Mediaset is overjoyed. They have achieved what is undoubtedly the television signing of the year: Carlos Franganillo. After several months of fruitless searching, the audiovisual group has finally found the perfect journalist to replace the historic and more than renowned Pedro Piqueras as presenter of the evening edition of Telecinco’s Telediario and as news director of the network.

A hard blow for RTVE, which loses one of the journalists most valued by public opinion, who had also managed to place the second edition of La 1’s Telediario among one of the most viewed, praised and respected news services by the audience. As far as this newspaper has been able to learn, RTVE has not made any decision about who will replace Franganillo. The journalist, for the moment, has taken a few days of vacation and will be replaced by his usual substitute, Ana Roldán, at the head of the evening News.

In the objectives of the new Mediaset and, especially, the new Telecinco, there was an outstanding debt: news. After years in which information had been relegated to the background, with the audiovisual group losing any relevance in this aspect, Alessandro Salem, the CEO of Mediaset who replaced Paolo Vasile, arrived with a very clear idea: we had to “promote and revolutionize the group’s news”.

To do this, first there was the signing of Francisco Moreno, Paco for those closest to him. The former sole administrator of Radiotelevisión Canaria (RTVC) arrived at Mediaset on October 20 as the group’s new News Director, replacing Juan Pedro Valentín, who became the News Director of Cuatro. Moreno, architect of the great coverage of the eruption of the La Palma volcano, came with the directive to “renew everything.” Just a week after his arrival, the first idea that Moreno put on the table of the Mediaset leadership was without a moment’s hesitation the signing of Carlos Franganillo.

Both Salem and the general director of Content at Mediaset España, Manuel Villanueva, were enthusiastic about the proposal, although they saw it as almost impossible, given Franganillo’s strong link with public television. And this is where the one who we are assured convinced the RTVE journalist to accept Mediaset’s proposal comes into the picture: Pedro Piqueras himself.

Franganillo and Piqueras are rivals, but above all they are great friends. A friendship that was forged many years ago and that has been maintained and consolidated over time. The RTVE journalist told this newspaper in an interview a few months ago that when he returned to Spain after several years as a correspondent in Washington, he felt a lot of “vertigo”, but received the support of his two rivals of the night, Vicente Vallés and, in especially, Pedro Piqueras, to whom, according to him, he will always be “immensely grateful.” From here a personal relationship was born between Franganillo and Piqueras that has been key in the negotiation.

Francisco Moreno, director of Mediaset News, and Pedro Piqueras have been the two key pieces of the signing

In this way, and after there was unanimity from the Mediaset management to test Franganillo, Moreno told Pedro Piqueras, who was excited that his replacement was not only such a valued journalist but one of his great friends. And, therefore, he was the one who first picked up the phone to call Franganillo and make the proposal. There was then a first meeting between Piqueras and Franganillo in which Piqueras presented him with the offer and, after verifying that there was a possibility of him accepting, a second one, to which Francisco Moreno also attended.

At that meeting, as this newspaper has learned, Franganillo, who had not had an easy time making the decision since he was leaving RTVE after 15 years in the public channel, “was delighted” with Moreno’s project for Mediaset España’s news programs. Few expected the good reception that there was from Franganillo, which produced a great surprise in the group not only because there were possibilities of signing the RTVE news reference but because of how quickly the entire negotiation could be closed. After that meeting between Piqueras, Moreno and Franganillo there were a couple more to close the last remaining threads and the signing was closed in less than a month.

Francisco Moreno has always been clear that the management of Telecinco News and prime time news needed a highly relevant journalist, respected inside and outside the sector, and who would put all his passion into the new project. A reliable and consolidated right hand. Franganillo was perfect. He is endorsed by being one of the most outstanding communicators of television information in our country due to his closeness and rigor, his versatility and his unique and didactic style to narrate the current events that have brought so much joy to RTVE – he has been distinguished with an Ondas y an Iris-. The project, therefore, fit perfectly for the journalist from Oviedo.

However, they insist that without the intervention of Piqueras the negotiation would have been difficult to reach a successful conclusion. When Moreno told Piqueras who he had thought of, the historic journalist insisted on being part of the negotiation, because as sources familiar with the agreement assure, the election of Franganillo “is the best and most beautiful transition that could be made for such a journalist.” reputed and important as Pedro Piqueras is.

It is the best and most beautiful transition that could be made to a journalist as renowned and important as Pedro Piqueras.

Furthermore, Moreno, the brain that made this signing possible, has a very clear idea in his head for the News: you have to “go out into the streets”, you have to “do reporting”, you have to “be where the news is” and do it using all available means. And in this Franganillo is one of the greatest references, as he has demonstrated with the war in Ukraine or more recently with the inauguration of Pedro Sánchez, with applauded coverage.

The currently Director of Telecinco News will thus take over from Franganillo after announcing that he will retire from the small screen by his own decision at the end of the year, as he himself agreed with the company months ago. In this way, with the arrival of Franganillo, Piqueras will put an end to his brilliant professional career after spending the last 17 years at Mediaset España.

The agreement also establishes that Carlos Franganillo will join Mediaset starting in January – although there is still no set date -, thus coinciding with the launch of the new Mediaset News.