Venevisión facts for kids
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| Type | Free-to-air television network |
|---|---|
| Country | Venezuela |
| Headquarters | Caracas |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | Spanish |
| Picture format | HDTV 1080i (downscaled to 480i for the SD feed) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Cisneros Media (Grupo Cisneros) |
| Key people | Jonathan Blum (President of Cisneros Media) Andrés Badra (Vice president and general manager of Venevisión Media) |
| History | |
| Founded | March 1, 1961 |
| Founder | Diego Cisneros |
| Replaced | TeleVisa (1953-1960) |
| Former names | Corporación Venezolana de Televisión (1961-1966) |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Analog VHF | Channel 4 (Caracas and other states, listings may vary) |
| Digital UHF | Channel 23.4 |
Venevisión (Spanish pronunciation: [beneβiˈsjon]) is a popular TV channel in Venezuela. It is one of the biggest television networks in the country. The channel is owned by Cisneros Media, which is part of Grupo Cisneros.
Venevisión was started in 1961 by Diego Cisneros. It is well-known for producing many telenovelas (Spanish soap operas). It creates these shows along with other big networks like Televisa and Telemundo.
Contents
Venevisión's Early Days
The story of Venevisión began on June 1, 1953. This was when a company called Televisora Independiente S.A. (TeleVisa) was created. TeleVisa broadcast on channel 4 in Caracas and channel 5 in Maracaibo.
How Venevisión Was Founded
TeleVisa faced financial problems and went out of business in 1959. Diego Cisneros then bought what was left of the company. On February 27, 1961, Venevisión was officially launched. The name "Venevisión" is a mix of "Velvet de Venezuela" and "Televisión."
A special opening show took place on March 1, 1961. Thousands of people came to the station's parking lot to celebrate. Venevisión started with a capital of 5,500,000 bolívares. It had 150 employees, including artists, managers, and technical staff.
First Broadcasts and Growth
At first, Venevisión broadcast its shows live. This was because they did not have a videotape system yet. Programs, except for the news, were made using film techniques. Soon, Venevisión grew quickly across Venezuela. People could watch it in many parts of the country.
In March 1961, Venevisión made two agreements with the American TV network, ABC. One agreement was for technical help. The other was for sharing programs. These agreements helped Venevisión start using the videotape system. In its first year, Venevisión earned about 800,000 bolívares each month from advertisements.
Reaching International Viewers
By 1971, Venevisión began sending its black and white shows to other countries. They used videotapes for this. The drama show Esmeralda was the first to be sent internationally. The next year, the network officially began broadcasting the Miss Venezuela beauty pageant. It has been the home of Miss Venezuela ever since.
Modernizing the Broadcasts
In 1976, Venevisión moved its transmitters. They were moved from a building in La Colina to Los Mecedores. A tall tower, 100 meters high, was put up. A strong new antenna was also installed. This new antenna helped Venevisión's signal reach more areas. Places like Petare, Caricuao, and Guarenas got better quality signals.
Bringing Color to TV
In the 1970s, Venevisión started trying out color broadcasts. This was similar to other TV stations in Venezuela. In 1978, the government fined Venevisión for breaking rules about color broadcasting. Full color broadcasts officially began on June 1, 1980.
The first program shown in color by Venevisión was the eighth edition of the OTI Festival. This event was held in Caracas. It was broadcast live to all of Latin America, Spain, and Portugal.
Expanding Coverage and Technology
In 1982, Venevisión started work in El Tigre. They installed equipment there to make their signal stronger in that region. On November 1, 1986, Venevisión became the first TV station in Venezuela to have its own satellite dish.
On May 27, 1987, President Jaime Lusinchi gave Venevisión a 20-year license to broadcast. On February 4, 1992, President Carlos Andrés Pérez spoke to the nation from Venevisión's studios. This happened during a coup attempt against his government.
24-Hour Broadcasting
Starting on March 22, 1992, Venevisión began broadcasting for 24 hours. This was only on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. By April 1994, it started broadcasting 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Today, Venevisión is on the air all day, every day.
In 1995, Venevisión was the first TV station in South America to offer news and movies with closed caption. This feature helps people with hearing difficulties. It also offered movies with Second audio program sound. This allows for different audio tracks, like another language.
Venevisión also had the rights to broadcast Venezuelan baseball games. This was for the 2004–2005 and 2005–2006 baseball seasons.
Venevisión's Mascot
Since Venevisión started in 1961, its mascot has been a tiger.
High-Definition Broadcasting
In 2007, Venevisión began broadcasting some events in high-definition. These included the Copa America and Miss Venezuela 2007.
Since September 2014, Venevisión has been the oldest TV network in Venezuela. It passed the record of its former rival, Radio Caracas Televisión. RCTV had to stop broadcasting in May 2007.
Venevisión Programs
Watching Venevisión Around the World
Many of Venevisión's programs can be seen in other countries. This is thanks to channels like Ve Plus TV, Venevision Plus, and Venevision International. These are cable channels fully owned by Venevisión. Other channels, such as Univision in the United States and Televisa in Mexico, also show some of Venevisión's programs.
Venevisión and Politics
Venevisión used to be a strong voice against the government of President Hugo Chávez. This continued until 2005. After that, its criticism became much less strong.
On April 11, 2002, Venevisión and most other private networks in Venezuela showed a split screen. One side showed Chávez speaking. The other side showed a demonstration happening before the 2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt. The next day, a government official announced that Chávez had not resigned. He said there had been an attempt to remove him from power.
Some groups in Venezuela have criticized Venevisión. They felt the channel became too supportive of the government. For example, during the 2006 presidential election, Venevisión focused most of its coverage on Chávez. Some people felt this was unfair. They accused Venevisión of changing its stance to keep its broadcasting license.
In 2007, the government did not renew the broadcasting license of RCTV. RCTV was the most watched channel in Venezuela. Venevisión was the second most watched. Some people thought Venevisión and another channel, Televen, secretly supported RCTV's closure. They believed this would help Venevisión get more viewers and advertising. However, the owner of Venevisión said he expected only a small increase in money.
More About Venevisión's Shows
See also
In Spanish: Venevisión para niños
