Francisco Gimenez-Aleman has been appointed the new managing director of Spanish regional public broadcaster TeleMadrid.

Gimenez-Aleman replaces Silvio Gonzalez, who was asked Tuesday by the regional Madrid government to resign from his post following the broadcast of a programme concerning the tempestuous political situation in Basque Country. The programme has been critiqued as not condemning Basque terrorist group ETA.

The decision of Madrid president Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon has spawned a growing controversy this week, resulting in at least one subsequent resignation at TeleMadrid.

Gimenez-Aleman, 57, comes to TeleMadrid from Prensa Espanola, publisher of the conservative ABC newspaper, where he previously worked for three decades. He is depicted as a loyalist to the reigning centre-right Popular Party.