The administration of José Antonio Kast is navigating a period of internal reshuffling and legislative friction following the resignation of Daniel Merino from the Presidency's Programming and Production Department. Merino, who also serves as the director of the Viña del Mar Festival, stepped down from his unpaid position after just over a month of service at La Moneda.
According to reports from Cooperativa, Merino’s departure stemmed from disagreements and friction with various advisors within the presidential palace. Reports suggest a lack of coordination between departments and direct criticism regarding the planning of the administration's official activities.
Tensions Over Public Television
Alongside the internal staff crisis, the Kast administration has raised its first objections to the bill seeking to restructure Televisión Nacional de Chile (TVN). Government Spokesperson Mara Sedini presented these concerns before the Chamber of Deputies' Culture Committee.
Minister Sedini, accompanied by Undersecretary José Francisco Lagos, questioned the proposed funding model. As reported by La Tercera, the Executive branch maintains that the proposed dual-funding scheme "moves away from self-sustainability."
The government also challenged the expansion of the broadcaster's public mandate. The administration argues that incorporating new elements—such as the cultural identity of indigenous peoples or the rights of children and adolescents—could fragment the institution's core mission. "Increased specificity could lead to overlap, fragment the mandate, and undermine the coherence of a mission that must be inclusive and cross-cutting," the Executive stated before lawmakers.
The bill, which dates back to 2022 and received amendments from the Gabriel Boric administration in July 2024, aims to secure stable funding for the public broadcaster. However, the Kast government highlighted TVN's low viewership over the last decade, noting that the station "ranked fourth in viewership and achieved positive results in only 3 of the last 10 years."
For the current administration, the station's situation requires management that ensures financial viability. The Executive branch asserted that "TVN's situation cannot be explained by industry transformation alone. It is compounded by management, positioning, and sustainability challenges, making it urgent to define how the channel can fulfill its public mission under financially viable conditions."