Radio Caracas Televisión Internacional (
RCTV Internacional) is a
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially titled Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It is a continental mainland with numerous islands located off its coastline in the Caribbean Sea...
n
cableCable television is a system of providing television to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through fixed optical fibers or coaxial cables as opposed to the over-the-air method used in traditional television broadcasting in which a television antenna is required...
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
networkA television network is a distribution network for television content whereby a central operation provides programming for many television stations. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small number of broadcast networks. Many early...
headquartered in the
CaracasCaracas is the capital and largest city of Venezuela. It is located in the north of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range . The valley's temperatures are springlike. Terrain suitable for building lies between 760 and 910 m above...
,
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially titled Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It is a continental mainland with numerous islands located off its coastline in the Caribbean Sea...
neighborhood of Quinta Crespo. It is sometimes referred to as the
Canal de Bárcenas. Owned by
Empresas 1BCEmpresas 1BC , is a privately owned Venezuelan corporation which operates diverse media enterprises such as Radio Caracas Televisión, Etheron, Radio Caracas Radio, 92.9 tu FM, Sonográfica, FonoVideo, Recordland, and Radionet, to name a few...
, RCTV Internacional was inaugurated as Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV) on 15 November 1953 by William H. Phelps, Jr.. Its radio counterpart is
Radio Caracas RadioRadio Caracas Radio is a Venezuelan radio station. It is owned by Empresas 1BC, Venezuela's second largest privately-owned media corporation, which also owns Radio Caracas Televisión, a popular and controversial cable and satellite channel.-Background:...
.
On 27 May 2007, RCTV made headlines when the
Government of Venezuela|The politics of Venezuela occurs in a framework explained in Government of Venezuela.There are currently two major blocs of political parties in Venezuela: the incumbent leftist bloc United Socialist Party of Venezuela , its major allies Fatherland for All and the Communist Party of Venezuela ,...
decided not to renew their radio
broadcast licenseA broadcast license is a specific type of spectrum licence that grants the licensee the privilege to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes....
for what it claimed was the station's role in the coup which briefly overthrew Venezuela's democratically elected government.
Currently, as of January 22, 2009, RCTV continues to broadcast on cable and satellite systems under the name Radio Caracas Televisión Internacional (RCTV Internacional).
The government also temporarily took power and property of equipment that was property of RCTV, including antennas, transmitters and cameras, to use it in a new government owned channel. RCTV also maintains the right to transmit TV programming via satellite and cable.
The
Supreme Court of JusticeThe Supreme Tribunal of Justice is the highest court of law in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and is the head of the judicial branch....
(
Tribunal Supremo de Justicia or TSJ) upheld the decision by the National Telecommunications Commission (
CONATELConatel may be:* Conatel - Honduras' Comisión Nacional de Telecomunicaciones* Conatel - Venezuela's Comisión Nacional de Telecomunicaciones...
) not to renew RCTV's broadcast license.
1953 to 1960
Radio Caracas Televisión, C.A.Radio Caracas Televisión RCTV, C.A. is a media and entertainment company in Venezuela that owns Radio Caracas Televisión, now known as RCTV Internacional, a popular Venezuelan cable and satellite television channel. It is a subsidiary of Empresas 1BC....
was established on 18 August 1953 by the Corporación Radiofónica de Venezuela (more commonly known as Coraven, a subsidiary of the
Grupo PhelpsEmpresas 1BC , is a privately owned Venezuelan corporation which operates diverse media enterprises such as Radio Caracas Televisión, Etheron, Radio Caracas Radio, 92.9 tu FM, Sonográfica, FonoVideo, Recordland, and Radionet, to name a few...
and
RCARCA Corporation, founded as Radio Corporation of America, was an electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. Currently, the RCA trademark is owned by the French conglomerate Thomson SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Thomson...
), whose mission was that of launching a television network. In the month of September, Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV) began test broadcasts on channel seven using the
call signIn broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In some countries they are used as names for broadcasting stations, but in many other countries they are not...
YVKS-TV, and on 15 November, the network was officially inaugurated at 7:30 pm. RCTV was the third television network to begin operations in Venezuela after
Televisora NacionalTelevisora Nacional was the first television station to begin operations in Venezuela.-History:On 22 November 1952, the first television station in Venezuela was inaugurated: Televisora Nacional , channel five, was a state-owned television station which was installed by Intelec, C.A...
and
TelevisaTelevisa , officially known as the Televisión Independiente S.A., became the first privately-owned television station to begin operations in Venezuela. It was the second television station to begin operations after the state-owned Televisora Nacional...
, seen on channels five and four, respectively, and the second commercial network after Televisa.
On 8 October, during RCTV's testing phase, the inaugural game of the XIV
World Cup of BaseballThe Baseball World Cup is an international tournament in which national baseball teams from around the world compete. It is sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation . Along with the World Baseball Classic, it is one of two active tournaments considered by the IBAF to be a major world...
was broadcast. This game matched
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
and
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially titled Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It is a continental mainland with numerous islands located off its coastline in the Caribbean Sea...
and took place at the recently opened stadium of the
Ciudad Universitaria de CaracasThe University City of Caracas is the main Campus of the Central University of Venezuela. It was designed by the Venezuelan architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000...
.
The official inauguration of RCTV took place at its studios located between the corners of Bárcenas and Río in Quinta Crespo, and had the presence of the Minister of Communications,
ColonelColonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country in the world. It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Félix Román Moreno, the proprietors of the network, and a small group of special guests. In charge of the inauguration was William H. Phelps, Jr., the president of the company, and his wife, Kathy Phelps.
The first program that was aired by the newly inaugurated network was the musical
Fiesta, which hosted by Ramírez Cabrera and sponsored by Cerveza Caracas. Afterwards, RCTV aired a program titled
El Farol, which was then followed by a program sponsored by Cigarrillos Alas that was directed by Peggy Walker which featured
Alfredo SadelAlfredo Sadel was a popular Venezuelan singer and actor.Born Alfredo Sánchez Luna in Caracas, Venezuela, Sadel was affectionately called "The Favorite Tenor of Venezuela". He adopted his stage name by combining the last syllable of his surname with the last syllable of the surname of his favorite...
(who had just returned from
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
in time for RCTV's inauguration).
The first voice that identified the network was that of Héctor Myerston.
The following day, RCTV began transmitting its regular programming on channel seven, presenting programs such as
El Observador Creole,
Cuento Musical Venezolano,
Tontín y Tontona, the police adventures of
Roy Martin, and the adventures of
Kid Carson, to name a few. El Observador Creole was Venezuela's first regular newscast, which remained on the for almost twenty years, being replaced by
El Observador Venezolano, and then
El ObservadorEl Observador is the Spanish language newscast of Radio Caracas Televisión . It is one of the first television news programs in Venezuela.-History:El Observador is one of the first television news programs in Venezuela...
.
RCTV's first
board of directorsA board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. The body sometimes has a different name, such as board of trustees, board of governors, board of managers, or executive board...
included José Marcano Coello, Peter Bottome, Armando Enrique Guía, Guillermo Tucker Arismendi, William H. Phelps, Jr., and Antonio Ortol.
In 1954,
Anecdotario appeared. This was the first cultural program that theatrically represented great works of
literatureLiterature is the art of written works. Literally translated, the word means "acquaintance with letters" , and therefore the academic study of literature is known as Letters...
. It was directed by Margarita Gelabert and César Henríquez. Other cultural programs similar to
Anecdotario included
Kaleidoscopio,
Teatro del Lunes,
Gran Teatro,
Ciclorama,
Cuentos del Camino, and
Candilejas.
Later that year, RCTV debuted their first
telenovelaA telenovela is a limited-run television serial melodrama popular in the Americas, comprising a great part of its production budget. The word combines tele, short for television, and novela, a word that Latin literary studies associate with medium-span romances. Telenovelas are essentially soap...
,
Camay, which was on at 9:00 pm. As a result of Camay's popularity, RCTV began producing more telenovelas, which became an important part of the network's programming throughout the years. In the 1950s, telenovelas contained between 20 to 25 episodes, with each episode lasting 15 minutes (about three minuted were allocated to advertisements), and were televised live.
Also in 1954, RCTV began airing
El Show de las Doce with Víctor Saume. It was one of the first
variety showA variety show or variety entertainment is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and comedy skits, and normally introduced by a compère or host. The variety format made its way from Victorian era stage to radio to television...
s to air in Venezuela. Celebrities such as
Pedro InfanteJosé Pedro Infante Cruz , better known as Pedro Infante, is perhaps the most famous actor and singer of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema and was the idol of the Mexican people, together with Jorge Negrete and Javier Solís, who were styled the Tres Gallos Mexicanos . He was born in Mazatlán,...
