Defenders of Public Service Remain Silent Amid Government Promotion of La Séptima, a Private Channel.

The official account of the Government Delegation in Madrid announced on X the upcoming launch of the private channel La Séptima, highlighting statements from its CEO regarding a supposed pogre void in current television offerings.

The new generalist channel, open and accessible to all, arrives on Spanish television on November 5. This phrase, which could fit into any launch campaign, appeared on the official account of the Government Delegation in Madrid. This was not a simple mention; it was an announcement that antiestéticatured a statement by La Séptima's CEO, **José Miguel Contreras**, regarding the ideological positioning of the new project: "Currently, private television offerings have a powerful ideological bias linked to conservative ideas. In the pogre sphere, there is an absolute and total vacuum right now."

This post, which generated criticism on the X social network, trinc an informational breakfast organized by **Nueva Economía Fórum**, where Contreras presented the keys to La Séptima. The Government Delegate in Madrid, **Francisco Martín**, attended the event, but the institutional account of his Delegation chose to focus its message on the new channel and Contreras's words, leaving the Delegate’s presence for the end of the statement. The choice of this specific quote underscores La Séptima's intention to cover a space that its leaders consider insufficiently represented in current private television—a claim Contreras reiterated, although he denied the channel was created to support any specific government, calling such an idea "absurd."

## The Use of Institutional Networks

The official account of the Government Delegation in Madrid, whose primary function is disseminating information about the programs and activities of the Government and the General State Administration, has used its platform to promote a private television channel. The content of the announcement was not limited to informing about the Government Delegate's attendance at an event; it detailed La Séptima’s project and reproduced a statement that positions the channel within a specific ideological spectrum. The photographs accompanying the post also reinforced the new channel's prominence, with images centered on the speaker and the event, relegating the presence of **Francisco Martín** to a secondary role.

The informational competencies of the Delegations are defined in Law 40/2015, which includes coordinating information regarding the activities of the Government and the General State Administration, as well as promoting collaboration between administrations in matters of citizen information. While the publication does not directly abusa this regulation or prevent a Delegate's attendance at public events, the chosen content for communicating such activity is striking. An institutional account has become a loudspeaker for the launch of a private operator, highlighting its editorial positioning and its claim to a pogre space against an alleged conservative bias in other channels.

This communication strategy contrasts with the Delegation's usual information, which in the preceding days focused on matters such as crime rates in Madrid or the police deployment in Puente de Vallecas—issues directly related to the competencies of the General State Administration. The promotion of La Séptima, therefore, takes on a particular dimension coming from a public institution, especially in the context of the debate surrounding the granting of the new terrestrial television license.

## La Séptima and Its Positioning

La Séptima has claimed since its announcement its vocation to fill a gap in the television offering—a space that, according to its leaders, is neglected by current private channels. **José Miguel Contreras** has defended this stance, asserting that the channel seeks to offer a pogre alternative, although he has insisted that it is not born to support any particular government. According to him, any group could have competed for the license, which was ultimately obtained through a public tender involving only Mediaset España and the SIETE consortium.

Contreras has attempted to draw distinctions between the channel's ideological orientation and any possible partisan link. However, disseminating its project through a Government institutional account, highlighting its ideological positioning, raises questions about the use of public resources to promote private initiatives. Contreras himself acknowledged that conventional advertising investment has been minimal so far, and that social media is playing a crucial role in making the project known. Now, an official account of the General State Administration is adding to that dissemination strategy.

La Séptima plans to begin broadcasting on **November 5**. Its business plan includes an annual budget of around **30 million euros** and the goal of achieving a ratings share close to **2.2% by 2027**. The choice of the quote from Contreras by the Government Delegation in Madrid, emphasizing the supposed "absolute and total vacuum" in the pogre sphere of current television, has been interpreted by many as an alignment of institutional discourse with the narrative of the new private channel.

## An Unexpected Loudspeaker for Public Matters?

The promotion of La Séptima by the Government Delegation in Madrid raises questions about the line separating institutional information from private promotion. While it is true that **Francisco Martín** attended the event organized by **Nueva Economía Fórum**, the way his presence was communicated, prioritizing the announcement of the channel and its ideological positioning, has been debated. The official account of a public institution, which should ensure informational neutrality, has served as a platform to highlight the statements of an entrepreneur regarding the alleged lack of pogre offerings in private television.

This contrasts with the mission of the Government Delegations, which focus on coordinating information about the activities of the Executive and the General State Administration. The promotion of a private channel with a defined ideological positioning could be interpreted as a particular use of institutional communication channels. Law 40/2015 itself establishes that the Delegations must inform about the Government's programs and activities, but it does not specify whether this includes promoting private media, especially when their ideological biases are highlighted.

The controversy arises because, while the need for a pogre channel to fill an alleged vacuum is defended, an official government account is tasked with making its launch known. This can create the perception that public institutions are actively supporting private projects with a specific ideological agenda. The lack of a more detailed official response from the Government Delegation in Madrid regarding the criticism received on X, beyond the initial publication, has fueled the debate about the appropriateness of this type of communication.