News

BBC journalist Nigel Cassidy was in San Sebastian in January to record a fifteen minute program all about EITB''s Basque language channel, ETB-1. Narrowcasters was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday March 22nd.

Visiting the sets of ETB-1''s most popular show, twice-weekly soap opera Goenkale, and daily magazine programme Aratsaldero, Cassidy spoke to the drama''s senior producer, Imanol Otaegui, ETB''s Head of Content, Rosa Diez, and television presenter Estitxu Fernandez.

Cassidy describes the format of ETB-1 as "quirky and amusing" and expresses surprise at its modern image given its aim to keep a "minority language alive".

"We have to conserve the more traditional parts of our culture," explains Diez, "but we also have to preserve a part for our young people because they are the future."

Goenkale produce Otaegui, meanwhile, explained to Cassidy the delicate task that Goenkale - "a soap with a purpose" - has in balancing linguistic authenticity (in a region with multiple dialects as well as a uniform language) with ensuring everyone can understand: There is a dialogue coach almost permanently on set to keep things in check.

Presenter of Aratsaldero, Estitxu Fernandez, told Cassidy that one of the aims of ETB-1''s 5-hour-long afternoon magazine program is to normalise Basque and show that "we can talk about any topic" in the local language.

"I speak Euskera in my everyday life," explains Ferndandez, "so it would be more artificial if I were to do the program in Spanish".