Hamaika TV was born in 2006 with a clear objective: to influence the normalization of the Basque language and to promote the Basque culture. It started under the direction of Iñaki Uria and now, 18 years later, we have started a new stage. We are ready to renew the structure of Hamaika TV and face new challenges. The new management, made up of three members, and the rest of the crew, are working to update the project and create attractive content.
THE CREATION
Iñaki Uria, with the closure of the Diary and the creation of the New, began to look for future challenges in the television world. He came from prison, but he didn"t go back. He had in mind the idea of creating a television project to take another step towards the Basque language and culture. Thus, the Government saw the possibility of extracting television licenses and took the first steps towards the creation of Hamaika TV.
The start of the project was not easy. The first intention of Uría and her colleagues was to create a series of local TVs, seeking synergies with the “Palabra” or other newspapers. However, they quickly realized that they needed some new actors to carry out the project and they began to do so.
After being tempted by several producers, the three main newspapers of the Basque Country - Berria, Gara and the Noticias group - joined forces to launch Hamaika TV. They saw the rise of the audiovisual sector and decided to create a joint project together. The publishing company Euskaltel and the production company Bainet also joined this project. The road was not easy, several doors were knocked and the process was very difficult.
With the release of the licenses in 2003, the possibility of creating Eleven Televisions became a reality. However, the first emissions were in February 2009 and the project started in the capital of Bizkaia. The aim was to create a modern and urban project for the Basque language. It cost them a lot to find and train people, as well as decide what kind of TV model they wanted. However, they managed to provide a more modern and up-to-date image than the local TV stations that broadcast in Spanish in Bilbao.
The footsteps on Hamaika TV didn’t stop there. They spread from Bilbao to San Sebastián, and in 2010 they started broadcasting in San Sebastián. Five years later, a residency was also opened in Pamplona and the IDEMtasun program produced there was awarded the Luz Award. In January 2022 the headquarters of Vitoria-Gasteiz was opened, broadcasting television to all the capitals of the Southern Basque Country. Now, to round up the project, it is necessary to expand it in the North Basque Country.
THE ROUTE
Hamaika TV has offered different types of content over the years, has continued to bet on the Basque language and has presented the viewer with a wide range of quality content and offers. Different ways of dealing with current events have been used (magazine, news, Kolpez Kolpoa session...), numerous shows have been produced in Navarre, the 11 Ventanas program based on slow TV has become a reference, we have had a wide range of Basque music, we have also done cultural and sports sessions, and we have offered special sessions every year about specific events, demands or projects. Don’t forget the events such as the Itzulia and the Durango Fair, the basque culture's venue; these have been among Hamaika’s priorities. This shows the firm commitment of Hamaika TV to the Basque language and culture.
It is also important to highlight that many professionals in the sector have visited Hamaika Televisión throughout these years. We have had interviewees, interlocutors and analysts from different fields and profiles. We have been accompanied by colleagues from other media, representatives of different agents and the voice of the people. With all this, Once allows the viewer to know different perspectives and opinions, so that they can capture the diversity of society and the analysis of current events.
In the early years it was produced exclusively for television, but soon the need for a website became apparent. Consumer habits led to changes, and Once began to adapt to its digital offer. The changes came quickly and resources were limited, but Hamaika was adapted to meet the needs. As a result, it has been constantly adapting along with the changes in consumption, offering the viewer new content within the platform.
Hamika TV was initially created with a capital of one million euros and then there were capital amplifications. However, television production is expensive, and the subsidy model that has been in place in recent years has been largely based on the written press. Television subsidies, however, have been low and we have relied on our own TV production hours. This, in turn, has greatly conditioned the digital leap of television. Looking ahead to the new year, the criteria of the grant call will appear to change, offering Hamaika more opportunities to better explore the digital field and adapt to current forms of communication.
Finally, we cannot forget that national television with local licenses is Hamaika and that its nature makes it very difficult for it to be economically viable. However, together with public television, we believe that a private television must also have its place, in order to offer multiple contents to society and to be able to promote the consumption habits of the Basque language more easily.
THE INNOVATION
In Hamaika TV, innovation and structural change have been of great importance in recent times. A couple of years ago, we started a process of reorganization within the home, seeing the difficulties of maintaining a stable work group and betting on a more sustainable and participatory organization. It is precisely in this process that care has been what we wanted to put at the center, and we are still immersed in this process. This innovation process has been a project that has been constantly transformed and adapted, for which we have had the support of a professional consultancy.
Along the way, Iñaki also put his intention to retire on the table and, as a result, we have worked it all together. I took his testimony as part of the process. It"s not a decision that was planned beforehand.
The changes have spread from the direction to the production teams, and today in the direction with me are Maddi Mochales and Oneria Alustiza. Maddi is responsible for innovation and digitalization and Oneria is in charge of the management of finances; essential to guide the project with a more complete vision. This group makes decisions related to the strategy and draws the general framework of what Hamaika TV should be. The approval of the board of directors is, of course, also necessary.
In the management team, in addition to the managers, the marketing manager, the programming manager, the design manager (who brings the customer perspective), and the production and people managers participate. This team, in their respective fields, keeps track of the marked objectives, seeks solutions to the problems that arise and other decisions are also made. We could say that it is a broader direction.
The group of products, made up of 11 people, meets every two to three months. The main task of this group, taking into account the criteria that are established from the management, is to invent new content, both for television and the digital field. Eleven Television is no longer just television, it has become an audiovisual communicative project. The web, streaming, social networks, Spotify... are all new channels for which we have to think and produce content.