,
Libertad LamarqueLibertad Lamarque was an Argentine actress and singer who became famous in Latin America while working in Mexican cinema.-Career:...
,
Magdalena SánchezMagdalena Sánchez, Venezuelan singer, better known like the Queen of the Venezuelan song, was born in Puerto Cabello, Carabobo, April 9,1915.- Early career :Sánchez, made her first performances in a radial fan program and personal presentations...
,
Lucho GaticaLuis Gatica, better known as Lucho Gatica, is a Chilean bolero singer. It is estimated that Gatica has released more than 90 recordings. He has toured a vast portion of the world, having made concerts in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.-Biography:...
guest starred.
In December 1954, RCTV began broadcasting simultaneously on channels two and seven.
In early 1955, RCTV began to transmit exclusively to Caracas, on channel two, from a new transmitting station located in the neighborhood of La Colina. In the month of July, RCTV began its regular service to the interior of the country. A repeater antenna was installed in Altamira, south of
Lake ValenciaLake Valencia is the third largest lake in Venezuela, exceeded in size only by Lake Maracaibo and Lake Guri. It occupies one of the so-called Aragua valleys, enclosed between the parallel mountain ranges of the Cordillera de la Costa, the Maritime Andes. One part is within the limits of Carabobo...
, allowing RCTV to reach, by way of channel seven,
ValenciaValencia is the capital city of Carabobo State, and the third largest city of Venezuela.The city is an economic hub that contains Venezuela's top industries and manufacturing companies. The population of Valencia reached some 1.5 million in the year 2003, and it is expected to grow dramatically...
,
MaracayMaracay is a city in central Venezuela and is the capital and most important city of the Aragua State. Most of it falls under the jurisdiction of the Girardot Municipality. The population as per the 2001 census was 750.000...
, and surrounding towns. Later, RCTV put into service their repeater antenna in Curimagua,
FalcónEstado Falcón is one of the 23 states into which Venezuela is divided. The state capital is Coro.Falcón State covers a total surface area of 24,800 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 901,500....
, so that their signal could reach the entire state and the
Netherlands AntillesThe Netherlands Antilles , previously known as the Netherlands West Indies or Dutch Antilles/West Indies, is part of the Lesser Antilles and consists of two groups of islands in the Caribbean Sea: Curaçao and Bonaire, just off the Venezuelan coast, and Sint Eustatius, Saba and Sint Maarten, located...
on channel 10. This station was one of the most modern stations in the moment of its installation.
Also in 1955, the morning show that projected
Renny OttolinaRenaldo José "Renny" Ottolina Pinto was a Venezuelan-born producer and entertainer. His mother died when he was two years old. At the age of six his father moved him to Caracas with his paternal grandmother, for he was going to Germany...
, arrived.
Lo de Hoy came on at 7:30 a.m. and lasted until 9:00 a.m. It was an adaptation of
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
's
Today Show, and as a result of the record audience that it obtained, the show was extended to two hours. In 1958, Ottolina left
Lo de Hoy, and went on to host his very own variety show,
El Show de Renny.
In March 1956, the operations of the repeater station of Isla de Toas commenced, by which, on channel two, RCTV's signal arrived in the state of
ZuliaThe Zulia State or Estado Zulia is one of Venezuela's 23 states . The state capital is Maracaibo. In 2007 it had an estimated population of 3,620,200, giving it the largest population among Venezuela's states. It is located in the northwestern part of the country...
. In September 1956, RCTV installed an antenna in Pariata, to serve what is now the state of
VargasEstado Vargas is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. Named after Venezuela's first non-military president, José María Vargas, Vargas comprises a coastal region in the north of Venezuela, bordering Aragua to the west, Miranda to the east, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Capital District to...
.
In 1957, RCTV expanded their coverage to the national level, offering an uninterrupted signal of high quality.
In January 1957, RCTV improved their installations at Curimagua and were able to offer an uninterrupted and higher quality signal to the Falcon State and the Netherlands Antilles. The network also began service to the state of
LaraEstado Lara is one of the 23 states into which Venezuela is divided. The state capital is Barquisimeto.Lara State covers a total surface area of and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 1,795,100.- Municipalities and municipal seats :...
by way of channel three, transmitting from Mount Manzano in
BarquisimetoBarquisimeto is the capital city of the State of Lara located in west central Venezuela, halfway between Caracas and Maracaibo on the Turbio River.- Overview :...
. On 31 October 1957, RCTV began its first service from
Puerto La CruzPuerto la Cruz, is a port city located in Anzoategui state in Venezuela's capital Sotillo municipality. Is bound to the state capital, Barcelona, also to Dairy and turn to Guanta, and shaping the metropolitan area's largest and most important eastern Venezuela.- Geography :Located directly on the...
to cover the northeastern region of Venezuela on channel three.
In 1958, after the fall of dictator
Marcos Pérez JiménezMarcos Evangelista Pérez Jiménez was a soldier and President of Venezuela from 1952 to 1958.-Career:...
on 23 January of that year, RCTV began airing
La Voz de la Revolución, the first political talk show to air in Venezuela.
In 1959, Tito Martinez Del Box, a producer from
ArgentinaArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
, created the comedy series
La Gran Cruzada del Buen Humor, later known as
Radio Rochela. In 2001,
Radio Rochela made the
Guinness World RecordsGuinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing an internationally recognised...
for being on the air for over five decades uninterrupted (it was seen every Monday at 8:00 pm).
By the end of the 1950s, there existed five television channels in Venezuela: Televisora Nacional, Televisa, Radio Caracas Televisión, Televisa del Zulia, and Ondas del Lago Televisión.
1960 to 1970
By the 1960s, the American television network, NBC, had purchased a twenty percent stake in RCTV. Although today, NBC no longer owns any part of RCTV, RCTV is affiliated with
TelemundoTelemundo is a Spanish-language American television network. Angel Ramos launched the brand with a TV station in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1954 -- and it evolved into the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world...
, NBC's Spanish-language network.
In 1961, RCTV, with the help of their radio counterpart, began their first experiments with stereo sound during the broadcast of a variety show.
On 17 September 1961, RCTV put into use their first
videotapeVideotape is a means of recording images and sound on to magnetic tape as opposed to movie film. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
system, a technology which permitted the consolidation of recordings of sounds and images.
Also in 1961, a major fire affected eighty percent of the operating facilities of the network. As a result of this event, RCTV went on the air with an emergency programming.
Later in 1961, the network offered their first service to the city of
Puerto CabelloPuerto Cabello is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in the state of Carabobo about 75 km west of Caracas. As of 2001, the city has a population of around 154,000 people. The city is the home to the largest port in the country and is thus a vital cog in the country's vast...
from an antenna located at the naval base in that city.
In 1962, RCTV began using the first selector of images that was fabricated entirely in the country, demonstrating a technological advancement for the network.
Also in 1962, RCTV began its first service to the state of
TáchiraEstado Táchira is one of the 23 states into which Venezuela is divided.The state capital is San Cristóbal, which is one of the six largest cities of the country and one of the most affluent urban centres....
and the Norte de Santander Department in
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
from an antenna located in the high barren plain of El Zumbador.
On 24 August 1963, RCTV was given the exclusive rights to broadcast the inauguration of the
General Rafael Urdaneta BridgeThe General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge is located at the outlet of Lake Maracaibo, in western Venezuela. The bridge connects Maracaibo with much of the rest of the country...
over
Lake MaracaiboLake of Maracaibo is a large brackish lake in Venezuela at . It is connected to the Gulf of Venezuela by Tablazo Strait at the northern end, and fed by numerous rivers, the largest being the Catatumbo. It is commonly considered a lake rather than a bay, and at 13,210 km² it would be the largest...
. On this day, RCTV realized their first transmission via
microwaveMicrowaves are electromagnetic waves with wavelengths ranging from as long as one meter to as short as one millimeter, or equivalently, with frequencies between 300MHz and 300 GHz. This is an extremely broad definition including both UHF and EHF , and various sources use different boundaries...
transmitters from the antennas in Curimagua and Maracaibo. The use of the electronic pointer was incorporated.
On every 17 December between the years 1963 and 1969, RCTV presented, and reran by popular demand, a
made-for-TVA television movie is a feature film that is produced for and originally distributed by a...
movie that re-created the death of
Simón BolívarSimón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte Blanco, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a South American political leader...
. Written by Alfredo Cortina, starred by the
PeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico...
vian actor Luis Muñoz Lecaro (Simón Bolívar), directed by José Antonio Ferrara, and presented by Ruben Darío Villasmil,
El Ocaso de un Sol made its mark by being one of the first creations by RCTV recorded on videotape.
