Changes in television programming in Andalusia due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The case of Cádiz Carnival

Abstract

Media has been the business area that not only has not stopped its activity, but also has increased it due to the high demand of information by the population to inform and entertain themselves. Our main goals to address how the media, especially television, have adapted to the new situation. Specifically, the programming referring to the retransmission of the Cádiz Carnival. In 2021, television networks have had to created that content to cover the special programming of those dates. In this work we show a general overview analyzing the broadcast programming as well as the content created by networks. Through participating observation, in-depth interviews with agents involved in the making and development of the programs studied and analysis of television programming, we note that, in this occasion, creativity has emerged from the scriptwriters or program directors and not from the cultural product itself that is the Cádiz Carnival, as it has historically happened. We know that the content studied here can quickly become out of step due to its own characteristics, but since it is an exceptional event, it must be studied as a historical moment that adds to the various changes and adaptations that society has had to make because of the pandemic.