RCTV

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**Radio Caracas Television**

Type	Broadcast television network
Branding	RCTV
Country	Venezuela
Availability	National
Founder	William H. Phelps
Slogan	"Tenemos con que" (We have whereupon)
Owner	Radio Caracas Television RCTV, C.A. / Empresas 1BC
Key people	Eladio Larez, RCTV President Marcel Granier, Empresas 1BC Director
Launch date	November 15, 1953
Analog channel	2
Website	RCTV

Radio Caracas Television (or RCTV) is one of the largest and most important television channels in Venezuela. RCTV is seen throughout Venezuela on VHF channel two.

1 History
2 Evolution of RCTV's logo
3 Current schedule
4 News
5 International broadcasts
6 Criticism
7 Trivia
8 See also
9 External links

[edit] History

Radio Caracas Televisión was launched by Radio Caracas Radio (previously known as Radio Caracas) on November 15, 1953. It was the third television station to begin operations in Venezuela after Televisora Nacional (channel five) and Televisa (channel four), both of which no longer exist.

The following day, on November 16, 1953, El Observador Creole, Venezuela's first regular television news service, went on the air. Later, El Observador Creole would become El Observador.

Theatrical works were part of RCTV's original programming. They included titles such as Kaleidoscopio, Anecdotario, Teatro del Lunes, Gran teatro, Ciclorama, Cuentos del Camino, and Candilejas were broadcasted.

The first ever live televised broadcast of an international sporting event was a game played between Cuba and Venezuela during the World Cup of Baseball in late 1953.

In 1954, RCTV introduced El Show de las Doce, one of the first variety programs in Venezuela, which was conducted by Víctor Saume. Guest stars on this show included Pedro Infante, Libertad Lamarque, Magdalena Sánchez, and Cherry Navarro, to name a few.

The first television soap opera (telenovela) to air in Venezuela was RCTV's Camay in 1954. It starred Hilda Vera and Luis Salazar and came on at 9pm. Since then, telenovelas have been a very important part of RCTV's programming.

Throughout the 1950's, telenovelas contained between 20 and 25 epidodes, were on 15 minutes a day (about three of those for advertisements), and were televised live.

In 1958, RCTV began airing La Voz de la Revolución, the first political opinion show ever to go on the air in Venezuela.

Also in 1958, Tito Martínez Del Box, a producer from Argentina, brought to RCTV La Cruzada del Humor, which the following year changed its name to Radio Rochela. This program made the Guinness World Records for being on the air for five decades uninterrupted (it is seen every Monday at 8pm).

In the 1960's, the videotape system appeared in Venezuela, meaning that all shows no longer had to be made live and could be edited for content.

In 1961, RCTV began experimenting with stereo sound during a variety show with the help of Radio Caracas Radio. In that same year, a fire partially destroyed RCTV's studios in Caracas.

On July 21, 1969, RCTV was one of the only television stations that transmitted, live, direct, and exclusively the first visit to the moon by humans. Until then, this was perhaps the most extraordinary event seen on television in the world.

Telenovelas went to lasting 15 minutes a day to between 30 to 60 minutes a day during this decade. Also, telenovelas with sole sponsors disappeared in the year 1964 with the telenovelas La Novela del Hogar (which came on a 2pm), La Novela de Pasion (which came on at 2:25pm), and La Novela Romantica (which came on at 2:55pm).

La Tirana (1967, created by Manuel Muñoz Rico), was the first telenovela to be aired on Saturdays.

RCTV broadcasted the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, which was the first World Cup seen live and exclusively in Venezuela. During this sporting event, El Rey Pelé made his one thousandth goal.

In 1972, RCTV began selling the rights of some of their programs to other television stations in other countries. Today, RCTV claims that some of their shows can be seen in more than 60 countries and dubbed in more than 20 languages. The three hundred episode telenovela, La Usurpadora was RCTV's first telenovela seen in a different country.

Doña Bárbara, based on the novel written by Rómulo Gallegos, was RCTV's first color production. It was adapted for television by José Ignacio Cabrujas with Marina Baura as the title role. This production was the first Venezuelan program that was broadcast in Europe. It should also be mentioned that 80% of the telenovela was filmed outdoors.

Radio Caracas Televisión founded the Fundacion Academia Nacional de Ciencias y Artes de Cine on November 15, 1978.

In the year 1981, RCTV officially began color transmissions. In Venezuela, the NTSC color system is used.

