Next#1 is organized by Xarxa Audiovisual Local (XAL) with the support of Diputació de Barcelona.
The Local Audiovisual Network, known as Xarxa Audiovisual Local (XAL), is a publicly owned organization promoted by the Barcelona Provincial Council that was created with the aim of fostering and promoting local communication through the development, management, and the provision and operation of all sorts of audiovisual media, goods and services.
The XAL is formed by:
# The Local Television Network, known as Xarxa de Televisions Locals (XTVL): This network includes a total of 69 local television stations and distributes to its members high quality audiovisual content, in the shape of both programs and information services. This content can be produced by the television stations themselves, by independent producers, or even by XTVL in-house production.
# XN News Agency, Specialized in general news and sports updates, this agency distributes over 15,000 news pieces a year to associated television stations, to complement the regional television stations' own local news.
# laMalla.net: A digital newspaper in Catalan that places special emphasis on local information, with 21 channels specialized in all the interests of the different audiences it serves.
The Director-General of the institution is Miquel Bonastre. With over 25 years of work experience in the audiovisual
sector, Mr. Bonastre has served posts of vast responsibility in the national public broadcasting company, Radiotelevisin
Espaola, and on the Audiovisual Council of Catalonia.
What public body supports Next#1?
The Barcelona Provincial Council Diputació de Barcelona, a supra-municipal local government institution that offers technical, economic and technological support to a network of 311 town councils. Its aim is to provide residents with quality, standardized services throughout the entire region.
| Region | Area (km2) | Population (inhab) | Density (hab./km2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona | 7,719 | 5,309,404 | 687.8 |
| Catalonia | 32,113 | 7,134,697 | 222.2 |
| Spain | 505,992 | 44,708,964 | 88.3 |
This public administration is particularly aware of and given to the local use of new technologies. This emphasis on technology is clearly manifest in many different areas and services for local residents.
The President of the Barcelona Provincial Council is Celestino Corbacho, the Mayor of Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona's neighboring municipality to the south, with the second largest population in Catalonia (260,000 inhabitants in 2006).
In addition to promoting the Local Audiovisual Network (XAL), the Barcelona Provincial Council's commitment to close communication is also historically manifest in its considerable support for the municipal radio stations. It was with this spirit that the Provincial Council promoted the birth of COMRądio, a public radio that has made the interest in local issues and citizen participation its main identifying features. A network of over 120 associated municipal radio stations that serve more than five and a half million people throughout Catalonia.