In 1964, RCTV began using their new transmitters located in the mountains southeast of Puerto la Cruz and
BarcelonaBarcelona is the capital of Anzoátegui State, Venezuela and was founded in 1671. Together with Puerto La Cruz, Lecheria and Guanta, Barcelona forms one of the most important urban areas of Venezuela with a population of approximately 950,000...
to offer a higher quality signal by way of channel three to
Isla MargaritaMargarita Island is the largest island of the Nueva Esparta state in Venezuela, situated in the Caribbean Sea, off the northeastern coast of the country. The state also contains two other smaller islands: Coche and Cubagua. The capital is La Asunción, located in a river valley of the same name....
,
CumanáCumaná is the capital of Venezuela's Sucre State. It is located 402 km east of Caracas. It was one of the first settlements founded by Europeans on the South American mainland, in 1515 by Franciscan monks, but due to successful attacks by the indigenous people, it had to be refounded several times...
, Barcelona, Puerto La Cruz, and surrounding areas in the states of
SucreEstado Sucre is one of the 23 states into which Venezuela is divided. The state capital is Cumaná. Sucre State covers a total surface area of 11,800 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 916,600....
and
AnzoáteguiAnzoátegui State , is one of the 23 component states of Venezuela, located in the northeastern region of the country. Anzoátegui is well known for its beautiful beaches that attract many visitors...
. Later, RCTV inaugurated the transmitters on Pico Terepaima, to the south of Barquisimeto, to serve with quality the states of Lara, Yaracuy, and
PortuguesaPortuguesa, Portuguese for something which is Portuguese and Female, may refer to:*Portuguese language*A Portuguesa, the Portuguese national anthem*Portuguesa , a state of Venezuela*A small town located Rio de Janeiro , Brazil...
by way of channel three, and the one in
MaracaiboMaracaibo is the second-largest city in Venezuela after the national capital Caracas and is the capital of Zulia state. Based on the 2001 census information, the estimated population of Maracaibo in 2007 is 3,200,000 inhabitants....
, covering with better image and sound the state Zulia. In November, from Pico Zamuro,
TrujilloEstado Trujillo is one of the 23 states into which Venezuela is divided.The state capital is Trujillo.Trujillo State covers a total surface area of 7,400 km² and, in 2007, had an estimated population of 711,400....
, RCTV began transmitting its signal to the towns of Trujillo,
ValeraValera is a city in Trujillo State in Venezuela, situated between the rivers Momboy and Motatán. The mayor is Temístocles Cabezas, and has had that post since 2009. The city is home to Italian, Chinese, Colombian and Spanish communities...
, Biscucuy,
BoconóBoconó is a city in the Venezuelan Andean state of Trujillo. Founded in 1560, this city is the shire town of the Boconó Municipality and, according to the 2001 Venezuelan census, the municipality has a population of 79,710.-History:...
,
GuanareGuanare is the capital city of Portuguesa State, Venezuela. It is where la Virgen de Coromoto is said to have appeared to a Coromoto Indian.Located at the edge of the Southwestern floodplains, near the Andes foothills, Guanare is in a region known for livestock and agricultural production...
, and their surrounding areas.
In the 1960s, the number of episodes contained in each telenovela increased, with each one episode lasting between 30 to 60 minutes long, also telenovelas were no longer made live as a result of the arrival of the videotape. By 1964, telenovelas with sole sponsors disappeared with the release of
La Novela del Hogar (which came on at 2:00 pm),
La Novela de Pasión (which came on at 2:25 pm), and
La Novela Romantica (which came on at 2:55 pm).
La Tirana (1967, created by Manuel Muñoz Rico), was the first telenovela to be aired on Saturdays.
On 16 May 1965, RCTV placed into service their transmitters at the
Mérida cable carThe Mérida Cable Car is the world's highest cable car. Its base is located in the Venezuelan city of Mérida at an altitude of , and its terminus is on Pico Espejo, at...
. Thanks to this equipment, RCTV's signal covered the entire Andean region of Venezuela.
By 1967, there were seven television networks on the air in Venezuela. They included Radio Caracas Televisión, Venevisión, Cadena Venezolana de Televisión (CVTV), Canal 11 Televisión, Televisora Nacional in Caracas, Teletrece in Valencia, and Canal 11 in Maracaibo. Because of the exaggerated number of channels, both for the audience and the national publicity market, this number, at the beginning of the 1970s, was reduced to four (two private and two official).
On 17 July 1969, RCTV brought to their viewers the first international broadcast: a
news conferenceA news conference or press conference is a media event in which newsmakers invite journalists to hear them speak and, most often, ask questions. A joint press conference instead is held between two or more talking sides.-Practice:...
with the American
astronautAn astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
s that were traveling to the
moonThe Moon is Earth's only natural satellite and the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System. The average centre-to-centre distance from the Earth to the Moon is , about thirty times the diameter of the Earth. The common centre of mass of the system is located at about —a quarter the Earth's...
the next day. On 20 July, RCTV broadcast live and direct the arrival of these astronauts to the moon. Armando Enrique Guía, Hernán Pérez Belisario, and Gustavo Rada were in charge of the transmission which counted on a channel of microwave transmitters and a submarine cable.
1970 to 1980
In 1970, RCTV began using the first chromatic signals during the broadcast of the
World CupThe 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. Mexico was chosen as hosts by FIFA in October 1964. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of...
in
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
(the same World Cup where Venezuelans were able to see
PeléEdison Arantes do Nascimento , , best known by his nickname Pelé is a Brazilian football player. He was given the title "Athlete of the Century" by the International Olympic Committee...
make his one thousandth goal). Unfortunately, by pressure from the government, the network was obligated to use electronic filters.
On 16 November 1971, Producciones Cinematográficas Paramaconi, C.A., a company affiliated with RCTV that specializes in cinematography, was established.
On 30 August 1973, RCTV inaugurated a transmitting station in Punta de Mulatos, between
La GuairaLa Guaira is the capital of the Venezuelan state of Vargas and the country's chief port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas, 30 km to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during the December 1999 floods and mudslides that affected much of the region...
and
MacutoMacuto is a city in Vargas state, Venezuela.Macuto was founded in August 1740 on the site of an indigenous village called Guaicamacuto . It is known for its beaches, and for the town of Galipán, famous for its flowers....
, to offer a better signal in the region.
On 23 June 1974, RCTV began service to
Ciudad BolívarCiudad Bolívar is the capital of Venezuela's southeastern Bolivar State. It was founded with the name Angostura in 1764, renamed in 1846, and, as of 2005, had an estimated population of 338,250....
on channel three, and in July to
Puerto OrdazPuerto Ordaz is a planned city which, together with the older settlement of San Felix, forms Ciudad Guayana in Bolívar State, eastern Venezuela. Puerto Ordaz is located at the confluence of the Caroní and Orinoco Rivers and is the site of the Llovizna Falls...
, on channel two.
In 1974, the miniseries
Doña Bárbara began airing. In just 48 episodes of two hours, José Ignacio Cabrujas brought to television the classic novel authored by
Rómulo GallegosRómulo Gallegos Freire was a Venezuelan novelist and politician. For a period of some nine months during 1948, he served as his country's president.-Early life:...
in 1929 and later creating into a trilogy with
Canaima and
Cantaclaro. Under the direction of the Argentine producer Juan Lamata and with César Bolívar in charge of photography, eighty percent of this production was filmed outdoors (mainly in the
llanosLos llanos is a vast tropical grassland plain situated at the east of the Andes in northwestern South America . Its main river is the Orinoco, which forms part of the border between Colombia and Venezuela and is the major river system of Venezuela.The climate change of the Llanos is extreme...
of the
Apure StateEstado Apure is one of the 23 states into which Venezuela is divided. Its territory formed part of the provinces of Mérida, Maracaibo, and Barinas, in accordance with successive territorial ordinations pronounced by the colonial authorities. In 1824 the Department of Apure was created, under...
). Although it was filmed in color, it was broadcast in black and white. This was the first Venezuelan miniseries projected in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
and the first program dubbed into another language.
In the mid 1970s, RCTV created the
2 de Oro award as an incentive for the network's artists and talents. The most recent
2 de Oro was held on 15 April 2007. The
2 de Oro 2004 was held 7 November 2004, and the
2 de Oro 2003 was held on 7 November 2003 (there was no
2 de Oro awards in 2005 and 2006). Other (defunct) award shows that aired on RCTV were the
Ronda and
Meridiano.
In 1975, RCTV began selling broadcasting rights to some of its programs to television companies overseas, with some of them being translated and dubbed into more than 15 languages and transmitted in more than 40 countries. The three hundred episode telenovela,
La Usurpadora, was RCTV's first telenovela seen abroad.
