The five hosts who keep Argentine cultural television alive

Cristina Mucci , Irene Chikiar Bauer , Eleana Pardini , Vanina Pujol and Cinthia Pérez They are the five hosts of cultural programs on cable TV . Each with her own distinct style, they stand out for their talent, femininity, and conviction to lead their respective programs, created by them, which abound in books, discussion and debate, life stories, readings and intimate talks, music, architecture, and the visual arts.

In conversation with Clarín , they talk about the programs they've designed, what culture means as a channel of expression, and what drives them to show such passion by showcasing quality content on TV and maintaining their relevance in the media after several seasons, among other things.

Los 7 Locos is the pioneering cultural program on Argentine television , a unique example of its longevity in all Spanish-speaking countries. It's now in its 38th season, a record for the longest run on television for a cultural interview. This is due to its perseverance, as the program was discontinued by the Javier Milei administration, which removed it from Public Television's programming without even contacting the host. Months later, the program returned on Canal de la Ciudad.

Cristina Mucci, journalist, lawyer, and writer, from 1987 to 2023, is the host and producer of this series dedicated to the promotion of books and culture. Previously broadcast on Public TV, it has aired every Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on Canal de la Ciudad (it is repeated on Sundays at the same time).

The cycle focuses on the debate of ideas, the dissemination of books and cultural activities . Major figures in Argentine and international culture have participated there, such as Mario Vargas Llosa, Carlos Fuentes, Augusto Roa Bastos, Fernando Savater, Mario Benedetti, José Saramago, Arturo Pérez Reverte, Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, Isabel Allende, Gilles Lipovetsky, Ray Bradbury, P.D. James, Juan Goytisolo, Elena Poniatowska, José Donoso, Eduardo Galeano, Leonardo Padura, Henning Mankell, Michel Houellebecq, Alain Rouquié, Javier Cercas, Almudena Grandes, Nélida Piñón, Sergio Ramírez, Guillermo Arriaga, Paul Auster, Lorrie Moore, Juan Villoro, among others.

“ I always fostered controversy and debate on the show. I like it. That's how I got into trouble, into complicated situations, but there was a passion, a fervor, a wealth of exposure that has been lost. There was also a space that was lost for writers: they had more social clout than they do today,” Mucci revealed in a TV interview.

This year's guests included Jorge Fernández Díaz, Arturo Pérez Reverte, Javier Cercas, Claudia Piñeiro, Guillermo Saccomano, Juan Sasturain, Sergio Olguín, Federico Jeanmaire, Martín Caparros, Pacho O'Donnell, and Pedro Mairal, among others.

Los 7 locos won five Martin Fierro Awards, one Konex Award in 2007, and was declared of "Cultural Interest " by the Ministry of Culture, the Chamber of Deputies, and the Buenos Aires City Legislature, among numerous other awards. Additionally, in 2024, Cristina Mucci was named "Outstanding Cultural Personality" by the Buenos Aires City Legislature.

Mucci has become one of the leading cultural figures on the small screen as a journalist, host, and writer. She has published several books on Argentine writers, including Leopoldo Lugones and biographies of writers Marta Lynch, Silvina Bullrich, and Beatriz Guido. The latter three were reissued in 2022 under the title Las olvidadas (Sudamericana).

Journalist and writer Irene Chikiar Bauer hosts this series of interviews with writers, now in its seventh season (airing Tuesdays from 1:30 to 2:00 PM and repeating weekly). It can also be viewed anytime on Canal (á)'s official YouTube channel.

"Each program is dedicated to an author , which gives us time to discuss their latest books and connect them to their entire body of work. We also talk about the readings that have influenced each of them," he emphasized.

Chikiar Bauer holds a PhD in Literature (FaHCE, UNLP), a Master's degree in Sociology of Culture and Cultural Analysis (UNSAM), and a Master's degree in Comparative Literature (UNLP). She is also the author of Virginia Woolf: Life in Writing (2009), Eduarda Mansilla: Between Them: A 19th-Century Argentine Writer (2013), Virginia Woolf and Victoria Ocampo: Biography of an Encounter (2023), and Edith Stein: Jewess, Philosopher, Saint (2024).

According to the host, the freedom to interview both first-time writers and established authors makes El Señalador a program that chronicles the literary field, aiming to refresh its content year after year . "We've seen the enormous amount of Argentine literary production, and it's a pleasure to introduce it to viewers and readers," the host remarked.

The only visual arts program on TV airs on Canal Metro on Mondays at 12:30 a.m. (repeated on Saturdays at 6:30 p.m.). It began on March 1, 2020, days before the pandemic, and is sponsored by visual artist Edgardo Giménez, with whom the pilot program was created.

