More changes are coming to Spain‘s broadcaster RTVE. Following former Head of Delegation Ana María Bordás getting appointed as the broadcaster’s Entertainment Director, a new HoD has been confirmed. Eva Mora has been named as Spain’s new Head of Delegation and will oversee their Eurovision and Junior Eurovision efforts.
RTVE announced the news today and also confirmed the formation of a new working group to help organise Spain’s selection and participation in Eurovision.
La periodista de RTVE Eva Mora releva como jefa de Delegación de Eurovisión a Ana María Bordas, que coordina el grupo de trabajo.https://t.co/nwHsbeq5rC
— eurovision_rtve (@eurovision_tve) August 28, 2021
Eva Mora is a familiar face on RTVE. Born in Madrid in 1974, she began working for the broadcaster in 2000. In recent years, she was one of three commentators covering Junior Eurovision in Warsaw last year and Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light. She also features on the news channel 24 Horas where she is known for her coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic, and her interviews of upcoming stars in music.
Mora’s knowledge of the Eurovision Song Contest is exemplary, and the announcement of her new role has been well-received by Spanish Eurofans. Eurovision 2018 repesentative Alfred García tweeted in support of Eva’s appointment, saying “I could not imagine a more professional person with more passion and respect for the festival and music.” High praise!
Enhorabuena, @evamora_tve. No podría imaginar una persona más profesional y con más pasión y respeto por el festival y la música. Toda la suerte. https://t.co/q0xXDWigeF
— alfredgarcia (@alfredgarcia) August 28, 2021
The outgoing HoD Ana María Bordás served as the Spanish Head of Delegation since 2017. She replaced Federico Llano, who left abruptly following the heavy Eurodrama at Objetivo Eurovisión that year.
Bordás’ position was only ever meant to be temporary but internal problems delayed her departure. Nonetheless, during her tenure, Spain returned to Junior Eurovision and secured two bronze finishes. Now, in the wake of major restructures in Spain’s approach to Eurovision, a replacement has finally been secured.
RTVE announces Spanish Eurovision Committee
In addition, RTVE announced a working group that will assist in the design of the Spanish participation and their national selection in early 2022.
The new Spanish national selection format was announced in July, and will take place in Benidorm over three shows. This working group will be coordinated by Amalia Martínez de Velasco, the General Content Director, and Ana María Bordás, who is now the Head of Original Content.
The working group will consist of the following:
- Amalia Martínez de Velasco, General Content Director
- Ana María Bordás, Head of Original Content
- María Eizaguirre, Director of Communication and Participation
- Esteban Calle, Marketing Department
- César Vallejo, Digital Documentary Department and Special Envoy in six editions of Eurovision
- Irene Mahía, Current Coordinator of PlayZ and Special Envoy in six editions of Eurovision
- Fernando Macías, RTVE Play, Coordinator of the Eurovision website for RTVE, Special Envoy for Eurovision since 2018
- Javier Martin, RTVE news presenter
- Jordi Vives, Director of Music Programmes
- Julia Varela, Eurovision Commentator since 2015, Director and Presenter of Tarde lo que tard
- Virginia Díaz, Radio 3 specialist (180 degrees, Cachitos)
- Julio Ródenas, Radio 3 specialist (Turbo 3)
The working group will be announcing the rules for the Spanish national selection in the coming weeks. That’s a strong team there, with a lot of experience in Eurovision. RTVE’s new president José Manuel Pérez Tornero said in July “We are coming to win” and it looks like this new attitude is no joke. ¡Vamos España!
What do you think? Do you think Eva Mora will be a good Head of Delegation? Do you like the looks of the Eurovision Committee? What are you hoping for from Spain this year? Let us know below!
another 22nd place
I’m really happy with how all of this is going. Now we just gotta change the whole Spanish music industry :_) I’m hopeful right now, though!
On a random note, my throwback ESC journey just brought me to 1996. And not since early 2000s did I actively want to shut the song after the first chorus as I did with Spain 1996. That whole thing needs exorcism ASAP! Just horrid from all aspects! That mishap aside, Spain was hardly ever abysmal. But what they often were is predictable. And while the 2000s often awarded their expected Latino pop songs, late 2010s didn’t continue the trend. While many of these songs are indeed very lovely, I’d dare Spain to try with different styles and genres. One of… Read more »
Radio 3 gives modest artists a chance of spotlight. Perhaps this can bring Spanish NFs the variety they need. As long as Toñi Prieto and teen pop singers are not involved, maybe we are witnessing Spain’s rennaisance (although it’s too early to tell).
