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy

The Council of the Television Academy has decided to reward the veteran and versatile professional with this award. The honoree will receive this recognition at the end of June during the 13th Annual Television Academy Awards Ceremony.

The Council of the Academy of Television Sciences and Arts in its last meeting, held on Tuesday afternoon in Madrid, has decided to award the 2010 Lifetime Award to the veteran journalist, actor, writer and presenter José María Íñigo, in recognition of a professional career linked to the television medium.

In previous calls this award has been given to important figures in the television world such as Jesús Hermida, Miguel de la Quadra Salcedo, Antonio Mercero, Chicho Ibáñez Serrador, Josefina Molina, Matías Prats Sr., José de las Casas, Pedro Amalio López, Emilio Aragón, Miliki, Rosa María Calaf, Rosa María Mateo or Concha Velasco.

In its last edition, the Academy recognized the sports journalist, José Ángel de la Casa, with the Lifetime Award.

The Academy Council is made up of representatives of general chains, regional channels and digital platforms.

Íñigo, passion for television

Born in Bilbao. His first steps in the world of journalism were at the age of fifteen at Radio Bilbao (SER), later at Radio Popular (COPE) and the newspaper La Gaceta del Norte. At 18 he worked at the EFE Agency in the Special Reports Service section.

Later he traveled to London, collaborating from the BBC with Cadena SER on musical programs. In Madrid, on Cadena SER he presents, among other programs, El Musiquero, El Gran Musical and launches Los 40 principals. Actively collaborates in publications such as Spanish News, Young World and several Madrid newspapers.

His television career began on TVE in 1968 with the program Last Cry, an avant-garde musical directed by Pedro Olea and Iván Zulueta. With the latter as director, he stars in the film One, Two, Three to the English Hideout. Later, he worked on other films such as A45 revolutions per minute or Naked Therapy. Recently (1998) he has worked on Alex de la Iglesia's film Muertos de Risa with Santiago Segura and El Gran Wyoming.

On TVE he has presented and directed, among others, the programs Rhythm 70, Hoy 14.15, Open Study, Very Direct, Fantastic, People want to know, Party…with them they won more than a hundred awards, among many others, the National Television Award and the Ondas Award.

For several years he presented in Telemundo-Channel 2, from Puerto Rico, and live, the Studio 2 program traveling to the Caribbean island every week, going and coming to San Juan on the same day. In Euskal Telebista-ETB2 he presented the program for four years Inigo Live.

On private television he has presented programs such as Telecinco mornings y What side are you on? (Telecinco) or The kangaroo y What a memory mine an Antena 3 TV.

As a writer he has written and published more than forty books, including Labomba Esther Vilar, Pop music, folk music, Encyclopedia of music 1900-1970, Open Studio, Fantastic World…In addition to numerous travel guides, in collaboration with Antonio Aranillas as Guide to the Paradores de Turismo of Spain, Guide to Spas, Guide to the Silver Route, Guide to World Heritage cities o Dare to be happy. In February 2004 he published the book alone Now I speak (Edit.Belacqua) and in September, when we were young (Edit. The Sphere of Books). In June 2008 it came to light Who said fear of flying? (Editorial Esfera de los Libros) and already in 2010 100 Spaniards and the Prince (Editions B).

Since September 2000 he has collaborated in the program It's not just any day from Radio Nacional de España by Pepa Fernández. From November 2002 until May 2003 on Spanish Television/TVE 1 he presented within the program The Flo Show by Florentino Fernández, the “Directísimo” section. On June 23, 2003, he presented with Jesús Vázquez on Telecinco, the program I live singing. From May 2004 until August of that same year, he presented the program on TVE 1 Adjustment Letter.

In 2006 he presented from the Dominican Republic for Telecinco the program Survivors: lost in the Caribbean with extraordinary audience ratings.

He has subsequently worked for LaSexta in Flo's Club as a stand-up comedian and presenting the program Finite Planet: Stockholm. In 2009 he participated as a jury in the program Generation of stars broadcast by FORTA stations throughout Spain, and later in A kiss and a flower on Castilla-La Mancha TV.

He has been in charge of broadcasting the last Eurovision Song Contest for La 1de TVE.