Also in 1975, RCTV launched
Alerta, a controversial program that took a look into various social situations in Venezuela. Shortly after
Luis Herrera CampinsLuis Herrera Campins was President of Venezuela from 1979 to 1984. He was elected to one five-year term in 1978. He was a member of the COPEI party.- Early Life and career:...
assumed the presidency in 1979, Alerta was taken off the air as a result of a highly controversial report that was conducted on the children's mental hospital located in
Catia La MarCatia La Mar is a city in the municiplaity of Vargas, in the State of Vargas in Maiquetía, Venezuela. It is Maiquetia's neighbor to the west.Catia la Mar is about 10 minutes from Simón Bolívar International Airport .- See also :...
. Alerta, as well as
Primer Plano and
A Puerta Cerrada (the latter to a lesser extent), would make a come back, get cancelled, make another come back, and get cancelled again before making another comeback. The latest reincarnation of Alerta began airing on 27 October 2006 and is hosted by Alexandra Belandia. Alerta was originally hosted by Eladio Larez, the future president of RCTV.
On 31 March 1976, RCTV's transmissions were suspended for 72 hours by the first government of
Carlos Andrés PérezCarlos Andrés Pérez Rodríguez , best known as CAP and often referred to as "El Gocho" , was President of Venezuela from 1974 to 1979 and again from 1989 to 1993. His first presidency was well-known as the Saudi Venezuela due to its economic and social prosperity thanks to enormous income from...
for issuing "false and tendacious news", in regard to the kidnapping of the American businessman William Niehous, then president of
Owens-Illinois VenezuelaOwens-Illinois Inc. is a Fortune 2000 company that specializes in container glass products. It is one of the world's leading manufacturers of packaging products, holding the position of largest manufacturer of glass containers in North America, South America, Asia-Pacific and Europe...
. This was RCTV's first shut down by the government.
In 1977, the "cultural telenovela" appeared with
La Hija de Juana Crespo and then
La Señora de Cárdenas, with both of them captivating their audience with stories that went from the wish of over coming economically and professionally, to infidelity and turbulent marriages.
On 5 January 1978, there was another major fire at RCTV's studios. Fortunately, this fire was no where near as damaging as the fire of 1961.
On 15 November 1978, the
Fundación Academia de Ciencias y Artes del Cine y Televisión (the
Academic Foundation of Sciences and Arts of Film and Television) was founded by William H. Phelps. This academy allowed RCTV to give the opportunity to prepare and train their artists and workers.
The government of
Luis Herrera CampinsLuis Herrera Campins was President of Venezuela from 1979 to 1984. He was elected to one five-year term in 1978. He was a member of the COPEI party.- Early Life and career:...
(1979), by decree, began permitting the use of color in television and the American color system,
NTSC-MNTSC, named for the National Television System Committee is the analog television system used in most of the Americas, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Burma, and some Pacific island nations and territories . is also the name of the U.S. standardization body that developed the broadcast standard...
, was adopted. On 1 December 1979, RCTV entered the era of color. Unfortunately, this decree allowed only cultural productions to transmit under this format.
Estefanía was RCTV's first production broadcast in color.
1980 to 1990
In 1980, RCTV began airing the
miniseriesA miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a pre-planned limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
Gómez I and
Gómez II. Although they were both a phenomenon, creator José Ignacio Cabrujas and RCTV were sued for 15 million
bolívaresThe bolívar fuerte is the new currency of Venezuela since 1 January 2008...
(about 13 billion bolívares just before 2008, which converts to 13 million bolívares fuertes) because of its historical errors and "injuring the moral patrimony of the descendants and family of
General GómezJuan Vicente Gómez Chacón was a military general and de facto ruler of Venezuela from 1908 until his death in 1935. He was president on three occasions during this time, and ruled as an unelected military strongman for the rest of the era.-Early years:Gómez was a barely literate cattle herder and...
".
Also in 1980, RCTV was closed for a 36 hours by the government of Luis Herrera Campins for airing "sensationalist narrations", "risqué pictures", and "news stories lacking facts".
Television networks in Venezuela, whom were already prepared for the change and had occasionally transmitted in this format, made the complete switch-over to color on June 1, 1980.
In 1981, RCTV was closed for 24 hours (by the government of Luis Herrera Campins) for airing "a segment of pornographic film".
According to an article published in the Caracas daily newspaper,
El NacionalEl Nacional is a Venezuelan publishing company under the name C.A. Editorial El Nacional, most widely known for its El Nacional newspaper. It, along with Últimas Noticias and El Universal, are the most widely read and circulated daily national newspapers in the country, and it has an average of...
, dated 27 September 1981, RCTV was admonished by the national government for having announced prematurely the death of ex-president
Rómulo BetancourtRómulo Ernesto Betancourt Bello , known as "The Father of Venezuelan Democracy", was President of Venezuela from 1945 to 1948 and again from 1959 to 1964, as well as leader of Accion Democratica - Venezuela's dominant political party in the 20th century...
. The Minister of Communications, Vinicio Carrera, by instructions of President Luis Herrera Campins, was in charge of admonishing RCTV "very severely".
In 1982, Coral International was created to sell and distribute RCTV's programs overseas. In 2005, Coral International changed its name to RCTV International to honor its parent company.
The government of Luis Herrera Campins, by way of decrees 849 (published in the
Official GazetteThe term gazette normally refers to a newspaper.The word comes from gazzetta, a Venetian coin used to buy early Italian newspapers; the coin became a name for the papers themselves...
number 32,116 dated 21 November 1980) and 996 (published in the Official Gazette number 32,192 dated 20 March 1981) prohibited, for reasons of public health, television and radio stations to advertise, directly or indirectly, the consumption of alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, and other tobacco products.
In 1984, RCTV was admonished for ridiculing "in a humiliating way" President Luis Herrera Campins and his wife.
It was in 1986 that the private television networks in Venezuela began using satellite dishes to "download" foreign television signals for their use.
1986 was also the year of
Cristal, a telenovela of 246 episodes which broke audience records both inside and outside of Venezuela. In
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
, Cristal was aired since 1988 to 1993 on seven different time periods. Later that year, RCTV launched another major production, called
La Dama de Rosa, which in 1991 was seen by seven million people in Spain alone. As a result, RCTV made a record
US$The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States. The U.S. dollar is normally abbreviated as the dollar sign, $, or as USD or US$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies and from others that use the $ symbol. It is divided into 100 cents .The U.S...
12 million from the sales of their telenovelas overseas.
Also in 1986,
Expedición, the first ecological and conservationist series produced in Venezuela began airing, which converted RCTV into a pioneering network in this genre. This series was exported to other countries, particularly the United States, Spain, and
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Expedición aired until 1998 and contained a total of 48 episodes.
On 27 May 1987, RCTV's broadcast license was renewed for 20 years by the government of
Jaime LusinchiJaime Lusinchi is a Venezuelan politician who was the President of Venezuela from 1984 to 1989. His term was characterized by an economic crisis, growth of the External debt, populist policies, currency depreciation, inflation and corruption that exacerbated the crisis of the political system...
.
On 13 August 1988, William H. Phelps, Jr., RCTV's founder and first president died at age 85. He had served as RCTV's president for 34 years, retiring from the network only a year before his death.
In 1989, RCTV was closed for 24 hours by the second government of Carlos Andrés Pérez for airing advertisements for cigarettes.
1990 to 2000
During the first years of the 1990s, RCTV developed a series of made-for-TV-movies. Some were based on real life events. Among the most highlighted were
La Madamme (with Mimí Lazo),
Cuerpos Clandestinos (with
María Conchita AlonsoMaría Conchita Alonso , better known as María Conchita, is a Grammy Award-nominated Cuban-born Venezuelan singer and actress.-Early life:...
),
Volver a Ti (with
Ruddy RodríguezRuddy Rosario Rodríguez de Lucía is a Venezuelan actress, model and Businesswoman. Born in Anaco, Anzoátegui, daughter of Venezuelan Pedro José Rodríguez and Italian Rita de Lucía...
), and
Buen Corazón (with
Coraima TorresCoraima Alejandra Torres Díaz was born on June 6, 1973 in Valencia, Venezuela. She started her acting career in Venezuela, in the late '80s. Her first roles were in the telenovelas "Gardenia" and "Alondra". She got her first leading role in 1992, in the famous telenovela "Kassandra", which was...
), among many others.
In 1991, RCTV began using
computer-generated imageryComputer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
to present their logo.
On 1 August 1991, the Venezuelan government forced RCTV not to air a sketch in Radio Rochela, called "La Escuelita", due to its controversial nature. This decision was ratified by the Supreme Court.
