Here
are some links to Spanish television stations. More
will be added as the stations provide us their URL's.
|
|
|
Almost 89 per cent of Spaniards over 14 years
of age have declared that they watch television every day.
Television began to operate as a regular service in Spain
in 1956. From the moment of its inception, it was considered
a state public service and was subjected to, as were all the
other media, strict control by the regime. In 1965, a second
television channel began to function, which also belonged
to RADIO TELEVISIÓN ESPAÑOLA, (RTVE). The
Spanish Property ABC
|
|
The present structure of the public television
system dates from 1980, the date of the promulgation of the
Radio and Television Statute, which established diverse groups
for control of the medium on behalf of Parliament. An Administrative
Council was created at that time, directly designated by the
Congress and the Senate as well as the Parliamentary Control
Commisssion for RTVE.
After thirty years in existence, Spanish television
is going through a stage of profound transformation. The impact
of new technology, above all of cable and satellite television,
and the variation in ideological concepts, that have affected
the history of television in all Europe, is inaugurating a completely
new period.
The Spanish television system has appreciably
varied during the last few years with the disappearance of the
public monopoly on television and the appearance of three new
private channels, once the law presented to Parliament by the
PSOE government goes into effect. Up to the present, two national
networks and nine regional ones have existed, all of them public
entity RTVE, run by a general director desginated by the Government.
The Administrative Council is entrusted with controling the
RTVE and, in particular the fulfillment of its statute. The
regional channels depend on the Autonomous Communities' governments
and have control mechanisms similar to those of RTVE.
The RTVE's two channels are called TVE 1 and
TVE 2. The first is directed to a general public, offering uninterrupted
programming from early morning to late night and has the largest
audience, despite the intense competition registered since private
television appeared. TVE 2 has a flexible programming, which
lends special attention to sports broadcasts and live broadcast
of important cultural events. Its television coverage and its
audience have grown considerably over the last few years reaching,
in 1994, an audience of almost 6 million viewers. Both channels
are financed by publicity and their income also allows them
to defray the costs of public state radio.
Private TV networks began to be launched in
1990. ANTENA 3 was the first channel to operate, followed by
TELE 5, and finally by CANAL PLUS in 1990.
Spanish viewers preferences hardly differ from
those of other Western European countries. Sports, live game
shows, movies and films made for television, both local and
foreign, the latter are essentially North American or Latin
American, dominate prime time hours which, attract the largest
audiences. The
Spanish Property ABC
|
|
|
Unlike most parts of Northern Europe and indeed,
some of Spain's larger cities, many parts of Spain obtain
supplies of gas in cylinders the content of which is 12.5
kg. The combined weight is twice this amount. The cost of
a cylinder of "butano" is approximately £4.00. If you cook
with gas, it will last anywhere between 8 - 12 weeks, perhaps
longer. Considerably longer if you like salads and cold foods.
|
The primary use to which gas is put in Spain
is cooking, heating water and producing background heat in
the cooler months. Many will be familiar with the mobile Calorgas
type fires, which have the cylinder tucked inside or behind
them. A small or average size apartment will be heated easily
for in excess of a week by a single cylinder, in some cases
even longer. A large villa could easily use three cylinders
in a week for a single room, say a large lounge.
Only recently have the Spanish started to insulate
their houses. In winter, whatever heat you produce is soon
lost to the outside, particularly through the ceiling and
roof.
Whilst heat is lost the same
way in summer, making conditions very pleasant,
in winter it adds to the cost of maintaining
a comfortable temperature. It probably is reasonable to allow
somewhere between £6.00--£10.00 per week for heating a medium
sized villa by gas, during the months of December, January
and February. Cooking and heating water is not included in
this figure. Smaller buildings, apartments etc, - far less.
When it comes to heating water, gas is infinitely
preferable to electricity and works out at about half the
cost. Instant water heaters, costing about £100
- 130 can be purchased and we'll talk about installation
later on. These heaters will give two people, ample hot water
during the winter months and last somewhere between 14
- 17 days. If children are involved in the computation
and regularly are bathed in deep water then your gas won't
last as long.
In summer, gas tends to last far longer for
several reasons: The primary reason being the simple fact
that water in the mains becomes hotter because of ambient
temperatures and therefore requires less energy to raise it
to the desired temperature. Another is the amount of time
people tend to spend in swimming pools. Showering off after
a dip in the pool does not really require a bath half an hour
later. Further, many start and end the day with a "quick dip
in the pool. Children especially! (Don't leave them on their
own).
The cost of gas for a year, and of course,
this can only be an average for all types of property , will
be somewhere in the region of £130 - 225.
To obtain a gas supply used to be a character
building exercise, with many prepared to burn copious quantities
of electricity sooner than face the ordeal of obtaining a
gas contract. Today, things are different. The government
removed the monopoly from the main and only supplier of gas
with incredible results. No longer was it necessary to know
your grandmothers inside leg measurement and be able to recite
your passport number backwards, instead, a simple application
for a supply was granted with the minimum of inconvenience.
Each gas bottle that you require will cost
4,000 pesetas. This comes fully charged and in effect means
that you have paid a deposit of 3,000 pesetas for each bottle.
When you have no further use for your gas bottles simply return
them, when you will be refunded 500 pesetas not 3000. Nobody
knows why there is a 2500 peseta difference and in any event,
finding out would be painful and take far too long. Accept
that this is the way they do business in Spain. The
Spanish Property ABC
|
| Both types of gas
bottles currently in use in Spain. The one on the left is heavy
and may not be transported legally in a domestic vehicle. The
stainless steel container is far lighter and easier to manage.
Both have the same type of valve making them fully interchangeable.
Should you wish to install central heating, bulk propane is
available.
|
|
|
| Warning:
The majority of gas bottles have unprotected valves. In
an accident they could quite easily be broken off liberating
voluminous clouds of butane gas. Transportation of the red gas
bottles commonly in use by cars is illegal. The more modern
stainless steel cylinders whose valves are protected may safely
be transported and to do so is not an offence. Suffice to say
that little attention is paid to this law. |
|
