Telelatino

Infobox TV channel
name = Telelatino (TLN)
logofile = TLN.gif
logoalt =
logosize =
launch = October 1984
closed date =
picture format =
network =
owner = Corus Entertainment (50.5%) &
Italo Rosati (16.5%)
Romeo Di Battista (16.5%)
Joseph Vitale (16.5%)
slogan =
country = Canada
broadcast area = National
headquarters = Toronto, Ontario
former names =
timeshift names = Telelatino West
web = [http://www.tlntv.com Telelatino]
sat serv 1 = Bell TV
sat chan 1 = Channel 700
sat serv 2 = Star Choice
sat chan 2 = Channels 367 and 800
cable serv 1 = Available on many Canadian cable systems
cable chan 1 = Check local listings, channels may vary Telelatino, also referred to as TLN, is a Canadian cable and satellite television channel broadcasting general interest programming from Canada and around the world primarily in the Italian and Spanish languages. It also broadcasts English language programming up to 25% of the time.

TLN began broadcasting in October 1984 and is a privately held company owned by a major Canadian media company [Corus Entertainment] and three prominent Italian-Canadian families. Telelatino headquarters are in Toronto but the company also operates an office in Montreal.

TLN operates two time shifted feeds, East (Eastern Time) and West (Pacific Time).

TLN is available in nearly 5 million Canadian homes and is carried by all major cable systems and both Canadian direct to home satellite platforms. TLN is Canada's most watched ethnic specialty channel.

The network broadcasts via the Anik F1-T25 at 107.3 degrees west, on the L-Band channel at 1221.75 MHz. [ [http://www.tlntv.com/main/shared/corporate_info.htm] Corporate Info]

Programming

Telelatino's Spanish language foreign programming comes from various broadcasters including Univision, Televisa, Telemundo and CNN en Español. The Italian language programming also comes from different sources, primarily Mediaset, Italy's leading commercial broadcaster. Some programming is also broadcast from the 3 Italy based channels that Telelatino offers as stand-alone services: Leonardo World, SKY TG24 & Video Italia. TLN also broadcasts English language programming 25% of the time. It recently acquired the rights to the blockbuster hit The Sopranos, as well as hit sitcoms "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "George Lopez", all of which air at various times in English, Italian & Spanish.

Telelatino broadcasts a substantial amount of Soccer programming, airing Italian Serie A matches every year since 1984 and for the past 5 years UEFA Champions League matches involving Italian and Spanish teams. TLN has also broadcast the last three editions of the Copa America South American nations tournament, FIFA World Cup 2002, and UEFA Euro Cup 2004. It was announced in 2006 that TLN has partnered with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to air matches from various FIFA tournaments including the 2010 & 2014 FIFA World Cups, as the CBC was recently awarded the broadcast rights to various FIFA tournaments. [ [http://www.tlntv.com/soccer/soccer_CBC%20Radio.htm] TLN Television partners up with CBC/Radio-Canada to broadcast all major FIFA international tournaments through 2014]

Controversy with RAI

From its inception up until mid-2003, Telelatino's Italian programming was derived primarily from RAI, Italy's state owned broadcaster, which made a commitment in 1984 to supply programming to Canada through TLN for as long as TLN was licensed in Canada. A dispute arose in 2003 when Massimo Magliaro a former spokesperson for the leader of Italy's post-fascist MSI party leader Giorgio Almirante, having been politically appointed as head of RAI's international channel, decided to repudiate RAI's supply obligations as well as its 2001 agreement to launch a 24 hour RAI Canada channel, in favour of challenging Canada's regulatory regime by aggresively attacking Telelatino's quality and service and indicating that it wanted to deliver RAI programming through its own international channel on its own terms without restriction and not through TLN or through any Canadian programming partner. Interestingly, the British Broadcasting Corporation or BBC, followed a much more respectful and cooperative path by launching BBC Canada as a Canadian licensed digital channel with Canadian programming commitments and responsibilities.

In 2003, RAI pulled its content from Telelatino and petitioned the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to allow it to broadcast RAI International in Canada. [ [http://www.international.rai.it/canada/continuazioni_stampa/20040109_c.shtml] Italian Channel battles for carriage] This effort was backed by Rogers Communications, who sponsored RAI's application to get on the CRTC's approved list. The Committee for Italians Living Abroad in Montreal (COM.IT.ES.), an arm of the Italian foreign ministry, led the campaign to have RAI admitted.The Italian Canadian community itself however, was divided. Italian law provides the Italian diaspora votes in Italian elections and permanent seats in the Parliament of Italy and many hopeful participants in such Italian elections in Canada led the campaign to urge the Canadian authorities to admit RAI International as a foreign service. After initially being rejected by the CRTC in 2004 in strong terms, much political wrangling by RAI and certain Italian Canadians ensued, and RAI International was eventually approved by the CRTC in the spring of 2005 and began broadcasting in June 2005.

As a result of this initiative, RAI programming which had previously been popularized in Canada over 20 years by TLN which broadcast RAI programs nightly in prime time in over 3 million Canadian homes, is now broadcast in only a tiny fraction of those homes.

Digital channels

KY TG24 Leonardo World and Video Italia

Telelatino owns and operates SKY TG24, a category 2 Italian language news channel. It also owns and operates two other Italian language digital channels called Leonardo World and Video Italia.

tlñ en español

TLN launched an all-Spanish language television channel- tlñ en español, on October 23, 2007. [ [http://www.mediacastermagazine.com/issues/ISarticle.asp?id=62149&story_id=&issue=11082006] Telelatino to launch Hispanic Network] tlñ en español features programming from Central and South American Spanish-speaking countries including telenovelas, news, talk, kids, entertainment, variety, soccer and movies.

tlñ en español is the first nationally available Canadian based all Spanish language TV channel and is carried on the Bell TV satellite platform.

References

External links

* [http://www.tlntv.com/ Telelatino]
* [http://www.tlntv.com/SuperTrio.aspx Super Trio Italiano]
* [http://www.tlntv.com/Espanol.aspx tlñ en español]
* [http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/eng/Notices/1993/..%5C..%5CDecisions%5C1984%5CDB84-444.htm CRTC Decision 1984-444 original Telelatino licence]
* [http://www.crtc.gc.ca/ownership/cht158.pdf CRTC chart of Telelatino's assets] (PDF)
* [http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/eng/Decisions/1990/..%5C..%5CDecisions%5C1989%5CDB89-513.htm Unilingual proposal]