By 1992, RCTV had lost much of its audience to its main rival, Venevisión, but after the launch of
Por Estas CallesPor Estas Calles was an iconic telenovela, broadcast by Radio Caracas Televisión between 1992 and 1994. It was extremely popular in Venezuela, due to its very realistic approach to the day-to-day life of the country and local tone, it had virtually no success abroad.It was considered by magazine...
, RCTV became by far the number one television station in Venezuela in terms of viewer ratings. This resulted in Venevisión to cancel its contract with Marte TV (Channel 12; now
La TeleLa Tele is a regional television network in Venezuela. It can be seen on the cable and satellite systems of DirecTV , Supercable , Intercable , and Net Uno .-History:La...
), and as a result Marte TV nearly entered bankruptcy.
Also in 1992,
KassandraKassandra was a Venezuelan telenovela, written by Delia Fiallo and directed by Grazio D'Angelo and Olegario Barrera, involving a gypsy maiden marrying into a rich family. She does not realize, however, that she is the granddaughter of the man in the house...
was the first Venezuelan telenovela that arrived in the Japanese market. This production was translated in eighty languages and was placed into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the most sold telenovela.
In 1993, for the first time, RCTV combined cartoons with real actors in one of their productions. Created by Mariela Romero, the telenovela
Dulce IlusiónDulce Ilusion was a Venezuelan telenovela that was produced by and seen on Venezuela's Radio Caracas Televisión. It was written by Mariela Romero. This telenovela lasted between 198 and 92 episodes and was distributed internationally by RCTV International...
was converted into a modern version of
CinderellaCinderella is a well-known classic folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances which suddenly change to remarkable fortune...
.
In 1994 and 1995, with the objective to obtain the best sharpness and resolution of colors, RCTV inaugurated the first studio that utilized video component technology. Also in 1996, RCTV switched from using an
analog signalAn Analog or analogue signal is any continuous signal for which the time varying feature of the signal is a representation of some other time varying quantity, i.e analogous to another time varying signal. It differs from a digital signal in terms of small fluctuations in the signal which are...
to using a
digital signalThe term digital signal is used to refer to more than one concept. It can refer to discrete-time signals that have a discrete number of levels, for example a sampled and quantified analog signal, or to the continuous-time waveform signals in a digital system, representing a bit-stream...
.
In 1997, RCTV was the first network in Latin America that automated their informative services (from the making of its contents until its airing), in which they adopted the format
DVC ProDigital Video is a digital video format created by Sony, JVC, Panasonic and other video camera producers, and launched in 1995. Its smaller tape form factor MiniDV has since become a standard for home and semi-professional video production; it is sometimes used for professional purposes as well,...
.
In 1999, RCTV purchased the
Digital BetacamBetacam is a family of half-inch professional videotape products developed by Sony from 1982 onwards. In colloquial use, "Betacam" singly is often used to refer to a Betacam camcorder, a Betacam tape, a Betacam video recorder or the format itself....
, which allowed the use of cinematographic techniques in the illumination of outdoor shots.
On 15 November 1999, RCTV had been on the air for a total of 16,000 days.
On 4 December 1999, the testing phase began for
Vale TV' was formerly a state-owned educational channel in Venezuela called Televisora Nacional. It is currently run by Asociación Civil, a non-profit association that is owned by the Roman Catholic Archbishopric of Caracas and is supported by the leading private television networks Radio Caracas...
(Valores Educativos Televisión), a non-profit private enterprise that united the Archbishopric of Caracas and the three leading private television networks in Venezuela, RCTV, Venevisión, and
TelevenTeleven is a private Venezuelan national television network.Televen was created as an alternative for the traditional private television networks...
.
2000 onwards
On 18 July 2005, the
Centro Nacional de Noticias (
National Center for News), was inaugurated. From here, RCTV broadcasts
El ObservadorEl Observador is the Spanish language newscast of Radio Caracas Televisión . It is one of the first television news programs in Venezuela.-History:El Observador is one of the first television news programs in Venezuela...
(all three daily emissions),
La EntrevistaLa Entrevista is a Spanish-language television news program aired by Radio Caracas Televisión in Venezuela. It is presented daily by journalist Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, and the invited interviewee, which are often either political personalities or other journalists...
, and other special programs of information and opinion. The president of
Empresas 1BCEmpresas 1BC , is a privately owned Venezuelan corporation which operates diverse media enterprises such as Radio Caracas Televisión, Etheron, Radio Caracas Radio, 92.9 tu FM, Sonográfica, FonoVideo, Recordland, and Radionet, to name a few...
and general director of RCTV,
Marcel GranierMarcel Granier Haydon is a Venezuelan businessperson. He is the President and CEO of Empresas 1BC and the General Director of Radio Caracas Televisión , which until its closure from the public airwaves by Hugo Chavez on May 27, 2007, was the most watched television channel in...
, and the president of RCTV, Eladio Larez, were present at its inauguration. It is located in Quinta Crespo, a neighborhood in central Caracas where Radio Caracas Televisión's other studios can be found.
On 17 June 2006, the Autonomous Service of Intellectual Property (SAPI), issued an administrative resolution in which it cancelled the use of the trademark "Radio Caracas Televisión", arguing that RCTV has not used this name for at least three consecutive years (they preferred to identify themselves as just RCTV) and thus should no longer have the right to it. This resolution came about when RCTV was being sued by the cable channel, Caracas TV, for having trademarked the name Caracas TV three months after Caracas TV went on the air (RCTV was also known as Radio Caracas TV, and claimed that there was too much of a similarity). Caracas TV would later be relaunched as Canal de Noticias, a 24-hour cable news network.
On 15 December 2006,
Tu Tienda RCTVTu Tienda RCTV is a gift shop located inside the Recordland at the Sambil Mall in Caracas, Venezuela. It was inaugurated on December 15, 2006, and offers items such as hats, pens, coffee mugs, and key chains, to name a few...
, a
gift shopA gift shop is a store primarily selling souvenirs relating to a particular topic, often to simply provide evidence that the consumer has visited that location. The items sold are generally fairly trivial, often including coffee mugs, stuffed animals, t-shirts, postcards, and other souvenirs...
which sells various products containing the logo of RCTV,
¿Quién Quiere Ser Millonario? (the local version of
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a television quiz show which offers very large cash prizes for correctly answering 12 or 15 consecutive multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty. The format is owned and licensed by the Japanese production company Sony Pictures Television International....
), and the telenovela
Te Tengo en Salsa, opened in the
RecordlandRecordland is one of Venezuela's largest music and video store chains. It is owned by Empresas 1BC, which is the same owner of Radio Caracas Radio and Radio Caracas Television . Recordland first opened its doors in 1982 and now operates 22 stores located throughout the country...
at the
Sambil MallCentro Sambil Caracas, located in Caracas, Venezuela, is the fourth largest shopping mall in South America. It was completed in 1999 and has over 500 stores in approximately 3 million square-feet . This mall has five levels: Autopista, Libertador, Acuario, Feria, and Diversión...
in
CaracasCaracas is the capital and largest city of Venezuela. It is located in the north of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range . The valley's temperatures are springlike. Terrain suitable for building lies between 760 and 910 m above...
.
End of broadcast license
The government of Hugo Chávez has accused the network of inciting the 2002 failed coup d'état that briefly overthrew Venezuela's government a serious violation of that nation's broadcast laws. As a result, the Venezuelan government did not renew RCTV's broadcasting license which was up for renewal in May 2007. RCTV has denied any wrongdoing and argues that no trial has been conducted that links the network to the coup attempt.
The same month that RCTV's license expired, also expired the broadcasting licenses to
VenevisionVenevisión, is one of Venezuela's largest television networks, which is owned and presided over by Gustavo Cisneros. Similar to Televisa in Mexico, Venevisión controls a large proportion of all show business activity in the country...
,
VTVVTV can stand for the following:*VTVLive, The Virtual Broadcasting Network *Vale TV, a Venezuelan educational TV station*Vaikundar Thirukkudumbam Version, one among the versions of Akilattirattu Ammanai, the holy book of Ayyavazhi....
(government owned and Chavez supporter station), among other stations, but the only one not renewed was the RCTV license, while the others got a renewal for over 2 years as a minimum.
The week after the closure, RCTV started broadcasting its newscast to Latin America throughout the Colombian network "Caracol" and since then to other countries around the world. On 7 June, RCTV started broadcasting its newscast
El Observador on
GlobovisiónGlobovisión is a 24-hour television news network in Venezuela. It broadcasts over-the-air in Caracas, Aragua, Carabobo and Zulia on UHF channel 33. Globovisión is seen in the rest of Venezuela on cable or satellite and worldwide from their website...
.
