Legends say that there was a time when there were no political meetings on television, the oldest people in the place: how were they going to fill the hours? Those who structure the grid today, polarize society, spectacularize politics and have made some talk shows stars. And all of this at a very good price for the chains. The gatherings, at least in the urgent and topical format that we now know (there were already others, more relaxed, such as “The Clave” by Balbín), broke into the morning magazine of María Teresa Campos, who died this Tuesday, although she weren’t that hectic yet: there was no action soundtrack. Infotainment was still emerging.
So you could say that “La Campos”, the “Queen of the Morning”, this audiovisual all-rounder who has just passed away, invented television as we know it today. The show was called “Día a Día” on Telecinco between 1996 and 2004, and the matter was even more complicated because the morning shows of that time were intended for housewives, this group that Campos always described as being ahead of the interest of feminism and the mainstream -Links also included housework and care. The political gathering seemed strange and they didn’t make it easy from above. But “Discussion Table” became the most-watched part of the show.
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He set up his meeting there. I remember being in my twenties (this was the end of the 20th century) and since I had an afternoon shift at university, I used lunch to get closer to the big political issues of the day through this unifying format so good with people: One He manages to get informed (that’s a saying), but through a sometimes heated discussion between characters who can take sides. There is yours and there are the others. Some win, some lose, and everyone has an opinion on the outcome. There was passion, vehemence and what we would later call “zascas.” So at María Teresa Campos’ table, politics began to become an action film or a football game. That’s where we are.
Among the pioneers of the gathering were Raúl de Pozo, Curri Valenzuela, Pepe Oneto or Arturo Fernández, a man who, with his gray hair and a sharp face, looked very much like the mad scientist from the “Back to the Future” saga. The theatrical vehemence of the painter Juan Adriansens was combined with the sober style of Carmen Rigalt and Antonio Casado. There was also María Antonia Iglesias and César Vidal. From today’s perspective, a dream team of groundbreaking talk shows. At times the decibels rose and the mood boiled, but we must admit that we were a far cry from the chatter we later observed at some of the most spectacular nighttime gatherings. The world of social gatherings was still Adamic.
I was particularly interested when they covered the news about the anti-globalization movement, the summits in Seattle or Genoa, which was a topic that concerned a part of the youth of that time. And I remember being outraged, as I was later outraged on Twitter when I heard an opinion that contradicted mine. Sometimes I called to intervene because this meeting, which was much more participatory, allowed viewers to be there live to express their opinion or change a commentator’s point of view. Thank God it was never my turn.
I also seem to remember that at the end of the meeting (and also the program) the song Pasa la vida by the flamenco-blues group Pata Negra was played as a melody. If you listen to Raimundo Amador you will be much happier, much better than with the current movie tunes full of shots and explosions. The talk show is perhaps María Teresa Campos’ greatest legacy. Willy-nilly.
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