Journalists and comedians in the new digital age: a discussion on Spanish audiovisual infotainment between professionals and consumers

Abstract

Spanish television is increasingly subject to transmedia consumption. Faced with traditional models in which journalists limited themselves to rigorously transmitting information to strengthen their audiences, the networks’ commitment to infotainment, as well as the competition with platforms or with figures from YouTube and Twitch, forces professionals to reinvent themselves, often by resorting to entertainment and show business resources. TV programs such as El intermedio (La Sexta, 2006) and El hormiguero (Antena3, 2006) have been working for years to bring journalists and comedians together in the same space, and others such as Todo es mentira (Cuatro, 2019) interact with audiences through social networks such as Twitter and Instagram. The question is whether these efforts are sufficient or whether we are witnessing a transition period in which interviews conducted by content creators such as Ibai Llanos or Jordi Wild will end up being more highly valued than those of a journalist. To answer these questions, six professionals from the current audiovisual scene were interviewed: Vicente Vallés, Antonio Castelo, Cristina Pardo, Rocío Vidal (La Gata de Schrödinger), José Antonio Lavado, and Jorge Gallardo Camacho, and their reflections were contrasted with those of three focus groups with audiences of different ages. It was concluded that the professionals recognize the necessity of adapting to the digital era and to the new needs of their audiences, but prioritize traditional journalistic rigor and do not fear competition from figures such as Ibai Llanos. However, the audience focus groups consulted, especially the younger ones, admit that they consume more audiovisual content on the Internet than on television.