Background
On 9 April 2002, the
Confederación de Trabajadores de VenezuelaThe Confederación de Trabajadores de Venezuela is a federation of labor unions in Venezuela. It has close links to the Democratic Action party....
—the country's largest trade-union federation—called for a two-day strike in support of the recently fired executives and managers of Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA)—Venezuela's state-owned oil company.
FedecámarasThe Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce or Fedecámaras is composed of chambers of commerce in twelve basic trade groups: banking, agriculture, commerce, construction, energy, manufacturing, media, mining, ranching, insurance, transportation, and tourism.In practice, the intended...
—the Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce—joined the strike/lockout and called on its affiliated member businesses to shut 48 hours.
The opposition general strike was covered extensively by the privately-owned news media. During this time, the government used its powers under article 192 of the telecommunications law to requisition all radio and TV stations to broadcast numerous speeches by President Chávez, other government officials, and other programming favorable to the government. To sidestep this requirement, the television channels began to broadcast their own news at the same time as the government addresses by splitting their screens.
On 11 April 2002, after three days of demonstrations, anti-Chávez and pro-Chávez demonstrators clashed at the
Miraflores PalaceThe Palacio de Miraflores is the official workplace of the president of Venezuela. It is located in the capital of Caracas.It was started in 1884 under the direction of Giuseppe Orsi...
. The government ordered the suspension of broadcasting by the privately-owned TV channels
TelevenTeleven is a private Venezuelan national television network.Televen was created as an alternative for the traditional private television networks...
,
VenevisiónVenevisión, is one of Venezuela's largest television networks, which is owned and presided over by Gustavo Cisneros. Similar to Televisa in Mexico, Venevisión controls a large proportion of all show business activity in the country...
,
GlobovisiónGlobovisión is a 24-hour television news network in Venezuela. It broadcasts over-the-air in Caracas, Aragua, Carabobo and Zulia on UHF channel 33. Globovisión is seen in the rest of Venezuela on cable or satellite and worldwide from their website...
and RCTV at around 4 p.m., shortly after they refused to carry a speech by President Chávez exclusively and used split screens to broadcast live pictures of the opposition demonstration being broken up at the same time as the president’s speech. Only the state-owned
Venezolana de TelevisiónCorporación Venezolana de Televisión or VTV is a state-owned television network based in Caracas, Venezuela, which can be seen throughout the country on channel eight.-History:...
was allowed to continue broadcasting.
After several shooting deaths, elements of the Armed Forces deposed President
Hugo ChávezHugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the President of Venezuela. As the leader of the Bolivarian Revolution, Chávez promotes a political doctrine of participatory democracy, socialism and Latin American and Caribbean cooperation...
, whom they held responsible. Commander of the Army,
Lucas Rincón RomeroGeneral Lucas Rincón Romero was the highest-ranking Venezuelan military officer at the time of the coup d'etat against Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez in 2002...
, reported in a nationwide broadcast that Chávez had resigned his presidency, a charge Chávez would later deny. Chávez was taken to a military base while Fedecámaras president
Pedro CarmonaPedro Francisco Carmona Estanga is a former Venezuelan trade organization leader who was briefly declared President of Venezuela during an abortive 2002 military coup against Hugo Chávez. He occupied the office of President from April 12 to April 13...
was appointed as the transitional President of Venezuela.
RCTV reported these actions as a victory for democracy and conducted friendly interviews with leaders of the movement. Footage from the Irish documentary
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised The Revolution Will Not Be Televised is a 2002 documentary about the April 2002 Venezuelan coup attempt which briefly deposed Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez....
appeared to show a coup leader thanking RCTV and
VenevisiónVenevisión, is one of Venezuela's largest television networks, which is owned and presided over by Gustavo Cisneros. Similar to Televisa in Mexico, Venevisión controls a large proportion of all show business activity in the country...
for their assistance, calling the media "[our] secret weapon".
Subsequently the new government rapidly unraveled, after Carmona issued a decree that established a transitional government, dissolving the
National AssemblyThe National Assembly is the current legislative branch of the Venezuelan government. It is a unicameral body made up of 167 deputies , who are elected by "universal, direct, personal, and secret" vote on a national party-list proportional representation system...
and the Supreme Court, and suspending several Chávez appointees. While his own coalition wavered, large sectors of the armed forces moved into the Chávez camp, linked up with a mass popular uprising from the barrios, and restored Chávez to office. RCTV declined to report any of these events, preferring to broadcast reruns of
Looney TunesLooney Tunes is a Warner Brothers animated cartoon series which ran in many movie theaters from 1930 to 1969. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and is Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. The regular Warner Bros...
and the film
Pretty WomanPretty Woman is a 1990 romantic comedy film. The film centers on down-on-her-luck prostitute Vivian Ward who is hired by a wealthy businessman and corporate raider, Edward Lewis to be his escort for several business functions, and their developing relationship.Pretty Woman was initially intended...
. According to the
Chicago Tribune, RCTV and other broadcasters supported the failed coup "by directing marchers and then failing to inform the public that the coup had failed".
Chávez was restored to power on 14 April 2002. Over the following months, and again in the wake of the 2002 lock-out and general strike, he stepped up his criticism of the country's private media companies, accusing them of having supported the coup. On his weekly television program
Aló PresidenteAló Presidente is a talk show hosted by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez which is broadcast on Venezuelan state television and radio stations every Sunday at 11:00 AM....
and in other forums, he regularly referred to the leading private media owners as "coup plotters", "fascists", and "the
four horsemen of the apocalypseThe "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" is a term used to describe a concept from the New Testament of the Christian Bible, in chapter six of the Book of Revelation. Although scholars disagree as to what exactly each horseman represents, the four horsemen are often referred to as Conquest, War,...
". He reminded them that their concessions operated at the pleasure of the state and that if they "went too far", their concessions could be canceled at any time.
Some editorialists have agreed that the network cooperated with the coup attempt 11 April 2002. RCTV encouraged pro-coup protests, celebrated when Chávez was temporarily removed from power, and broadcast false reports that Chávez had renounced his presidency. In addition, when Chávez returned to power, RCTV did not report the news but rather broadcast entertainment programs such as the movie
Pretty WomanPretty Woman is a 1990 romantic comedy film. The film centers on down-on-her-luck prostitute Vivian Ward who is hired by a wealthy businessman and corporate raider, Edward Lewis to be his escort for several business functions, and their developing relationship.Pretty Woman was initially intended...
. According to RCTV, their decision not to transmit the images of riots taking place all over Caracas was in order not to entice more deaths and destruction in Venezuela.
End of license
On 28 December 2006, President Chávez announced that the government would not renew RCTV's broadcast license which came up for renewal on 27 May 2007, thereby forcing the channel to cease broadcast operations on that day. The government says that the non-renewal is caused by RCTV's alleged support for the 2002 coup attempt against Chávez's democratically elected government.
The Venezuelan
Supreme Court of JusticeThe Supreme Tribunal of Justice is the highest court of law in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and is the head of the judicial branch....
(TSJ) ruled on 17 April 2007 that it is within the National Telecommunications Commission's power to decide on the issuing, renewal and revocation of broadcast licenses. RCTV may continue broadcasting over cable or DTH systems (DirecTV Latin America) when its license expires, but the government will take over the equipment, studios and even the master control for their use in the new station it has created on 27 May 2007. On 24 May, the Supreme Court ordered RCTV to stop broadcasting as soon as its license expires and approved the government's takeover of its equipment, though it would review the station's appeal of the decision. Chávez announced plans to start broadcasting a public service channel,
TVesTVes is a Venezuelan public television channel. Its name is short for Televisora Venezolana Social and is pronounced , meaning you see yourself. It replaced the signal of Radio Caracas Televisión on Channel 2 on Monday, May 28 2007, and began broadcasting at 12:20 am local time...
, using this infrastructure which belonged to RCTV.
The Supreme Court ruled that RCTV's broadcasting equipment must be available to TVes. The ruling also ordered the military to guard the equipment. This allows TVes to be available in the same locations where RCTV used to broadcast.
The final program airing on RCTV Sunday was an all day/night retrospective tribute to the network, featuring current and ex workers, artists and staff of RCTV. Many workers and artists from other networks, including Venevision had to used the last hours of RCTV to give their opinion since they were not allowed at their own companies.
On Saturday, 26 May, RCTV shut down its live internet stream in preparation for its forced close-down on Sunday, 27 May. At 12 Midnight on 28 May, RCTV ceased broadcasting and for the following 8 seconds the signal went dark. It was then replaced by
TVesTVes is a Venezuelan public television channel. Its name is short for Televisora Venezolana Social and is pronounced , meaning you see yourself. It replaced the signal of Radio Caracas Televisión on Channel 2 on Monday, May 28 2007, and began broadcasting at 12:20 am local time...
