Venevisión

Infobox Network
network_name = Venevisión
network_| network_type = Broadcast television station
branding =
country = Venezuela
available = National
founder = Diego Cisneros
slogan = "Somos Venevisión" (We are Venevisión)| owner = Corporación Venezolana de Televisión C.A. / Grupo Cisneros
key_people = Gustavo Cisneros, President, CEO | launch_date = March 1, 1961
analog = 4 (in Caracas)
website = [http://www.venevision.net/ Venevisión]
|

Venevisión, 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. In the United States, many of Venevisión's popular programs are seen on the Univision network.

History

The company's roots date back to May 4, 1953, with the establishment of Televisión Venezolana, S.A. (TELEVESA). When TELEVESA went bankrupt in 1960, Diego Cisneros purchased the remaining assets of the company. On February 27, 1961, Venevisión was officially inaugurated with a special inaugural show in which thousands of people attended, and took place in the stations parking lot. Venevisión began with a capital of 5,500,000 bolívares and 150 employees including artists, administrators, and technical personnel. Venevisión's original administrators were Diego Cisneros (president), Alfredo Torres (transmission manager), Héctor Beltrán (production manager), and Orlando Cuevas (general manager).

Initially, Venevisión broadcast live because they hadn't yet installed the videotape system. Except for the news, the elaboration of their programs utilized the technical formats used in movies at that time. In a short period of time, Venevisión greatly expanded nationally, and was seen in most of Venezuela on many VHF and UHF channels.

In March 1961, the newly created Venevisión and the American television network, ABC, signed two agreements: one for technical support and the other for the rights to broadcast each others programs. Thanks to these agreement, Venevisión later began using the videotape system. In their first year of existence, Venevisión made approximately 800,000 bolívares a month in advertisements.

In 1976, Venevisión moved their transmitters, which were located on the top of a building in La Colina, a neighborhood in Caracas where Venevisión's studios can be found, to Los Mecedores, near Venezolana de Televisión's studios and CANTV's installations. In Los Mecedores, a tower with an altitude of 100 meters was placed and a powerful new antenna was installed. With this new antenna, Venevisión's signal was able to reach Petare, Caricuao, and Guarenas with better quality. In the 1970s, like other television stations in Venezuela, Venevisión began expirementing with color broadcasts. In 1978, the Ministry of Transport and Communications fined Venevisión 4,000 bolívares on two different occasions in one week for violating the regulations for color broadcasting.

In 1982, Venevisión began preliminary work in the city of El Tigre (located in the Anzoátegui State) to install equipment that would expand and improve their coverage in that region.

On November 1, 1986, Venevisión was the first television station in Venezuela to have their very own satellite dish.

On May 27, 1987, The president Jaime Lusinchi, Venevisión begin broadcast license in Venezuela on 20 years.

On February 4, 1992, Carlos Andrés Pérez addressed the nation from Venevisión's studios during a coup attempt against his government.

Beginning on March 22, 1992, Venevisión would broadcast for 24 hours on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. In April 1994, it started broadcasting for 24 hours seven days a week. Today, Venevisión is on the air 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In 1995, Venevisión was the first television station in South America to include news and movies with closed caption and the movies in Second audio program sound.

Venevisión held the broadcasting rights to Venezuelan baseball games during the 2004-2005 and the 2005-2006 baseball seasons.

Since Venevisión was inaugurated in 1961, their mascot has been a tiger.

In 2007, it started simulcasting Copa America and Miss Venezuela 2007 in high-definition format.

Current schedule

To see Venevision's current schedule chart, click the following [http://www.venevision.net/programacion/index.asp link] .

International broadcasts

Many of Venevisión's programs can be seen in other countries on Venevisión Continental, a cable channel completely owned by Venevisión. Other channels, such as Univision in the United States and Televisa in Mexico, broadcast some of Venevisión's shows.

Criticism

Venevisión was a vocal opponent of President Hugo Chávez up until 2005, when its criticism was notably toned down. On April 11, 2002, Venevisión, along with most of the other private networks in Venezuela, simultaneously showed Chávez's address to the nation at the same time it was showing the shooting of people in a demonstration. In response, he ordered those stations off the air (they returned on the air after he was overthrown).Fact|date=June 2007 The next day, Isaías Rodríguez announced in a news conference that Chávez had not resigned and that there had been a coup.

Opponents of Chávez claim that the government is abusing freedom of speech and press, especially after periodic inspections of the Venezuelan National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL) and the implementation of the controversial Social Responsibility in Radio and Television Law (Ley Resorte).Fact|date=July 2007

Lately, Venevisión has been criticized by the Venezuelan Opposition and Anti-Chávez group. Since the Presidential election in 2006, Venevisión has quieted its opposition to Chávez, similar to rival Televen after the 2004 recall referendum. To many in the opposition and the other anti-Chávez TV networks, RCTV and Globovisión, saw it as a betrayal, and accused Venevisión to submitting to Chávez. The criticism of Venevisión by the Opposition increased during the closure of RCTV by the Chávez government. RCTV was the most watched channel in Venezuela, and Venevisión was second. Many viewed Venevision of secretly supporting the closure since it would benefit Venevisión. The Venevisión's coverage of the closure and the protests that followed where similar how Venevisión covered the protest against the 2002 coup, Venevision aired its regular programing while the protest were going on. [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otetYVkBBhs YouTube - LIBERTAEXPRESION (GLOBOVISION Vs VENEVISION) 28/05/07 5.11pm ] ]

ee also

*List of programs broadcast by Venevision
*List of Venezuelan television channels
*Venevisión Continental
*Venevisión Internacional

References

External links

* [http://www.venevision.net Official Site] es icon