The bullfighting show Tendido Cero, successor to 'Revista de toros', has reached its fourth decade of uninterrupted broadcast, coinciding with the recent Seville Fair. Launched in 1986 under the presentation of Fernando Fernández Román, the program has witnessed television's evolution, from its early days with celluloid editing and modern music to the present.
Following Fernando Fernández Román and Federico Arnás, Belén Plaza took over as director on September 19, 2020. Since then, the format has been adapted, reducing its duration from 75 to 45 minutes, changing its original theme music composed by Julio Mengod, and eliminating the usual panel of specialists.
Despite being a constant target for criticism from anti-bullfighting activists to RTVE's Ombudsman, the program's creators defend bullfighting as part of natural life. This debate persists as bullrings have seen a post-pandemic resurgence, attracting new audiences and selling out venues.
The inclusion of bullfighting events in the programming of regional public television channels, such as those governed by the Partido Popular (Canal Sur, Castilla-La Mancha, and the Valencian channel), contrasts with TVE's decision to keep them separate, fueling the controversy surrounding bullfighting's presence on state public television.
