Javier Gonzalez Ferrari has been appointed general director of Spain's public television broadcaster Radio Television Espanola (RTVE), replacing outgoing head Pio Cabanillas, who was given the post as spokesperson for the recently re-elected national government.

Ferrari takes on a television network steeped in debt as well as an on-going controversy concerning TVE's policy of accepting both federal funding and private advertisements. He has acted as head of the news division for TVE since 1998. Before then, Ferrari had a long career in print and radio journalism.

Ferrari recruited Alvaro de la Riva Reina as director of TVE's two channels, TVE 1 and 2. De la Riva Reina comes from Via Digital, where he most recently held the post of general director of programming and production.