The PP has made any RTVE interview with Alberto Núñez Feijóo conditional on the programme being produced directly by the corporation, rather than by an outside production company.
The rule applies to an interview during the campaign for Spain’s 29 November general election. It does not cover Feijóo’s participation in televised debates.
La hora de La 1 is the obvious point of reference, although the PP has not named the programme or any presenter in its public communications. RTVE places its morning political interview programme within the corporation and identifies its management and production team. That makes it a possible example of the in-house format the party would accept, not a confirmed booking.
No interview between Feijóo and Silvia Intxaurrondo has been confirmed. Public statements establish only a general willingness to appear on RTVE if the production condition is met. They do not name Intxaurrondo as the interviewer, and reports have also mentioned Cintora without confirming either presenter.
The possibility carries political baggage because of the pair’s previous encounter. During the campaign for the July 2023 election, Intxaurrondo challenged Feijóo live as he spoke. Their exchange became a dispute over his statements and the presenter’s replies. The following day, Feijóo acknowledged that he had made inaccuracies during the interview on the public broadcaster.
The interview took place on 17 July 2023 and drew political attention after a dispute over the PP’s position on pension indexation. Intxaurrondo challenged that position on air. Any new meeting would so focus attention on RTVE’s choice of format and the editorial conditions attached to it.
The party’s media plan is less restrictive toward commercial broadcasters. Information from EFE, Feijóo has accepted a face-to-face debate with Pedro Sánchez on Mediaset on 16 November.
He has also accepted the four-party electoral debate proposed by Atresmedia for 26 November. Atresmedia describes the format as a meeting of the four basic political forces.
RTVE’s debate is scheduled for 23 November and is intended for parliamentary representatives. The PP accepts that format, even though it does not put Feijóo and Pedro Sánchez directly against each other.
RTVE says the proposed debate is designed for representatives of PP, PSOE, Vox, Sumar, ERC, Junts, EH Bildu and PNV. It is not a face-to-face meeting between the two party leaders.
That distinction clarifies the interview condition. The PP separates programmes produced in-house by RTVE from those commissioned from outside companies. The policy leaves room for an interview on a qualifying in-house programme while keeping Feijóo out of the corporation’s planned debate as the PP’s leading candidate.
The campaign has already brought a separate dispute over debate participation. EFE reported the three accepted formats, while RTVE outlined the parliamentary structure of its 23 November proposal. The result is two separate rules for the same broadcaster: a parliamentary representative at the RTVE debate and a possible Feijóo interview on a programme produced by the corporation.
The PP so accepts television exposure on RTVE under a defined production arrangement. No booking has been announced, and no presenter has been confirmed. RTVE’s debate is scheduled for 23 November.
