Beyond its ongoing engagements with local councils and initiatives (which has resulted in a notably reduced visibility compared to earlier administrations), a key feature of Rosa Dávila’s (CC) tenure as the first president of the Cabildo de Tenerife is her relentless media presence. Whether through television, radio, print newspapers, online platforms, or social networks, she is consistently in the spotlight, often joined by vice-president Lope Afonso (PP), particularly during their weekly appearances following the Governing Council. This repeated visibility, very much characteristic of CC, is now reflected in various internal surveys, indicating an increasing public recognition of the president.
Not content with this, which has been evident over this one and a half-year mandate and is widely discussed in the media, Dávila and her team, presumably alongside their conservative allies, seem to find it insufficient. According to the Socialist group in the Tenerife Cabildo, they have resolved to revive the digital television initiative that was shelved by the previous insular government led by PSOE and CS (with external support). This plan appears to divert its resources towards social services. In fact, the PSOE reports that the first move towards this revival will occur during this week’s plenary session, following a credit modification of €180,000.
The administration of CC and PP firmly disputes this characterization, asserting that it is not a television station but rather an existing service. They claim that the funds will solely cover the digital broadcasting of plenary sessions, press conferences, and other events, as has been done for “a considerable time.” However, the PSOE disagrees, positing that the island TV, which Pedro Martín terminated in 2020, is being reinstated. They presented a motion against it on Monday and voiced concerns regarding the planned broadcasting of plenary sessions during its first year of operation.
Both CC and the PP, in addition to proposing other credit modifications for this week’s agenda, have advocated for this €180,000 change. They base this decision on “Law 7/2010 of Audiovisual Communication (currently repealed)”, under which the Cabildo “processed a file for establishing the Public Insular Digital Television Service, along with approving its regulations for the plenary of this Corporation (…) on December 4, 2017, published in the BOP on February 20, 2018, through the Administrative Service of Informatics and Telecommunications of the Local Public Company Institute Technological and Renewable Energies (Iter).” Hence, they reference the €180,000 in question to fund this public service.
The island government underscores that this allocation pertains to the broadcasts of plenary sessions, events, and press conferences. Thus, although it is designated as Channel Tenerife TV, they assert that this does not signify the resurrection of any previous station, a claim contested by the PSOE. The Socialists view this credit modification as a distinct innovation and a preliminary step toward revitalising the island chain project. Consequently, they have tabled a motion in the plenary to express their opposition and fear that the initial broadcasts of plenary sessions and press conferences may evolve into a broader array of transmissions, merely to promote the insular government’s narrative in a blatant propaganda effort.
Additionally, the Socialists recall that in February 2019, the PP faction within the Cabildo submitted a motion against the Cabildo’s television (Tenerife 2030 TV). At that time, Lope Afonso, then a candidate for island administration elections for the conservatives in May of that year, described it as a government propaganda instrument, particularly for CC. They also noted that Podemos supported this motion, even though the station was closed a year later under a government formed by Socialists and CS, aided by external support during the height of the Covid pandemic. The Socialists contend that the Tenerife 2030 TV initiative is the same initiative they now seek to reactivate.
