Polonia 1
Encyclopedia
Polonia 1 is one of the first Polish
commercial
television channels, consisting at first of a network of 12 (and - for a short time - even 13) local TV stations in bigger cities. The station was established by Sardinia
n businessman Nicola Grauso, closely connected to the former Prime minister of Italy
Silvio Berlusconi
.
The broadcast of common block in each of the station, received daily on VHS
tapes, began each day at 16:15 and lasted till midnight. Time was filled with such productions like Japanese animated films
, adventure and detective TV series (such as MacGyver
, The A-Team
), but first and foremost Argentinian soap opera
s such as Manuela, Maria, Stellina), but also movies and documetaries produced by the local communities. Remaining broadcast time was filled with either re-runs of Polonia 1, or stations' own productions. (local news, etc.). Exceptions happen from that general rule, while PTV Copernicus broadcast porn
movies (in the morning hours).
Network gained huge popularity - becoming Poland's second most viewable TV station in 1994 being inferior only to Poland's national broadcaster TVP1; this number is, however, questioned by many experts. In the licence competition announced same year, Polonia 1 lost due to exceeding the permissible 33% foreign capital share in the company - all-Poland licence was then assigned to Polsat
.
Also local broadcasting frequencies competitions were lost by Polonia 1, as National Council of Radio Broadcasting and Television
(KRRiT) accused stations of the lack of independence from Italian
investors.
Despite not receiving licences, Polonia 1 stations still broadcast, still trying to undermine concession decisions of KRRiT
with Supreme Administrative Court of Poland
(NSA) - with no effect.
August 29, 1994 was the day when prosecutor's office in Warsaw
, Kraków
, Opole
, Lublin
, Poznań
oraz Szczecin
(with the support of local anti-terrorist
teams) conducted action of closing Polonia 1 stations, which broadcasted on frequencies reserved solely for the usage of Polish military
. Broadcasters were accused of direct life endangering.
After about 2 weeks following the closure, Polonia 1 started broadcasting via Eutelsat
Satellite
.
September 21, 1994 saw another wave of closing stations - this time in Gdynia
, Łódź, Katowice
and Olsztyn
. Remaining stations in Bydgoszcz and Wrocław - after broadcasting for the next few months, willingly switched off their Transmitter
s.
Despite earlier announcements, Polonia 1 did not compete in the next licence competition. Nicola Grauso withdrew from Poland
. Polonia 1 was sold to Polcast
and now consists of lifestyle programming.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
commercial
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
television channels, consisting at first of a network of 12 (and - for a short time - even 13) local TV stations in bigger cities. The station was established by Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
n businessman Nicola Grauso, closely connected to the former Prime minister of Italy
Prime minister of Italy
The Prime Minister of Italy is the head of government of the Italian Republic...
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
.
History
Polonia 1 began broadcasting on air on March 7, 1993 by means of the following TV stations:- PTV Morze (SzczecinSzczecinSzczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
) - Tele-Top (GdyniaGdyniaGdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
) (velVelThe Vel is the divine javelin/spear of the Hindu Deity Murugan.The spear used by ancient Tamils in warfare is also commonly known by this name.-Vel in Hindu Mythology:...
PTV Neptun) - PTV Copernicus (OlsztynOlsztynOlsztyn is a city in northeastern Poland, on the Łyna River. Olsztyn has been the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship since 1999. It was previously in the Olsztyn Voivodeship...
) - TVex (Bydgoszcz)
- TV-ES (PoznańPoznanPoznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
) - Tele 24 (Łódź)
- Nowa Telewizja Warszawa (Warszawa)
- PTV Echo (Wrocław) - the first one in the network
- PTV Opole (OpoleOpoleOpole is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River . It has a population of 125,992 and is the capital of the Upper Silesia, Opole Voivodeship and, also the seat of Opole County...
) (vel Telopol) - PTV Rondo (KatowiceKatowiceKatowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
) - PTV Krater (KrakówKrakówKraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
) - Telewizja Niezależna (LublinLublinLublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
) - TV Centrum (KaliszKaliszKalisz is a city in central Poland with 106,857 inhabitants , the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of the Greater Poland Voivodeship, the city forms a conurbation with the nearby towns of Ostrów Wielkopolski and Nowe Skalmierzyce...
