The director of its technical division, Jesús García, confirms that both television and radio were able to continue operating normally thanks to their backup generators.

By Daniel Esparza

Spain and Portugal experienced an unprecedented day this Monday, with a massive blackout that affected the entire country unevenly. In addition to the chaos caused by spending several hours without electricity or internet, there was also the uncertainty of not knowing what was happening, as people could not turn to their usual sources of information. In this context, radio regained a special prominence, becoming, for many, the only connection to the outside world.

The day left scenes of long queues outside bazaars and electronics stores as people searched for transistor radios and batteries to power them, as well as groups of people gathered in the middle of the street around a radio device, taking us back to images from another era we thought were long forgotten. “In these cases, the essential medium, as has been proven, is the radio, which is what everyone quickly turns to for information,” explains Jesús García Romero, head of the technical division at public broadcaster TVE, to TM BROADCAST.

Jesús García confirms to this magazine that both television and radio were able to operate technically with complete normality thanks to their backup generators. “It didn’t affect us; we are prepared to act in this kind of adversity. All essential services react immediately, and the news services start looking for sources of information and pass on the authorities’ recommendations to the public, which is our main mission in these cases.”

“We have tanks with nearly 15,000 liters of diesel fuel, which would have allowed us to last two or three days without a problem,” details RTVE’s technical director, who explains that they did shut down non-essential equipment, in order not to push the generators to their limits, given that it was unclear when power would be restored. The corporation has three generators to supply each of its production centers in Madrid.

Another issue, of course, was the clear disruption the blackout caused among staff, with employees arriving late for the afternoon shift and others unable to return home for several hours due to the massive traffic jams that paralyzed Madrid for much of the day.

“Some staff members, especially those in support units, were asked to stay until someone from the afternoon shift could arrive, provided they didn’t have any family issues, in order to carry out shift changes and ensure continuity,” García explains.

“We tried to let those who had family issues leave as soon as possible, and for the others, we suggested they stay here too to avoid unnecessary travel and not to clog up the roads, which was what the authorities were recommending,” continues Jesús García, noting that the public broadcaster had electricity at all times and could stay fully informed.

They also made a large number of emergency rations available to staff, enough to provide up to 500 meals in case the kitchen services failed.

Program suspensions

Programs were suspended, mainly in the Prado del Rey studios (Madrid), because many professionals had to return home to take care of children, family members, or other emergencies triggered by the crisis. And also because most viewers were unable to watch. Instead, all broadcasting was shifted to Torrespaña [its production center in Madrid dedicated to news broadcasting], with a special news service that ran throughout the afternoon and merged at night with the program ‘La noche en 24 horas’ hosted by Xavier Fortes.

“All programming that was not essential was canceled,” summarizes RTVE’s technical director, noting that, as mentioned, people could not watch those programs anyway, and those who were gradually regaining electricity turned to the public broadcaster in search of updated information about what was happening.

Coincidentally, the day also coincided with a visit to RTVE from Swiss television, with planned meetings and a tour of Torrespaña, according to Jesús García. Naturally, the entire agenda had to be canceled. As a side note, the RTVE executive recounts that they had to lend cash to the visiting delegation because they only carried credit cards. “An engineering colleague was able to give them a lift to the hotel,” he explains.

Ultimately, the disruption caused by the massive blackout that shook Spain was, for RTVE, more human than technical. “We managed to survive this time — now we just need an alien attack,” jokes Jesús García as a closing remark.