RT family grows bigger as Spanish channel goes on air

A Spanish version of RT 24-hour news channel has just been launched. Just like its older sisters – the English and the Arabic channels – it will keep its audience updated in their native tongue.

“Russia and Latin America have been traditionally connected – they have social, political and cultural relations. But so far there has not been such a TV channel,” says the head of RT Spanish Broadcasting, Victoria Vorontsova.

Those who worked hard to create RT’s new channel are hoping that their efforts will break down barriers.

“For example, in Spain, people know very little about Russia, apart from a few stereotypes. RT is a window into the country, which will enable people to learn more about it and it even may attract tourists who might wish to visit it,” says news presenter Maria Rodriguez Abalde.

As part of the RT brand, one of the goals of the Spanish channel is to present an alternative perspective to the mainstream media ideas.

“Viewers will not find what they usually see on their traditional American and Latin American channels. We will present an alternative outlook on history, events and we are going to speak a lot about Russia – the country which in some way is not well-known in the world, in that part of the world,” adds Victoria Vorontsova.

Standing in the newsroom one can get a strong feeling of the excitement that comes with the launch of a brand new channel, but those who make it happen are no rookies. In fact, they have been practicing for months just to make sure they get this moment right.

“Of course we have experience but we had to practice working together as a team together and it was really hard at first, but I think we are working really great now!” says Elena Rostova, another presenter with the channel.

RT’s new Spanish section employs around 200 journalists that have come from many respected news organizations around the world. While it's not every day a new global channel is launched, this crew of professionals is doing what they can to keep it all in perspective.