Well at least RTVE are pretending to care. Meanwhile, the BBC will do literally nothing until late Feb when some intern is asked to find something “perfect for Eurovision ” in between making the tea.
Well Rick Astley started off making the tea at PWL so that might not be a bad idea
thats what they have always done (poorly, but it has been always their effort: pretend to care). This time people is starting to believing it thought, which i find delirious XD
Are you from Spain? If not, you are not allowed to say anything. They’ve changed all the Eurovision team, introducing young people that love Eurovision. They also included a man that has been working for Warner record label (the marketing director), music specialists from the music radio station Radio 3 (specialised in pop/rock and indie music). And they are also going to announce external members of the group (producers, composers, record label workers, artistic directors, etc). You literally have no clue.
Exactly what I was thinking, we need someone like Rob Holley in that role
And not a single person on this team is involved in the Spanish music industry… It’s like Spain just doesn’t want to do well ever again.
You are wrong. The marketing director has worked in Warner Music record label for so many years. In addition, they are going to include external members, and they will be announced in the upcoming days. These will include producers, composers and musicians, artistic directors, agents, music critics, record label managers and others. So please get informed before writing.
Not in A&R, which is what actually matters. Added to that, the team is still comprised of people responsible for Spain’s terrible results in recent years. There’s no change in attitude here at all.
For now, don’t know what to expect. But it’ll be interesting to see how it turns out.
Is funny you guys named the “heavy Eurodrama at Objetivo Eurovisión“, and haven’t said anything about Virginia Díaz, who even after being the jury that selected Manel Navarro (remeber, arguably the most bizarre and humiliating presentation and last position ever in the eurovision history?), and was in the middle of all that story and all the declarationts and results that came later, she is back again, just only 4 years later, as part of the committee of the “new” delegation… The way i see it: either she voted fairly, by her own discretion, under her many years of expeerience, and her… Read more »
Any person involved in the 2017 staged fiasco should not be allowed entrance In the rtve offices.
I agree
Xavi Martinez was the only one with a clear conflict of interest in that particular selection.
no conflict of interest… that we know…. but after everything, Xavi even said that he made a mistake trusting, protecting, and electing Manel Navarro. However Virginia never did something similar. She said that she wanted him because her discretion, based on years and years of music and industry experience, that never was anything obscure in his election, and that she will never wanted to be involved again with anything eurovision-related. All that just after manel’s election. Never again she commented on this or eurovision, not even after the 26th place and the terrible performance. But now… here she is again,… Read more »
2017 NF lineup was pretty terrible all around and Díaz had not role in the selection of songs. Toñi Prieto was not her boss, as far as I know. Díaz works in Radio 3, which plays indie, alternative, electronic, non-mainstream music. No wonder Mirela’s “Contigo”, which sounded like something that would have been included in the Caribe Mix 2021 compilation album, would have been the least attractive option to her. The Spanish eurofandom can be pretty intense and that was the biggest Eurodrama ever. After the terrible experience of the 2017 NF, she said she didn’t want to be involved… Read more »
The fact that she’s been convinced to be part of the new project, means that she will receive some good money, exactly like in 2017. XD
And out f jokes, It also means her word value 0 (“i will never return”, and 4 years later, she returns. Althought we already knew the value of her word…), and that the new delegation, wants to have a similiar results as the last time they counted with her “discretion”: 26th
take notes uk
I was thinking the exact same thing!
I’d like to see the 0 points result serve as a wake up call for the UK to do better at Eurovision, but who knows if they’ll actually learn their lesson from it. They could do the same thing next year and blame politics for another poor result.
The song was actually OK, but doomed due to the lack of experience and presence of the “performer”.
And don’t forget the Role of the stupid staging. UK really shut them selves in the foot for 2021. Let’s hope they move on from that.
It seem like Spain is taking seriously Eurovision. Maybe these actions can return them to the top 10 or scape from the bottom.
It looks good Spain!
Fingers crossed that Spain can finish higher than the bottom five next year. Winning is way far off, but hopefully if it all goes well, maybe spain can reach the left side of the board for the first time since 2014, even if it’s just 13th place.