) - 13th TV station, very short operational
The broadcast of common block in each of the station, received daily on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
tapes, began each day at 16:15 and lasted till midnight. Time was filled with such productions like Japanese animated films
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
, adventure and detective TV series (such as MacGyver
MacGyver
MacGyver is an American action-adventure television series created by Lee David Zlotoff. Henry Winkler and John Rich were the executive producers. The show ran for seven seasons on ABC in the United States and various other networks abroad from 1985 to 1992. The series was filmed in Los Angeles...
, The A-Team
The A-Team
The A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
), but first and foremost Argentinian soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
s such as Manuela, Maria, Stellina), but also movies and documetaries produced by the local communities. Remaining broadcast time was filled with either re-runs of Polonia 1, or stations' own productions. (local news, etc.). Exceptions happen from that general rule, while PTV Copernicus broadcast porn
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
movies (in the morning hours).
Network gained huge popularity - becoming Poland's second most viewable TV station in 1994 being inferior only to Poland's national broadcaster TVP1; this number is, however, questioned by many experts. In the licence competition announced same year, Polonia 1 lost due to exceeding the permissible 33% foreign capital share in the company - all-Poland licence was then assigned to Polsat
Polsat
Polsat is Poland's second biggest television channel, founded on December 5, 1992 and owned by Zygmunt Solorz-Żak.Polsat belongs to the Polsat Group , which also owns other channels:*Polsat HD*Polsat 2 International*Polsat News*TV Biznes...
.
Also local broadcasting frequencies competitions were lost by Polonia 1, as National Council of Radio Broadcasting and Television
Krajowa Rada Radiofonii i Telewizji
Krajowa Rada Radiofonii i Telewizji is the Polish broadcasting regulator, which issues radio and television broadcast licenses, ensures compliance with the law by public broadcasters, and indirectly controls state-owned media...
(KRRiT) accused stations of the lack of independence from Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
investors.
Despite not receiving licences, Polonia 1 stations still broadcast, still trying to undermine concession decisions of KRRiT
Krajowa Rada Radiofonii i Telewizji
Krajowa Rada Radiofonii i Telewizji is the Polish broadcasting regulator, which issues radio and television broadcast licenses, ensures compliance with the law by public broadcasters, and indirectly controls state-owned media...
with Supreme Administrative Court of Poland
Supreme Administrative Court of Poland
The Supreme Administrative Court of the Republic of Poland is the court of last resort in administrative cases e.g. those betweens private citizens and administrative bodies...
(NSA) - with no effect.
August 29, 1994 was the day when prosecutor's office in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, Opole
Opole
Opole is a city in southern Poland on the Oder River . It has a population of 125,992 and is the capital of the Upper Silesia, Opole Voivodeship and, also the seat of Opole County...
, Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
, Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
oraz Szczecin
Szczecin
Szczecin , is the capital city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland. It is the country's seventh-largest city and the largest seaport in Poland on the Baltic Sea. As of June 2009 the population was 406,427....
(with the support of local anti-terrorist
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...
teams) conducted action of closing Polonia 1 stations, which broadcasted on frequencies reserved solely for the usage of Polish military
Polish Armed Forces
Siły Zbrojne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej are the national defense forces of Poland...
. Broadcasters were accused of direct life endangering.
After about 2 weeks following the closure, Polonia 1 started broadcasting via Eutelsat
Eutelsat
Eutelsat S.A. is a French-based satellite provider. Providing coverage over the entire European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, it is one of the world's three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues.Eutelsat’s satellites...
Satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
.
September 21, 1994 saw another wave of closing stations - this time in Gdynia
Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport of Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.Located in Kashubia in Eastern Pomerania, Gdynia is part of a conurbation with the spa town of Sopot, the city of Gdańsk and suburban communities, which together...
, Łódź, Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
and Olsztyn
Olsztyn
Olsztyn is a city in northeastern Poland, on the Łyna River. Olsztyn has been the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship since 1999. It was previously in the Olsztyn Voivodeship...
. Remaining stations in Bydgoszcz and Wrocław - after broadcasting for the next few months, willingly switched off their Transmitter
Transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications a transmitter or radio transmitter is an electronic device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio waves. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating...
s.
Despite earlier announcements, Polonia 1 did not compete in the next licence competition. Nicola Grauso withdrew from Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. Polonia 1 was sold to Polcast
Polcast Television
Polcast Television is a TV broadcaster of two Polish channels: Tele 5 and Polonia 1. It was founded in 2006 when Fincast was no more entitled to represent them....
and now consists of lifestyle programming.