COPE has set up a special on the occasion of the upcoming elections in Andalusia. Carlos Herrera, one of its journalists, tells elEconomista.es what it is like to cover electoral elections.
COPE has prepared a special for the Andalusian elections. What does it consist of?
The coverage that we are doing in COPE with the Andalusian elections has three aspects. On the one hand, the tour that we have made in the main programs through all the Andalusian provinces to learn about the concerns of the citizens; on the other hand, the interviews with the candidates that we have carried out from the hotel in Seville where we have installed a unique radio studio and lastly, with the election night and the special edition of Herrera in COPE that we will also do the day after from 6 in the morning.
How many journalists have mobilized?
In this type of coverage, we are talking about large teams. We have been working on the device for two months because of what I mentioned earlier. We are not only talking about election night, we are also talking about building a radio studio on the roof of a hotel… a television set! …so that the listener can also see it on video through the COPE website and social networks and that implies moving almost fifty people to Seville long before 19J.
Has the way of reporting changed with the end of bipartisanship?
From a logistical point of view, yes, because you have to cover more party venues. In an informative plane no. Every time I am faced with coverage of these characteristics, it is clear to me that we must offer the listener the answers to the questions that are asked. We must provide context. It is no longer a matter of telling him only what is happening, but also why it is happening and how it affects him. And to tell him things he doesn’t know and even more so, that he doesn’t know what he wants to know.
You know Andalusia perfectly, what do you think will happen in the 19J elections?
I would not dare to make a forecast looking at the experiences we have had in past elections in Spain. However, the day after 19J seems more important to me. Among other things, to know how the community with the largest population in Spain will be governed and also how the result will influence the political board.
In recent years we have experienced many elections. Does journalism live in a continuous campaign?
Radio lives its second golden age, it continues to be the most credible medium. We live in times of acceleration and each time the headlines or the news last fewer hours. Everything is going very fast and in this scenario, the role of the radio must be to settle in an explanatory mode. Radio is experiencing a moment of transformation and to make the right decisions we must know how to read the context. This is about the future, this is also about digitization, podcasts, getting the distribution of the content we generate on or off the antenna right, this is about incorporating new profiles.
You have been doing journalism for more than 40 years, how have electoral campaigns changed in this time?
They are radically different starting with the social and technological context. 40 years ago there was only press, radio and television. There was no Internet, no social networks, no mobile phones, and nothing was done in a matter of minutes viral. From a marketing point of view, slogans have become more and more refined. The candidates themselves bring more and more learned the speech.
Has the critical spirit been lost and the listener is only looking to reaffirm his political opinions?
The problem is that the context has changed. The citizen or listener has more and more sources of information. We live in times of acceleration. Everything is going very fast and in this scenario, we have a challenge and it is to offer context.
You are very critical of the Government. With a society and a polarized radio, does it benefit you, in terms of audience, for the left to govern?
In my first EGM after landing at COPE, in December 2015, Herrera at COPE gained a million listeners. One million! And Pedro Sánchez did not govern. On the antenna he guided me by rigor and plurality. That is my criteria. Rule who rules. Credibility is only achieved with a good job.
What did you think of Juan Carlos I’s visit to Spain? What should he have been like in his judgment?
We must start from a fact: King Juan Carlos should not have left Spain. He didn’t have a single reason to do it. And those who protested against his visit also did so against the Constitution of 1978. As his majesty returns more often, the noise will stop. Having said this, I will also add that the Government is nobody to prohibit you from coming to Spain. But let’s not fool ourselves, the trip is the tip of the iceberg of what some want: destabilize the monarchy.
Should Juan Carlos I live in Spain? Would the current government allow it?
To the first question I answer a resounding yes. There is no reason why his majesty King Juan Carlos cannot be in Spain. And the second question should be answered by Pedro Sánchez.
“Explanations for what?” He answered questions from the press. Do you have to explain?
What I believe is that we should ask ourselves the right questions and not buy those that Moncloa manufactures to condition or create debates that are not real.
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