's
IDStation identification is the practice of radio or television stations or networks identifying themselves on air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name...
which was on air for 20 minutes. At 12:20AM,
TVesTVes is a Venezuelan public television channel. Its name is short for Televisora Venezolana Social and is pronounced , meaning you see yourself. It replaced the signal of Radio Caracas Televisión on Channel 2 on Monday, May 28 2007, and began broadcasting at 12:20 am local time...
began programming for the first time.
DirecTVDirecTV is a direct broadcast satellite service based in El Segundo, California, which transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States. Its primary competitors are Dish Network and cable providers. DirecTV currently has 18 million subscribers...
Venezuela has replaced RCTV with TVes on 104.
RCTV interpretation
RCTV argues that no trial has been conducted that links the network to the coup attempt. Other stations—including
VenevisiónVenevisión, is one of Venezuela's largest television networks, which is owned and presided over by Gustavo Cisneros. Similar to Televisa in Mexico, Venevisión controls a large proportion of all show business activity in the country...
and
TelevenTeleven is a private Venezuelan national television network.Televen was created as an alternative for the traditional private television networks...
— were also accused of supporting the coup attempt, but their licenses have not been denied. Those networks became less critical of Chávez, prompting opponents to say the action against RCTV is evidence that Chávez defines media outlets critical of his government as the enemy, according to the
New York Times.
RCTV also argues that the channel's license expires in 2022 rather than 2007. The government states that a 1987 decree during
Jaime Lusinchi'sJaime Lusinchi is a Venezuelan politician who was the President of Venezuela from 1984 to 1989. His term was characterized by an economic crisis, growth of the External debt, populist policies, currency depreciation, inflation and corruption that exacerbated the crisis of the political system...
presidential term gave RCTV a 20-year license, while the network claims that the failure of the National Telecommunications Commission to issue an administrative authorization by 12 June 2002, automatically granted the channel a 20-year license renewal. The government rejected this interpretation, stating that the converting of licenses into administrative authorizations did not mean a license renewal, just a census of broadcasters.
Chávez says TVes will better reflect his socialist revolution, calling RCTV "a threat to the country".
National reactions
Rallies took place, both in favor and against the government's decision. One rally against the decision took place in Caracas on 21 May 2007 with "thousands of protesters." On 25 May, university students from the
Universidad Católica Andrés BelloUniversidad Católica Andrés Bello is a private university in Venezuela. UCAB has campuses in several cities, such as Caracas , Guayana and Coro....
, the
Universidad Simón BolívarSimón Bolívar University or USB, is a public institution located in Caracas, Venezuela with scientific and technological orientation....
and the Universidad Central de Venezuela protested against the government's intentions. On June 2, 2007, tens of thousands of pro-government protesters took to the streets in support of Chavez's decision.
Several opinion polls conducted by companies associated with the Venezuelan opposition showed that the public was strongly against the move. One poll, conducted in April 2007 by the Venezuelan company Datanálisis, found that 13% of the population agreed with the revocation of RCTV's license, while 70% rejected the government's decision.
A May poll conducted by a firm called Hinterlaces in 15 Venezuelan states with a 4.7% margin of error reported that 83% of the Venezuelan population reject the discontinuation of RCTV, with 74% saying that democracy is at stake.
International reactions
Many individuals, international organizations and NGOs—including the
OASThe Organization of American States is an international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States. Its members are the thirty-five independent states of the Americas with two countries suspended...
's
Secretary GeneralAccording to the Charter of the Organization of American States:-Secretaries General of the OAS:-Assistant Secretaries General of the OAS:*William Manger *William Sanders...
José Miguel InsulzaJosé Miguel Insulza Salinas is a Chilean politician and statesman. He is currently the Secretary General of the Organization of American States. He is nicknamed El Panzer, for his tank-like drive and reputation due to his ability to take political heat with little apparent damage...
and its
Special Rapporteur for Freedom of ExpressionThe office of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression of the Organization of American States was established by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in 1997 to monitor OAS member states' compliance with the American Convention on Human Rights in the area of freedom of...
,
the Inter American Press Association,
Human Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo, Toronto,...
, the
Committee to Protect JournalistsThe Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization based in New York, New York, United States, that promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists.-History:A group of U.S...
, and the
Human Rights FoundationThe Human Rights Foundation is a non-profit organization that, according to its mission statement, works on “defending human rights and promoting liberal democracy in the Americas.” The Human Rights Foundation was founded in 2005 by film producer Thor Halvorssen...
—have expressed concerns for freedom of the press.
United States Secretary of StateThe United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence. The current Secretary of...
Condoleezza RiceCondoleezza Rice is a professor, diplomat, author, and national security expert. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and the second to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
criticised the TV closure as "undemocratic" and went on to say "...disagreeing with your government is not unpatriotic and most certainly should not be a crime in any country, especially a democracy." However, Secretary Insulza also stated that it was up to the Venezuelan courts to solve this dispute and that he believed that this was an administrative decision.
The
International Press InstituteInternational Press Institute is a global organisation dedicated to the promotion and protection of press freedom and the improvement of journalism practices. Founded in October 1950, the IPI has members in over 120 countries....
stated that it is "a flagrant attempt to silence the station's critical voice and in violation of everyone's right 'to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers,' as outlined in Article 19 of the UN
Universal Declaration of Human RightsThe Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Guinness Book of Records describes the UDHR as the "Most Translated Document" in the world...
." The
Committee to Protect JournalistsThe Committee to Protect Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization based in New York, New York, United States, that promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journalists.-History:A group of U.S...
"concluded [Chávez's] government failed to conduct a fair and transparent review of RCTV's concession renewal. The report, based on a three-month investigation, found the government’s decision was a predetermined and politically motivated effort to silence critical coverage."
Reporters Without BordersReporters Without Borders, or RWB is a Paris-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985 by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud...
(RWB) stated "The closure of RCTV [...] is a serious violation of freedom of expression and a major setback to democracy and pluralism. President Chávez has silenced Venezuela’s most popular TV station and the only national station to criticize him, and he has violated all legal norms by seizing RCTV’s broadcast equipment for the new public TV station that is replacing it." But in a right of reply to
Le Monde diplomatiqueLe Monde diplomatique is a monthly publication offering analysis and opinion on politics, culture, and current affairs.Its articles are typically pieces of in depth and opinionated analysis....
, RWB president Robert Ménard then said that the NGO had also condemned RCTV for its support to the 2002 coup attempt.
José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director for
Human Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo, Toronto,...
, called the RCTV case "clearly a case of censorship and the most grave step back in the region since
FujimoriAlberto Ken'ya Fujimori served as President of Peru from July 28, 1990, to November 17, 2000. A controversial figure, Fujimori has been credited with uprooting terrorism in Peru and restoring its macroeconomic stability, though his methods have drawn charges of authoritarianism and human rights...
,"
referring to the manipulation of the media by Peruvian President
Alberto FujimoriAlberto Ken'ya Fujimori served as President of Peru from July 28, 1990, to November 17, 2000. A controversial figure, Fujimori has been credited with uprooting terrorism in Peru and restoring its macroeconomic stability, though his methods have drawn charges of authoritarianism and human rights...
in the 1990s. "[Chávez] is misusing the state’s regulatory authority to punish a media outlet for its criticism of the government," Vivanco said.
However,
Fairness and Accuracy in ReportingFairness & Accuracy In Reporting is a progressive media criticism organization based in New York City, founded in 1986.FAIR describes itself on its website as "the national media watch group" and defines its mission as working to "invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater diversity...
(FAIR) questioned whether, in the event a television station openly supported and collaborated with coup leaders, the station in question would not be subject to even more serious consequences in the United States or any other Western nation. Others also criticised the motives and presentation of the conflict offered by the mass corporate media, pointing to the predominance of private corporate media in Venezuela, which is often critical of Chavez and others on the left-wing.
The
United States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the lower house being the House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate and the House are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution . Each U.S state is represented by two senators,...
approved a motion promoted by Senators Richard Lugar and
Christopher DoddChristopher John "Chris" Dodd is an American lawyer and Democratic politician currently serving as the senior U.S. Senator from Connecticut....
condemning the closing, and
Nancy PelosiNancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. She is a member of the Democratic Party...
,
Speaker of the United States House of RepresentativesThe Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The current Speaker is Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat representing California's 8th congressional district....
, asserted that it was an attempt to silence the critics of the Government. The
U.S. State DepartmentThe United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States government, similar to foreign ministries, foreign offices, ministries of external relations, etc. in other countries...
, the
European UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 Member States, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community...
