[News] The relief of Andrea Fresard when leaving "the monster of TVN" to Francisco Vidal

[FNX Magokiler]

Since Thursday, December 21, former minister Francisco Vidal took over as the new president of the board of directors of Televisión Nacional de Chile (TVN). The arrival of the history teacher did not go unnoticed.

When they arrived last Thursday at the TVN board meeting, the now former president of the television channel, Andrea Fresard, along with Vidal, told him: “Profe Panchito… Sorry, president, you already know what your seat is.”

According to La Tercera, the six directors of the channel were in the meeting room, Pilar Vergara, Gonzalo Cordero, Adriana Delpiano, Nivia Palma, Pauline Kantor and Rodrigo Cid, who the day before had found out “from the press” that the PPD politician would take the helm of TVN.

“A monster like TVN requires a post, I was in the installation, and sometimes triumphs are small achievements that are seen over time,” Fresard told El Mercurio. The situation is not easy, the channel is going through a complex crisis of low ratings. The journalist arrived at the channel in April 2022, after 22 months of work she presented her resignation through letters at least four times to Minister Camila Vallejo. However, on December 11, Fresard again sent a letter asking for her departure and on this occasion, the Government spokesperson already had her replacement confirmed.

One of the first complex situations that Fresard had to face was precisely the appointment of the executive director.

 

 

Alfredo Ramírez, who went from interim to permanent and with whom she was never able to agree on criteria.

In addition, as reported by the media, the first half of the year lost $2,392 million, versus the profits of $958 million that it obtained in the same period during 2022.

Although Fresard's departure is attributed to various criticisms from the Government, the journalist ruled out pressure within La Moneda and in her resignation letter she thanked President Boric for her appointment.

Vidal's arrival
Following criticism from the opposition that suggested that Vidal's appointment was a “prize” for the success of En Contra in the 2023 constitutional plebiscite, the Government explained the reasons why President Gabriel Boric appointed former minister Francisco Vidal as president from the TVN directory.

According to Vidal, in November he received a call from Minister Vallejo who asked him to assume the presidency of the National Television board, a position that he had already held in 2006 and 2007.

“My criterion, whether president is from the left, center or right, by definition (is that) public television must cover the Head of State…” Vidal expressed when making his position public.

The Minister General Secretary of the Government, Camila Vallejo, highlighted Vidal's extensive career in the public, academic and various areas of both the State and the private sector. She mentioned his previous roles as Undersecretary of Regional Development, head of Segegob, Defense and Interior, as well as his participation as a panelist in several public debates, having held the same position on the public channel between 2006 and 2007.

 

https://www.elmostrador.cl/noticias/2023/12/24/el-alivio-de-andrea-fresard-al-dejar-el-monstruo-de-tvn-a-francisco-vidal/