In this way, after making some decisions, the information is shared with the production teams, which refine the ideas, making them more precise scales. In addition, they are looking at how to organize themselves in the day-to-day, how to act in the face of incidents and how to improve their reach. Of course, this is all part of a strategy and strategy.
In terms of scope, the strategy is marked by the expansion team and finally, the contrast team aims to improve the quality of the pieces and sessions. In this way, Hamaika is constantly improving and adapting and will offer the viewer content that prioritizes innovation and quality in the future.
An example of the above-mentioned production process: The call for grants for television programs in Navarre is usually published in May and in June we have to present some projects. The amount of this grant usually depends on the projects they accept. The management team reads the call criteria well and moves them to the product group. Proposals for meetings would be made here. After deciding how many and which sessions to present, we develop reports together. In it, the program manager determines the broadcast dates of each session, according to the production team. When we receive the resolution, we know how many sessions there will be and the production team comes together. In it, they develop a more detailed scale and organize the recording days and editions themselves, among others. They must agree with the programming manager on the terms and conditions for the delivery of the sessions. At the same time, the outreach team, for the purpose of outreach, develops a strategy to promote and expand the session. The fruit of this process has been, for example, last year’s Gratefulness or Burning Wheels sessions; as well as this year’s Bizib(h)er session.
THE DIRECTION OF HAMAIKA TV
One of the main objectives of Hamaika TV is to promote the normalization of the Basque language and, in the process of achieving it, we encounter several challenges and opportunities. Today, the young generations consume in Spanish and English and, above all, from mobile phones and through social networks. In other words, getting the attention of these young people with content in Basque is a great challenge, so the search for new and adapted forms of communication is essential.
Everything is based on content that can be shared quickly, visually and easily among young people. Platforms such as Tik Tok, Instagram or Youtube are the main keys to attract the attention of young people, which requires a change for a media outlet, especially for a Basque TV such as Hamaika. Because young people do not want to receive static and linear content, they seek dynamism and speed. For this reason, the formats that have worked so far will not be enough and adaptations will be essential.
Our mission is not only to create content, but also to adapt it to the communication formats that young people need. For this, we have produced podcasts, street questionnaires or challenges. The results have been encouraging and we have seen that young people seek participation and content related to their daily lives. In this way, we will continue to advance the project, understanding the interests of young people and trying to meet their needs.
The opinion that is often heard about the new generations is that they are not interested in actuality, but different studies have shown us the opposite. Young people also want to receive up-to-date information in agile, dynamic and visual formats. Simple messages and attractive images are essential to the attention of young people, and all this must be approached from the proximity and in relation to their reality.
There is also concern about misinformation and fake news, and the media has an important role to play here. Fake news is becoming more and more prevalent and causing great damage to our society. The role of the media is to guarantee truthfulness and quality information. Hamaika is committed to providing reliable and truthful information in Basque.
So far I have been talking about young people, but our community is made up of people from different generations and there are still people who maintain the habit of watching traditional television: sitting on the couch, quietly, who want a space to be out of the daily rush and out of the rhythm of new technocologies. For this reason, it is also essential for Eleven to offer content aimed at this audience. News programs such as Kolpez-kolpe, Live Music, 11 windows, Gratefulness, Burning Wheels or Bizib(h)erri.
Beyond the creativity and the team to carry out all this, we need economic resources. In view of the downward trend in advertising, we founded a foundation about three years ago. The economic contribution of its members is important and we are very grateful, but unfortunately it is not enough.
We will continue to work on self-financing, but to carry out a project like Hamaika we need the involvement of public institutions. The media, and especially those of us who produce exclusively in Basque, face great challenges, both in attracting audiences and in integrating new technologies and, consequently, in providing quality updated content. Therefore, in order to influence the normalization of the Basque language and protect our culture, we must all walk together.
We are already doing it; the collaboration of members of the sector, the Basque language and public institutions will be essential to be more efficient together. And, of course, community involvement is essential. We also have to figure out how to get to the community, so there’s a two-way job there.
Carrying out an audiovisual communication project that produces in pure Basque is not easy, but those of us who work at Hamaika are ready to face the challenge. If we want to be an effective tool in the normalization of the Basque language, innovation and adaptations will be essential, and in this way, with the support of the Basque community, we will continue our efforts to keep our language alive and strengthen its use.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE NEW DIRECTOR
The director of Hamaika, Ainhoa Jauregi Cabezon (Hernani, 1981), loves new challenges and thinks that what they have in their hands can be beautiful. With her colleagues at his side, she enthusiastically approaches the transformation.
“I studied journalism in Leioa and while I was studying I worked in the magazine Luz. The place was then in Txingudi, from where I worked in clothing stores while arriving at the production company Bainet. I spent 14 years in Bainet, mostly in the Bricomania and Decogarden programmes. I did the documentation, the scripts, the scales and the locutions; I also touched the production. During the pandemic, advertising and various programs collapsed and many people had to leave.
In September 2020 I was summoned by Iñaki Uria, who offered me to work at Hamaika because they wanted to launch a magazine in Bilbao. It was a difficult time, but very enriching. I liked it a lot. Then I came to San Sebastian. I started to carry out external productions and marketing and, with it, participate in management meetings. Two years ago we reflected on the need to reorganize the interior to make more profit, to motivate people, and we started working with a consulting service. Iñaki put it on the table that he planned to retire and the process itself led me to take his position.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------