New formats, new audiences: Metrópolis (TVE2, 1985–) as a cultural TV programme in democratic Spain

Abstract

Abstract Metrópolis (1985–) is a key programme in the history of Spanish television, a cultural space aimed at minorities, which responded to the new concerns of a young, urban audience after the recent transition to democracy. In the early years, Metrópolis was directed by Alejandro Gómez Lavilla at a time when video was considered to be a revolutionary kind of technology, broadening horizons in the audiovisual field and facilitating democratic dissemination of the image. Aware of the tool they had in their hands, its promoters participated in the creation of a format that used a new language, anticipating many of the creative ventures that would later be undertaken, in imitation, by other channels. Given its undeniable interest as a ‘period product’, this study examine its early development and formal innovations during the first decade of a programme that became a model in terms of cultural television broadcasting during the early years of democracy.