Journalist Alicia Heras has returned to host the summer radio show Una Tarde Mas on Spanish network Onda Cero after expanding its broadcast slot.
Heras continues her year-round work as a producer, editor, and advertising presenter on the morning show Mas de uno alongside director Carlos Alsina. Her expanded summer role places her at the helm of a daily three-hour afternoon broadcast designed to connect directly with audience members across Spain.
Heras grew up in a small village of just over 20 residents in the Alta Serrania de Cuenca region after being born in Valencia. She spent her childhood listening to transistor radios alongside her father and grandfather, who both worked as sheep herders in the countryside. Heras said those early experiences inspired her dream of working behind the microphone to provide companionship to people spending long hours in solitude.
Early career and radio background
Reflecting on nine years with the Mas de uno production team, Heras described working beside Alsina as an ongoing learning experience that reshaped her own broadcasting technique. She noted that the morning program confirmed Alsina's distinct style, flexible script changes during breaking news, and successful incorporation of radio fiction formats that built a dedicated listener base.
Production duties have assumed a larger role within Mas de uno over recent seasons. Heras explained that producers must adapt to the director's style while identifying what content best serves the main host. When transitioning to her own show as presenter, Heras shifts her focus to determining what listeners want and need from service radio.
Wildfire coverage in Leon
One of the major production challenges of early 2026 occurred when Alsina opened the season covering severe wildfires in the province of Leon. The team had not tested mobile coverage in the area and faced uncertain 5G signal strength along the planned broadcast route.
The day before the premiere broadcast, Heras traveled to Leon to inspect every planned location and confirm arrangements with local interviewees. Having presented Una Tarde Mas during the previous summer, she relied on contacts she had personally produced while running her summer program alone.
Heras surveyed the route with a stopwatch while riding in a car, logging kilometer posts, driving speeds, and signal drops down to the exact second. During the live broadcast beside Alsina, she monitored the timeline and signaled the director when to pause speaking ahead of dead zones, ensuring listeners experienced seamless audio throughout the broadcast.
Flooding coverage in Valencia
Heras cited a special commemorative broadcast on the anniversary of the Valencia DANA flooding as her most meaningful production project of the year. Although raised in Cuenca, Heras was born in Valencia, where her family members still reside and suffered direct property losses during the disaster.
Her brother has yet to receive financial aid for his damaged vehicle because it was never recovered or identified. Broadcasting live from a theater in Valencia alongside her family allowed Heras to amplify the voices of residents coping with loss and trauma, noting that rainfall announcements still trigger fear among local citizens.
Expanded summer programming schedule
Onda Cero management expanded Heras's summer presence following earlier trial runs. The network's director of programs granted her a one-hour slot last summer, followed by three-hour daily shows over two days during the Christmas holiday season, where she interviewed government ministers about their personal lives and holiday routines.
This summer, the network entrusted Heras with six weeks of three-hour daily shows. The expanded schedule features a primary summer segment from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM, followed by a news broadcast from La brugula, and a main magazine block running from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM.
Daily segments and live performances
The early evening hour incorporates comedians, actresses, and summer lifestyle segments focused on listener interactions, travel discussions, and humor. Heras designed the opening block around asking listeners where they are tuning in from and what activities they are engaged in.
The late evening magazine block introduces generational discussion tables pairing retirees with younger participants, expert panels on climate change, science features, and literary recommendations from a local bookseller. Friday night broadcasts feature live studio performances by musical groups, flamenco dancers, guitarists, and acoustic singers.
Heras has also spent months preparing for an upcoming special broadcast on the solar eclipse scheduled for August 12. She began reading textbooks, watching documentaries, and attending specialized training sessions on May 2, emphasizing that unscripted radio requires thorough preparation because spoken errors cannot be edited out after broadcast.
Summer staffing and broadcast workload
Heras pushed back against traditional industry views that treat summer broadcasts as minor programming, arguing that summer listeners deserve equal rigor and professionalism. She noted that audience habits have evolved from month-long vacations to shorter breaks, with listeners remaining tuned into radio broadcasts while on the beach.
Summer operations function with significantly reduced staffing levels. Heras manages her three-hour show alongside producer Pablo Moreno and two recent university graduates whom she trains on studio equipment, broadcast terminology, and audience engagement.
Her daily schedule begins at 7:00 AM working on Alsina's morning show and concludes after 9:00 PM following her evening broadcast. Heras stated that her ultimate measure of success for the season is bringing happiness to her audience and ensuring listeners feel accompanied.