“The program arose from a conversation with a very important art collector who is also an artist, with whom I was beginning an artistic and romantic relationship. That support was decisive and stimulating. We don't believe culture should be reserved for an elite, but rather should reach everyone. In that sense, television is the ideal medium,” said Eleana Pardini, its creator and general producer.

Her name is a registered trademark. This is how Pardini defines it. "In general, it's believed that the concept of 'Muse' refers to a passive, decorative woman, without her own agenda, but in reality, it's quite the opposite. The Muse has a direct impact on the artist's inspiration, their work, and their way of being in art, as Romero Brest would say. And 'Celebration' arises from tantra yoga, from the sacralization of the feminine and subtle. The non-explicit that is closely linked to the artistic."

The series has been running for five seasons in a documentary format as a television concept , with special reports dedicated to prominent artists such as Alejandra Pizarnik, Misia Sert, Kiki de Montparnasse, and Georgia O'Keeffe, among others.

Celebration of the Muses was selected by the Buenos Aires Ministry of Culture through the Patronage Law. The series will soon be declared of "Cultural Interest" by the National Secretariat of Culture. It will also be broadcast on Radio Cultura's YouTube channel.

A cultural, literary, dynamic, and entertaining program lasting almost half an hour, with content designed for TV and various digital platforms. In this program, Vanina Pujol (journalist, host, producer, and creator of Booktubers) creates an unparalleled chemistry with the interviewee, who is usually a famous person: an actor, actress, writer, musician, host, or streamer.

With extensive experience as a journalist, reporter, and TV producer, Pujol has worked on news programs such as La Liga on Telefe and Mañanas Informales with Jorge Guinzburg on El Trece. She has also worked on news programs on La TV Pública and ESPN, among others.

In 2018, she presented her project , Booktubers, to Canal (á). A unique cultural program . “They immediately told me to record a pilot. I presented it with Gonzalo Heredia: we made the program and it turned out really well. That pilot aired. I'll be forever grateful to them for that,” she recalled.

The fifth season began in October and will have nine episodes. Every Monday, there will be a new guest starting at 1:30 PM on Canal (á). In Booktubers, a celebrity is interviewed in a relaxed, intimate conversation inside a bookstore, where they recount the books that shaped their lives and their favorite reads. All sorts of anecdotes emerge.

“ When you talk about their books, about their readings, you end up talking about them through their books . That's the excuse, the beauty of it. You get to know them from another perspective, as a reader, and how those readings or those books transformed their lives. That's Booktubers,” Pujol explained.

The second part contains short sections and a tour of the bookstore with the host . This includes a ping-pong of brief questions and answers, along with content designed for the channel's social media platforms (Instagram, YouTube, TikTok).

"Even though it's broadcast on cable TV, you need to go beyond that and expand. That's why the short sections are designed, since everything is now consumed through Instagram reels, YouTube shorts, or TikTok videos," Pujol said.

Architect Cinthia Pérez is the host and producer of this cultural series, which is in its seventh consecutive season on Canal (á) , in which she visits emblematic places in the City of Buenos Aires and its surroundings, showing its architecture and history through interviews with architects, historians, directors of museums, cultural centers and various personalities from the cultural, professional and business fields.

The program has visited more than 110 locations : the Paz Palace, the Chancellery of the Argentine Republic (or San Martín Palace), the National Library, the Duhau Palace, the Tower of the English, the Libertad Palace, the Casa Rosada Museum, the Colón Theater, the Gran Rex, the Faculty of Law, the César Pelli building (Macro Tower), Villa Ocampo, the Colón Factory and the Fortabat Museum, among other architectural gems.

Each shipment goes out on Fridays at 2:00 PM, 6:00 PM, and 10:00 PM, plus other repeats.

What's the work structure like? "While putting together the program is very laborious, requiring in-depth research into the place to be visited and the interviewees , it's also a great pleasure to learn each story through the people who live there and the architects who tell me about the space," the host revealed.

It also features a closing musical performance featuring both established and emerging artists as guests, offering the opportunity to connect with the audience. “I always close with a musical moment at that same venue, with a guest musician or band sharing an interview and a song. I really enjoy that moment, since I'm also a musician, another of my passions,” Pérez concluded.

Additionally, it features a musical closing performance featuring both established and emerging artists as guests, offering the opportunity to connect with the audience. “I always close with a musical moment in that same location, with a guest musician or band sharing an interview and a song. I really enjoy that moment, since I'm also a musician, another of my passions,” Pérez concluded.