, the senates of Chile and Brazil, and the legislatures of a number of other Latin American countries have also expressed concern over the incident.
European CommissionThe European Commission acts as an executive of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union.The Commission operates in the method of cabinet government, with 27...
President José Manuel Barroso qualified the measure as regrettable, adding that "freedom of expression and press freedom are substantial components of democracy. Costa Rican President Óscar Arias Sánchez stated that any media closing was a deathly strike against any democratic system. Chilean President
Michelle BacheletVerónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria is a center-left politician and the current President of Chile—the first woman to hold this position in the country's history. She won the 2006 presidential election in a runoff, beating center-right billionaire businessman and former senator Sebastián Piñera,...
said she regrets the decision and that "freedom of expression is the golden rule." Along with her, Finnish President
Tarja HalonenTarja Kaarina Halonen is the 11th and current President of Finland. The first female to hold the office, Halonen had previously been a member of the parliament from 1979 to 2000 when she resigned after her election to the presidency...
said she was watching the situation with concern. The Spanish
Partido PopularThe People's Party is the main Right-wing political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation of the Popular Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship and a politician known to have relatively...
, the main opposition party, called the closing an "attack against freedom of expression".
After the
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean...
ian Senate passed a motion urging Chávez to reconsider the revocation of RCTV's license, Chávez "accused the Brazilian Congress of acting like a 'puppet' of the US", prompting Brazilian
President Luiz Inácio Lula da SilvaLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, is the thirty-fifth and current President of Brazil.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in 2002, and was inaugurated as President on 1...
to say “Chavez has to take care of Venezuela, I have to take care of Brazil and (US President George W.) Bush has to take care of the US”. Later, Lula da Silva said the decision of not renewing the broadcast license was internal Venezuelan business, adding that the legal logic of each country should be respected. Chávez said that presidents
Daniel OrtegaJosé Daniel Ortega Saavedra is the current President of Nicaragua, having served since 10 January 2007. He previously served as the 79th President, between 10 January 1985 and 25 April 1990...
of
NicaraguaNicaragua officially the Republic of Nicaragua , is a representative democratic republic. It is the largest country in Central America with an area of 130,373 km
2. The country is bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The Pacific Ocean lies to the west of...
and
Evo MoralesJuan Evo Morales Ayma , popularly known as Evo , has been the President of Bolivia since 2006. He has been declared the country's first fully indigenous head of state in the 470 years since the Spanish Conquest....
of
BoliviaBolivia, officially Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is bordered by Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay and Argentina to the south, and Chile and Peru to the west....
have phoned to show support to his decision and that
Álvaro UribeÁlvaro Uribe Vélez is the 39th President of Colombia and is currently serving his second term in office.Before his current role in politics Uribe was a lawyer. He studied law at the University of Antioquia and completed a post-graduate management program at Harvard University.Uribe started his...
from
ColombiaColombia , officially the Republic of Colombia , is a constitutional republic in northwestern South America. Colombia is bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the northwest by Panama; and to the west by the Pacific Ocean...
said that his country would not involve itself in Venezuela's internal affairs. President
Rafael CorreaRafael Vicente Correa Delgado is the President of the Republic of Ecuador and the current President pro tempore of the Union of South American Nations. An economist educated in Ecuador, Belgium and the United States, he briefly served as his country's Finance Minister in 2005. He was elected...
of
EcuadorEcuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador , literally, "Republic of the equator") is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America that...
said that he would have canceled the broadcast license automatically (after the 2002 coup).
IACHR
In March 2009 the
Inter-American Commission on Human RightsThe Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is an autonomous organ of the Organization of American States ....
(IACHR) concluded two cases brought against Venezuela by the private Venezuelan TV stations
GlobovisiónGlobovisión is a 24-hour television news network in Venezuela. It broadcasts over-the-air in Caracas, Aragua, Carabobo and Zulia on UHF channel 33. Globovisión is seen in the rest of Venezuela on cable or satellite and worldwide from their website...
and RCTV. It concluded that the Venezuelan government had not violated the right to freedom of expression, equality before the law, or private property, but that the government had failed to do enough to prevent and punish acts of intimidation against journalists by third parties.
Limitations on freedom of speech and RCTV
RCTV has portrayed the end of its licence as an attack on freedom of speech, but others have noted that freedom of speech is not absolute in any country and the right is commonly subject to limitations. Freedom of speech may have limitations when its exercise conflicts with other rights.
Additional criticism
In 2006, RCTV was sued for broadcasting advertisements of phone services with images of a "high sexual content" during late night programming. The Supreme Court ordered the station to stop carrying such forms of publicity.
Return to the airwaves via cable or satellite
RCTV may have lost its free-over the air signal, but it is not out of business. In an article in the 5 July 2007 edition of
AM New YorkamNewYork is a free daily New York City morning newspaper published in New York City by Cablevision. According to the company, average daily distribution as of December 2008 was 322,070. When it launched October 10, 2003, amNewYork was the first newspaper of its kind in New York City...
, the head of RCTV, Marcel Granier said that he was considering taking the network's programming to cable or satellite. This was accomplished in the Summer of 2007.
DirecTV Latin America and RCTV signed an agreement for the satellite service to transmit RCTV's programming to satellite subscribers in Venezuela and other parts of the world. The network will be broadcasting for DirectTV in the channel 103. Later came the deals with other national cable operators,
InterInter can refer to:* To inter within inside of a substance, from the Latin "in" + "terra" * Inter- is a Latin prefix meaning "between", among, or "within a group".* Interchange...
, formerly known as InterCable, and NetUno, both being the most important and known cable operators in
VenezuelaVenezuela , officially titled Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It is a continental mainland with numerous islands located off its coastline in the Caribbean Sea...
. The channel number varies by area of the country and the cable system. Broadcasting officially resumed on 16 July at 6:00am (UTC-4).
Since its return, RCTV has become the most watched channel in Venezuela (despite being on cable). Only 30% of houses have cable in Venezuela but the total amount that view RCTV is higher than all viewers of TVES, Venevision, and all other channels. In Caracas and in Valencia twice as many people view RCTV than Venevision.
Logo, news and broadcasts
RCTV has had three different logos throughout their history.
El ObservadorEl Observador is the Spanish language newscast of Radio Caracas Televisión . It is one of the first television news programs in Venezuela.-History:El Observador is one of the first television news programs in Venezuela...
was RCTV's main newscast. It was broadcast three times a day, except for Sundays, when it only came on during important events such as elections.
Some of RCTV's programs could be seen in other countries on various channels, including
TV VenezuelaTV Venezuela is a Venezuelan cable television channel that can be seen only by people in the United States who subscribe to DirecTV Para Todos package.-History:...
, a premium subscription channel available on
DirecTVDirecTV is a direct broadcast satellite service based in El Segundo, California, which transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States. Its primary competitors are Dish Network and cable providers. DirecTV currently has 18 million subscribers...
.
RCTV on YouTube
In the wake of its closure, RCTV announced plans to continue broadcasting its controversial main news program '
El ObservadorEl Observador is the Spanish language newscast of Radio Caracas Televisión . It is one of the first television news programs in Venezuela.-History:El Observador is one of the first television news programs in Venezuela...
' on popular internet video host
YouTubeYouTube is a video sharing website on which users can upload and share videos. Three former PayPal employees created YouTube in February 2005. In November 2006, YouTube, LLC was bought by Google Inc. for $1.65 billion, and is now operated as a subsidiary of Google...
. YouTube viewership of '
El ObservadorEl Observador is the Spanish language newscast of Radio Caracas Televisión . It is one of the first television news programs in Venezuela.-History:El Observador is one of the first television news programs in Venezuela...
' was initially significant but within a week of the end of RCTV's television transmission had fallen to less than 5,000 viewers a day. El Observador no longer promotes the YouTube site and instead directs its viewers to watch its broadcasts through a different video hosting service. Viewership numbers are not available.
See also
- Empresas 1BC
Empresas 1BC , is a privately owned Venezuelan corporation which operates diverse media enterprises such as Radio Caracas Televisión, Etheron, Radio Caracas Radio, 92.9 tu FM, Sonográfica, FonoVideo, Recordland, and Radionet, to name a few...
- List of RCTV slogans
- List of Venezuelan over-the-air television networks and stations
- Radio Caracas Radio
Radio Caracas Radio is a Venezuelan radio station. It is owned by Empresas 1BC, Venezuela's second largest privately-owned media corporation, which also owns Radio Caracas Televisión, a popular and controversial cable and satellite channel.-Background:...
- RCTV International
- TV Venezuela
TV Venezuela is a Venezuelan cable television channel that can be seen only by people in the United States who subscribe to DirecTV Para Todos package.-History:...
External links