RTVE Catalonia: 60 years of broadcasts in Catalan

On October 27, 1964, RTVE It broadcast its first program in Catalan: the play 'La ferida luminosa' by Josep María de Sagarra, thus beginning a history of broadcasts in Catalan that will reach its 60th anniversary in 2024.

RTVE Catalonia has celebrated the anniversary by organizing open days at the Sant Cugat del Vallés studios. The visit to the center last Saturday was attended by institutional representatives, members of the communication sector and companies in the area. Upon arrival, María Eizaguirre Comendador, director of Participation and Communication of RTVE and Steve Crespo, director of RTVE Catalonia, welcomed and thanked everyone for attending these sessions.

The days, as explained Steve Crespo, they want to value “a moment that was very important for the television history, if you allow me, for the history of Catalonia and our common heritage." And this significant milestone, he added, "is a reason to celebrate, to reclaim and to share everything together."

Crespo has also recalled several programs that have been done by RTVE Catalonia in Catalan over the years, such as Our sea, turn around o Terra d'Escudella, defined as “pioneer programs created by a school of professionals, with a way of making and understanding modern, quality television.” The director of RTVE Catalonia also wanted to highlight the work that since 1959, first in Miramar and then in Sant Cugat, It has been done and continues to be done: “During these 60 years we have never stopped speaking in Catalan, nor have we stopped producing programs for the rest of Spain with the talent and creativity from here.”

The second of the days, Sunday, was dedicated families of the workers of RTVE Catalonia. In this way, the little ones have been able to share the work space and the work that is done every day with those closest to them.

60 decades of public service in Catalan

The story of RTVE Catalonia begins the July 14, 1959 with the program Mediterranean balcony. At that time, the announcer José Luis Barcelona inaugurated the Miramar Studios, a production center located on the Montjuïc mountain that hosted successful programs and forged great professionals. The Broadcasts in Catalan began in October 1964 with the play The luminous wound by Josep Maria de Sagarra. From that moment on, every month, for one hour, you could watch a play in Catalan on television. Thirty-one works were broadcast in this space, such as Romeo, from five to nine, The little shepherds y Apple and the one.

In 1967 the program appeared Our sea and in 1973, turn around. This reached three hours of programming in Catalan per month. A year later, it would be created Miramar, he first informative space within which it was beginning to take shape as a Catalan circuit, with a daily duration of fifteen minutes, from Monday to Friday.

There were several productions that from then on were incorporated into the Catalan programming. This is the case, among others, of the remembered children's program Terra d'Escudella (1977), the popular humor series Dr. Caparrós (1979), starring Joan Capri and involving a young Joan Pera, and the programa musical Musical Express (1980), directed and presented by Àngel Casas.

In this review of the history of RTVE Catalonia, it is worth highlighting another important date: in the year 1983, when the production center moves to the new facilities of Sant Cugat del Vallès. On June 27 of that year, broadcasts from the new studios began with the special Goodbye Miramar, good morning Sant Cugat, an emotional program presented by Anna Maria Solsona where they said goodbye to the center of Miramar to begin a new stage.

Currently, Catalonia is the RTVE's second most important production center. Welcomes more than 700 professionals, 19 buildings and seven sets in full operation.