Euskal Telebista announced on 3 December, International Euskera Day, that Bizkarsoro will join the ETB1 programming. At the same time, however, Tasio was expulsado.En words from the Gidoia movement, “on such a special day” ETB did not “matter anything” counter-programmed Bizkarsoro, a film about the harassment suffered by uskaldunes throughout history for living in Basque. The producer later reported that she had been proposed for ETB2 to broadcast in Spanish with subtitles in Euskera, but Euskal Telebista did not want them to be broadcast in Spanish.
According to the script, ETB programming is currently governed by hearings. “In the competition of audiences, the Basque Country is harmed, because it is committed to the Spanish-language chain.” The data show that ETB2 is the channel that attracts the most public from Euskaldun, a common practice for society: “What happened on Euskera Day is a common practice at ETB. Too often ETB1 is put into the dispute with ETB2.”
A channel, a language goes beyond logic.
Faced with all this, the Aldatu Script calls for a model that “aims at all citizens and a single public”. Some experts, such as Josu Amezaga and Kike Amonarriz, have already proposed overcoming the logic “a channel, a language”. According to the group, this change is “fundamental”, since in a new model the Basque language has to be “the main language” in ETB, “not the only language perhaps, but the central language”.
The Aldatu Script has called for the television of other European countries with minority languages, as “the core of programming is the minority language”. They use subtitles to “attract viewers who do not own or dominate the language,” the group explains.
ETB must sow seed
Should ETB decide to give priority to content in Euskera, the group believes that "at first the audience data will be reduced in general". As explained in the script, if Euskal Telebista had broadcast at ETB2 Bizkarsoro in Basque, he would not have obtained the same number of spectators as Tasio, since the special broadcast of Tasio had a share of 11.9% in the CAV and 10.6% in Navarra.
“The Basque language, a minority language, will not give, as long as it is a minority, spectators of a hegemonic language,” they explained. He clarified that the Basque Country "considers EITB essential to reverse the socio-linguistic situation, so that the Basque country ceases to be a minority and marginal language; and to re-Euskaldunizar the Basque Country". “ETB has to be long-term and firm in favor of the Basque Country, without giving such importance to audience data. Because for that it was created, and therein lies its legitimation,” says the Aldatu Script.
In addition, the Aldatu Script considers that the Basque institutions, parties and associations will have to give their support to EITB. “We will have to be patient, because we are convinced that people will receive very well and will support ETB, focused on the Basque. And we are convinced that, in the long term, the fruits of the sowing and the good data of spectators will come.”