La Séptima: Spain's New Channel Blurs News and Opinion

La Séptima is not a traditional generalist broadcaster; it is a thematic infotainment channel running from 12:00 to 13:00 that blurs the lines between news, opinion, and entertainment. Its leadership and star presenters share affinities with Pedro Sánchez's government, undermining claims of journalistic rigor.

The launch of **La Séptima** was marketed as a historic event: the first licensed generalist channel in Spain in **twenty years**, since **La Sens**. It promised to change journalism. In reality, it broadcasts a single block of continuous infotainment, from **12:00** to **13:00**, lacking any genuine generalist or non-partisan vocation.

## From Generalist License to Thematic Channel

The programming grid does not lie. There are no news bulletins, debates, or varied magazines. There is a single block starting at noon and ending when **Javier Ruiz** signs off saying "it has been a pleasure serving you in this trench." This phrase, uttered by the editorial director, better summarizes the project than any corporate report: a thematic channel, unapologetically thematic, dedicated to one thing.

The majority shareholder is **Andrés Varela Entrecanales**, son of **Manuel Varela Uña**, who served on Prisa's board for decades before leaving due to conflicts of interest. Varela Entrecanales is an executive at **Imagina**, Jaume Roures' company, and a shareholder in the production firm behind the series about **Pedro Sánchez**. The media advisory role for the project is led by **José Miguel Contreras**, who took over this function for Sánchez after **Iván Redondo** left.

## Names Defining Editorial Line

Among the star presenters is **Sarah Santaolalla**, known for stating that "you have to be very stupid or poorly informed to keep believing PP and Vox." The face of humor is **Héctor de Miguel**, convicted of illegitimate intrusion into the right to honor and awaiting oral trial for coercion charges. With such staff, the channel's orientation is not a suspicion but a reasonable deduction.

The problem is not that a medium with an editorial line exists. The problem is presenting itself as the opposite. When Santaolalla claims her work is rigorous, high-quality journalism based on objective data, discomfort is inevitable. Not because of what she says, but due to the contrast between rhetoric and programming.

## Blurring the Boundary Between Information and Opinion

The editorial director himself announced they are here "to fight and change things." They do so from twelve to one, striving to blur already fuzzy limits between fact and interpretation, information and opinion, entertainment and news. That is the product: not biased news, but a format where bias is the raison d'être.

The practical consequence is that viewers cannot tell when they are being informed versus given opinions. In a country where television remains the primary information source for large segments of the population, this is not a minor detail. It is the core issue.

## A Business Model, Not an Accident

La Séptima is not a miscalculation or programming clumsiness. It is a model: low production costs, one studio, one line, and a captive audience seeking confirmation. Continuous infotainment is profitable and builds loyalty. The question is not whether the channel is ideological, but whether Spain's audiovisual ecosystem needs another actor confusing journalism with activism.

Television licenses are public concessions. Recipients assume a responsibility: not neutrality, which is impossible, but not disguising opinion as information. Based on its first broadcast, La Séptima has chosen the opposite path.