The government (PT) must pay R$100,000 a month to José Luiz during highlights of the (Empresa Brasil de Comunicação), aimed at audiences in classes C, D and E and focused on the debate on public security.
The president was invited by the presenter to be interviewed on the debut edition of “Na mesa com Datena”, a weekly program lasting one hour and 30 minutes on . The invitation was made in a recent meeting lasting almost two hours.
Despite showing sympathy for the idea, Lula did not confirm his presence. Datena will also present “Alô Alô Brasil”, a two-hour morning news program that will be broadcast on Rádio Nacional, with the main facts of the day.
With its debut expected in February, the presenter has not yet signed the contract with EBC, which also provides for payments of up to R$65,800 in travel. In total, the agreement is estimated at R$1.26 million for one year.
The journalist was notable for leading programs with a large audience, with a complimentary tone towards police actions. The plan to hire him was
In December, the (National Federation of Journalists) and unions criticized the plan to hire him and said, in a statement, that the presenter “consolidated a type of organization marked by systematic disrespect for human rights and political proselytism”.
In politics, he supported PT up to (PL) and (PRTB) during the race for Mayor of São Paulo in 2024.
According to PT members, the idea is for it to air a debate on security policy, including the role of the State, as a counterpoint to the right-wing discourse that should be explored in this year’s elections.
The public company cites as arguments for hiring without bidding the two Vladimir Herzog Amnesty and Human Rights awards won in the 1980s by TV teams from Ribeirão Preto that Datena was part of.
EBC argues that the salary would be adequate, as the presenter himself had higher salaries on other broadcasters. He mentions that Datena’s company issued a note of R$652.3 thousand, in December 2023, for services provided to Band, in addition to another in the amount of R$100 thousand per program on RedeTV!, last year.
These calculations exclude advertising participation. To estimate the salary, EBC mentions that Cissa Guimarães also receives R$100,000 to present “Sem Censura”.
President of EBC, André Basbaum states that Datena will lead programs with a broad agenda, but with a focus on the area of public security. He says that the topic will gain prominence because it is of public interest.
Basbaum also states that the presenter has a broad vision of justice, a captive audience and is listened to by public security agents, including the prosecutor, Lincoln Gakiya, a specialist in combating the PCC.
“Are we going to ‘bukelize’ Brazil or have a public, serious and qualified debate on public security?”, says Basbaum, when referring to the president of El Salvador,
According to the president of EBC, the radio news will feature commentators, such as journalist Jamil Chade, as well as a mood board. Datena must still replicate the public company’s content on his own social network — he has 1 million followers on Instagram and around the same volume on X, formerly Twitter.
The broadcaster plans for Datena to interview public security authorities, such as the general director of Federal, Andrei Rodrigues. The presenter also wants to bring the president of the PSD, Gilberto Kassab, and the governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), to the TV program, according to interlocutors who are monitoring the hiring.
The invitation to the presenter was endorsed by himself, in Brasília. The two have been friends for several decades. It was at this meeting that Datena invited the PT member to his debut program.
EBC is still planning an advertising campaign to publicize Datena’s programs. In the briefing, the company states that TV advertising should target classes C, D and E, in addition to audiences over 50 years old. For Rádio Nacional’s news, the focus is on the adult audience, over 35 years old and “on the move in the mornings”.
Datena’s interlocutors point to running a talk show as the realization of a big dream, which is why she accepted the challenge.
Born in Ribeirão Preto, Datena began his career as a radio and TV sports reporter. He also worked as an announcer.
In 1989, Datena ended up being fired after standing on Lula’s platform, who was a candidate in the presidential election and reached the second round against Fernando Collor, having been defeated. Since 1998, he has worked at Record, SBT, Band and RedeTV!, a broadcaster he left at the beginning of 2026 to migrate to EBC.
In the 2022 presidential race, he came close to then-president Jair Bolsonaro, having distanced himself because he disagreed with the conduct of the campaign. In the same year, he was invited by Márcio França, current minister of Entrepreneurship, but preferred not to act directly in the dispute.
