And even though I think the closure of the Clan TVE channel that other colleagues have been commenting on other blogs, this closing reminds me of the states of pain that we were discussing recently. Because it has gone from a denial that the media is in crisis, going through an angry response to justify that it is not necessary to make adjustments and reach negotiation to rationalize budgets. I think that is the phase we are in, so we have to get to depression, of which this article would be an example and we walk towards the acceptance that Clan TVE will disappear.
And why does it seem like a mistake? Because when I start looking for Clan news I find myself facts and figures that seem to deserve a reflection before the closure of this channel. Thus, I read that Clan has broken audience records and that it is probably one of the most successful DTT channels, which introduces subtitles in its broadcasts and also has original versions in many of its broadcasts (maybe all, I'm not sure) . And it is also a favorite chain of children who are used to complement the content with episodes on the Internet, using applications on mobile devices or wanting many of the characters that appear on the channel and learning with them.
I have been waiting for several days to see if there is any news from the Spanish Television communication and I do not read anything. I also check Twitter and it seems that parents show, in a generalized way, their regret and their anger in case the chain stopped broadcasting. Although public television does not broadcast advertising, it is financed with telecos although they do not contribute more than 25% of the RTVE budget.
What I find complicated to understand is how we are not able in Spain to anticipate the problems and take corrective measures before reaching drastic decisions. For example, it seems that Clan TVE could be considered as a pilot chain to carry out valuable actions, if they have already made the inclusion of the original version, of the subtitles in the series, of applications in mobile devices and carry out a programming to which the audience responds with adequate content, why not keep moving forward to make it sustainable? Why not use actions to extend to children the experience from the living room to other spaces such as concerts, toys, merchandising, leisure, parties?
When we say that children have an education at school similar to that of the eighteenth century, why do we still have a unidirectional twentieth century television and who does not know how to take advantage of the opportunities to have a faithful and grateful audience (including fathers and mothers) ?
And I refuse to accept that parents leave the children in front of the Clan as if it were a daycare system. I believe that parents value the efforts of programmers to incorporate decent series, even if chapters are repeated, to offer appropriate content for the ages of children, to do pedagogical work with parents, teachers and children and because they work on transversal actions by introducing content in other media, developing games or publishing content in mobile applications. That is, they are able to complement the offer with technological options that are also leading in the market.
Really, it would be a shame not only to close the Clan TVE but to waste all the opportunities that can be developed with the television professionals and the many companies that would be willing to respond to the needs of the audience providing entertainment to families with television, beyond it and in a sustainable way.
