The special programme began with a news bulletin presented by second-year Journalism student Gala Molías, with contributions from her classmates. “The simple act of putting students in front of a microphone, under the pressure of real-time news, is a magnificent exercise,” explained Francesc Cano, a lecturer at UIC Barcelona and a leading figure in Catalonia’s radio industry.

“The students have built a solid and competitive schedule, which presents a stimulating challenge," added Cano, who worked closely with the students to produce the special programme. In a brief interview with the Faculty of Communication Sciences, he encouraged aspiring communicators to pursue studies in the field: “It’s a world full of opportunities, from podcasts to video production and AI mastery. Twenty years ago, we didn’t have this range of options,” he noted.

Later in the programme, listeners tuned into a special edition of Tot s’hi val, an entertainment show created by Journalism and Audiovisual Communication students Marc Garcia, Laia Bonjorn, and Carlos Roiger. The show, a personal student project, is broadcast weekly. During the podcast, they spoke with Pedro Sigaud, the dean of the Faculty of Communication Sciences, about music, football, university life, and the academic world.

Mid-morning, lecturer Maria Fitó-Carreras led a roundtable discussion on the impact of generative artificial intelligence on the audio industry. In an era where technology can now clone human voices, professionals Sergi Carles, Albert Murillo, and Marc Lobato examined the risks and opportunities AI presents for podcasts. “For me, the biggest danger is that listeners will become accustomed to AI-generated voices as the norm and adapt to a certain mediocrity in voice quality,” explained Sergi Carles, a professional with years of experience in advertising voiceovers.

Later on, sports news took centre stage, led by third-year Journalism students alongside journalist Lluís Bou, in collaboration with the Els Timbalers and El Còrner del Debat podcasts. This was followed by an interview with Quique Tejada, one of Spain’s most renowned DJs and music producers of the 1990s.

“In the past, radio stations created the hits people listened to. Now, songs go viral on the internet, and we’re the ones who have to play them on our stations," Tejada explained. Discussing this shift in paradigm and changing radio and podcast consumption habits, UIC Barcelona lecturer Raquel Ibáñez and audio technician Óscar Sueiro shared their insights in Micro Abierto, a programme hosted by Journalism student Edu Aguirán.

If you want to listen to the programme again, you can do so here.