Teleamazonas
Encyclopedia
Teleamazonas is a television channel
in Ecuador
. Since the start of their transmissions, on February 22 of 1974, the channel is one of the major television networks of Ecuador.
It broadcasts on channel 4 to Quito
and channel 5 to Guayaquil
. The international version of the channel is available on EchoStar's Dish Network
DishLATINO programming package in the United States.
on February 22, 1974, as the first network with colour television transmissions in Ecuador
. Its headquarters are located in Quito
. Teleamazonas got the most powerful microwave
radio relay, acquired the first mobile television unit, and built in Guayaquil
the biggest self-supported antenna.
Founded by Antonio Granda Centeno, the channel was under control of his family until 1999, when Eduardo Granda Garcés paid a high debt to Banco del Pichincha. Fidel Egas Grijalva, major shareholder of the bank, took charge of Teleamazonas.
During the presidency of Rafael Correa
, the network, particularly it's flagship opinion maker and pundit Jorge Ortiz, has found itself at odds with the government, which accuses it of manipulating public opinion to suite the interests of the companies and shareholders who provide the capital for Teleamazonas such as the Banco del Pichincha. Several proceedings have taken place against Teleamazonas, culminating on December 23, 2009, when the network was ordered a 72-hour shutdown. This government move immediately prompted a backlash from advocacy groups who claimed to be acting in the interests of freedom of expression.
On September 2010, Fidel Egas sold his shares on Teleamazonas to several groups: 30% to the Peruvian media group La República
, 48% to a group of Teleamazonas employees and 22% to a group of Fidel Egas' personal friends. Teleamazonas sale was the result of the mandate of the Ecuadorian Constitution of 2008, which provides that no person may simultaneously hold shares in banks and media.
Nowadays, it is the channel with largest availability in the country.
Television channel
A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and...
in Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador 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, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
. Since the start of their transmissions, on February 22 of 1974, the channel is one of the major television networks of Ecuador.
It broadcasts on channel 4 to Quito
Quito
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
and channel 5 to Guayaquil
Guayaquil
Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil , is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador,with about 2.3 million inhabitants in the city and nearly 3.1 million in the metropolitan area, as well as that nation's main port...
. The international version of the channel is available on EchoStar's Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
DishLATINO programming package in the United States.
History
Teleamazonas began broadcastingBroadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
on February 22, 1974, as the first network with colour television transmissions in Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador 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, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
. Its headquarters are located in Quito
Quito
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
. Teleamazonas got the most powerful microwave
Microwave
Microwaves, a subset of radio waves, have wavelengths ranging from as long as one meter to as short as one millimeter, or equivalently, with frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz. This broad definition includes both UHF and EHF , and various sources use different boundaries...
radio relay, acquired the first mobile television unit, and built in Guayaquil
Guayaquil
Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil , is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador,with about 2.3 million inhabitants in the city and nearly 3.1 million in the metropolitan area, as well as that nation's main port...
the biggest self-supported antenna.
Founded by Antonio Granda Centeno, the channel was under control of his family until 1999, when Eduardo Granda Garcés paid a high debt to Banco del Pichincha. Fidel Egas Grijalva, major shareholder of the bank, took charge of Teleamazonas.
During the presidency of Rafael Correa
Rafael Correa
Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado born is the President of the Republic of Ecuador and was the president pro tempore of the Union of South American Nations. An economist educated in Ecuador, Belgium and the United States, he was elected President in late 2006 and took office in January 2007...
, the network, particularly it's flagship opinion maker and pundit Jorge Ortiz, has found itself at odds with the government, which accuses it of manipulating public opinion to suite the interests of the companies and shareholders who provide the capital for Teleamazonas such as the Banco del Pichincha. Several proceedings have taken place against Teleamazonas, culminating on December 23, 2009, when the network was ordered a 72-hour shutdown. This government move immediately prompted a backlash from advocacy groups who claimed to be acting in the interests of freedom of expression.
On September 2010, Fidel Egas sold his shares on Teleamazonas to several groups: 30% to the Peruvian media group La República
La República
La República is a center-left newspaper published in Lima, Peru. It is one of the two main national dailies sold all over the country since it was founded on May 3, 1981. The paper was founded by Gustavo Mohme Llona, a former member of the Peruvian Congress...
, 48% to a group of Teleamazonas employees and 22% to a group of Fidel Egas' personal friends. Teleamazonas sale was the result of the mandate of the Ecuadorian Constitution of 2008, which provides that no person may simultaneously hold shares in banks and media.
Programming
Teleamazonas has produced important national series and films like "Sucre", "En un rincón del alma", "Recuerdos en Paita", "El Gran Retorno", "J. J., El Ruiseñor de América", among others.Soccer Broadcasts
Teleamazonas has the rights to broadcast the home games of Deportivo Quito, Espoli, Imbabura, LDU Quito and Manta during the 2011 Copa Credife.Nowadays, it is the channel with largest availability in the country.