Àngels Barceló ends 21-year run at Cadena SER with surprise on-air farewell: 'I am the left-hand page, now it's time to complete the right'
The veteran broadcaster brought her tenure at Spain's top morning radio show to an abrupt close on Thursday, stepping away weeks before the scheduled handover to successor Aimar Bretos.
Àngels Barceló signed off from Cadena SER's flagship 'Hoy por Hoy' on Thursday 11 June 2026, ending a 21-year association with the radio group in a surprise final broadcast. The Catalan journalist had announced on 22 May that she would not renew her contract, but her departure was not expected until the end of the current season. Instead, she chose the midday bulletin to tell listeners, "It's the last 'Hoy por Hoy' I'll do. It's over."
A page-turning metaphor
Barceló framed her exit with a phrase that immediately drew attention across Spanish media. "We turn the page. I am already the left-hand page, and now it's time to complete the right-hand page," she said, a remark some outlets interpreted as a coded reference to editorial tensions. The journalist stressed the decision was made "with the house and with its complicity, because the house has to start working on what comes next."
We turn the page, I'll leave it here; I am the left-hand page, now it's time to complete the right-hand page.
Seven years at the helm
Barceló took over 'Hoy por Hoy' in September 2019, inheriting a slot previously occupied by Iñaki Gabilondo, Carles Francino, and Pepa Bueno. She leaves the programme as the leader of the morning ratings, a point she underlined in her farewell. "We're leaving it, Sastre, at the top of the audience. Let them come and chase us, let them come and chase us with the historic figures of 'Hoy por Hoy'," she told her sub-director José Luis Sastre, who was visibly emotional in the studio.
We have always had a commitment to tell you the truth, to be rigorous, and also to make sure you have a really good time with the radio.
The succession plan
Cadena SER had already named Aimar Bretos, the current director of evening programme 'Hora 25', as Barceló's replacement. His first broadcast at the helm of 'Hoy por Hoy' is scheduled for 31 August 2026, marking the start of the 2026–2027 season. Bretos said it was "an enormous honour" to pick up a baton passed through the hands of Francino, Bueno, and Barceló over four decades.
Editorial undercurrents
Barceló's departure unfolded against a backdrop of reported friction between newsroom staff and content director Fran Llorente. Sources cited by elDiario.es claimed Prisa's management had pressed for "more plurality" in the programme's panel discussions, without clarifying whether that meant a greater presence of conservative commentators. Colleagues voiced unease about the circumstances. Carles Francino called it "a complicated, strange, and not exactly happy day," while Mara Torres said the network "could not afford to lose someone like her."
It's not the best day in the history of Cadena SER. Nothing's happening. No, the world isn't ending. But it's a complicated, strange, and not exactly happy day.
A career across decades
Barceló, born in Barcelona in 1963, began her career at Catalunya Ràdio at age 20 before moving to television with TV3. She joined Cadena SER in 2005 to present 'A vivir que son dos días', later moving to 'Hora 25' and then 'Hoy por Hoy'. Her awards include two Premios Ondas, an Iris award, the Antena de Oro, the Micrófono de Oro, and the Creu de Sant Jordi. In her closing words she told listeners she would "put my feet up" but would not lose sight of the news, adding, "I will not fall out of love with radio."
