Francine Gálvez, a multi-talented actress, journalist, and newscaster, holds the distinction of being the first Black woman to anchor a news program in Europe. That achievement came when she took on the role at Televisión Española (TVE) as anchor of the weekend edition of Telediario (TV Everywhere network/ authenticated streaming) in Spain in 1990. Born as Francine Nicolasa Gálvez Djouma on September 13, 1966, in Nkongsamba, Cameroon, she was reared in Lopera, Jaén, Spain, from the age of two. She changed her first name several times, including from Francis to Paquita, during childhood.
Gálvez graduated from the Isabel la Católica High School in Madrid in 1984. Afterward, she enrolled in one of the world’s oldest higher education institutions, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, to study journalism. She worked with the public broadcasting company Radio Televisión Madrid (RTVM) through her undergraduate years. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Information Sciences, concentrating in Journalism, in 1989. she earned a Master of Arts in Media Producing for Media and Entertainment from the New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies in 1998.
In 1990, she began presenting the weekend editions of Telediario, the flagship television newscast produced by Televisión Española. Thus, she became the first person of African ancestry in Spain to hold the position and remained there until 1991.
Gálvez’s talents are not limited to journalism; she has also made a successful transition into acting. In 1992, she hosted and narrated the TVE1 Tiempo for the opening gala of Disneyland Paris for the Spanish Television program via Digital VHS video. The following year, she made her silver screen debut in the movie Supernova (1993), where she portrayed the role of a news reporter.
From 1997 to 2000, Gálvez served as program director and reporter with Madrid directo en Telemadrid, where she had previously worked as a news reporter. During this period, she presented the weekly magazine Macumba TeVe on Telemadrid. She also was the “Self–Hostess” for the stage musical Mamma Mia in Madrid at the Teatro Rialto from 1999 to 2000.
Between 2005 and 2011, Gálvez hosted Palabra por Palabra (Word for Word), a Spanish Talk Program, and directed the television magazine Emisiones. From 2012 to 2013, she worked as a media journalist with AMC Networks International Southern Europe (AMC SE), where she contributed to various media projects and covered a wide range of topics. In 2015, she hosted the reality show Gran Boda en Las Vegas (My Big Fat Vegas Wedding) and presented it on Telemadrid. The following year, in 2016, she played “Woman” in the Spanish film Relaxing Cup of Coffee, directed by José Semprún.
Francine Gálvez, who is polylingual, remains a dynamic force in the Spanish media industry, contributing to a variety of projects and platforms.