Basque journalist Oihane Mateos, who served as head of digital news content at public broadcaster EITB, has died at the age of 45.
Her sudden death has caused deep grief among professional colleagues, media figures and institutional leaders across the Basque Autonomous Community, who paid tribute to her personal and professional contributions in news reporting and media management.
Born in 1981 in Ibarra, a town in the Gipuzkoa province of northern Spain, Mateos built her entire career in close association with the Basque public radio and television network.
She began her professional path at Euskadi Irratia, the group's Basque-language public radio station, which she joined through an internship agreement. Following her work in radio, she transitioned to Euskal Telebista, the television division of EITB, where she worked as a news writer and editor.
Television career and newsroom leadership
Mateos subsequently moved in front of the camera, presenting flagship news programs for the network. Her anchoring work included hosting Gaur Egun, the daily Basque-language news bulletin on ETB1, and Teleberri, the Spanish-language news program broadcast on ETB2.
Alongside her news presentation roles, Mateos also directed the current affairs program De Boca en Boca on ETB2.
Digital strategy and modern news formats
As media consumption shifted toward digital platforms, Mateos redirected her career toward newsroom transformation and technological development. In 2022, she was appointed head of the digital news department for the public broadcaster, overseeing strategy across web platforms and social media networks.
Under her direct leadership, EITB developed and launched Orain, a strategic multimedia project designed to modernize news formats for the regional public broadcaster.
Throughout her career, Mateos maintained strict discretion regarding her personal life, keeping her public profile focused entirely on her journalism and her responsibilities within EITB. Colleagues remembered her as a standout professional who combined telegenic screen presence with a forward-looking vision for digital news content.