During the first years of the 1990s, RCTV developed a series of made-for-TV-movies. Some were based on non-fictional and fictional events. Among these included: La Madamme (with Mimí Lazo), Cuerpos Clandestinos (with María Conchita Alonso), Volver a ti (with Ruddy Rodríguez), and Buen Corazón (with Coraima Torres).

On November 15, 1999, RCTV had been on the air for a total of 16,000 days. During RCTV's 50th anniversary week, in November 2003, segments of past shows and old newscasts were aired.

On 18 July 2005, Empresas 1BC president Marcel Granier and RCTV president Eladio Larez inaugurated El Observador's new headquarters, the Centro Nacional de Noticias.

In Venezuela, as in many other countries, reality shows have become very popular. They include ¿Quien Quiere Ser Millonario? (the Venezuelan version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?), Fama y Aplausos (later Fama Sudor y Lagrimas, similar to American Idol), and Date con Todo, the competition of Bailando con las Estrellas on Super Sabado Sensacional (Venevisión).

RCTV is currently affiliated with Telemundo, the North American Spanish-language television network owned by NBC, Caracol TV, and Ecuavisa.

[edit] Evolution of RCTV's logo

Main article: RCTV logos

RCTV has had different three logos throughout their history.

[edit] Current schedule

Further information: List of programs broadcast by RCTV

To see RCTV's current schedule chart, click the following link. Shows labelled PN or PNI are produced by RCTV or by a company affiliated with RCTV, respectively.

[edit] News

Main article: El Observador

El Observador is RCTV's news program. It currently broadcasts three times a day (except for Sundays, when it only comes on during important events such as an election).

[edit] International broadcasts

Aside from the fact that some of RCTV's programs can be seen in other countries on various channels, RCTV, together with Globovisión, have created TV Venezuela, a premium subscription channel available to those with a DirecTV service.

[edit] Criticism

RCTV has been criticized by Hugo Chávez's government and supporters for their presumed roll in the April 11 Venezuelan coup attempt of 2002 and the December 2, 2002 to February 4, 2003 Venezuelan general strike (where free advertisements for the opposition were apparently broadcast by privately owned TV stations including RCTV). On the afternoon of April 11, Chávez interputed the broadcasting of the opposition march to the Miraflores presidential palace to make a speech. Halfway through his speech, RCTV and the other major private networks, interrupted his speech to broadcast a shooting that was taking place at the march. Chávez responded by ordering all of the major private networks off the air (they came back on right after Chávez was overthrown). Over the next couple of days, the private networks would support Pedro Carmona's interim government. Isaías Rodríguez, Venezuela's pro-Chávez, prosecutor general, requested a press conference where he claimed that he was going to announce his resegnation. Instead of resigning, he announced that Chávez hadn't resigned and that he had been overthrown. All of the private networks responded by cutting off the signal of his speech. As the coup began to collapse, Chávez supporters when to RCTV's headquarters and smashed their lobby's windows.

On the other hand, opponents of Chávez claim that the government is abusing freedom of speech and press, especially after periodic inspections of CONATEL (the telecommunications council of Venezuela) and the implementation of the controversial Social Responsibility in Radio and Television Law (Ley Resorte). Interestingly, the only notable change as a result of this law is at the beginning of all shows, it has to be mentioned that the following program contains elements of language, health, sex, and violence and whether it can be seen by children and/or adolescents (and whether the show is of national production).

[edit] Trivia

The host of ¿Quien Quiere Ser Millonario? (a Venezuelan version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?) is Eladio Larez, who is also the president of RCTV.

The music that can be heard during the broadcast of El Observador was also used as the music for El Observador back in the 1970's and early 1980's.

RCTV's studios are located in the throughout the central Caracas neighborhood of Quinta Crespo.

In the late 1980's, while being interviewed by Luis Guillermo García, a former reporter for El Observador, former president of Venezuela Jaime Lusinchi became angry with him and said "a mi no me jodes tu" (don't you f**k with me) on live TV.

The 1966 telenovela Mama Trompeta was one of the first telenovelas made by RCTV that was starred by a foreign actress, Sara García, who came from Mexico.

On September 26, 1981, there was a news flash on RCTV that prematurely declared the death of former president of Venezuela, Rómulo Betancourt. This was condemned by the Venezuelan government.

RCTV used to be seen on channel 7 (though in a few areas today, it can still be seen on that channel).

RCTV has been famous for its station identification promotions. Currently, these promotions are developed by the Guayoyo Motion Graphics Company (who also develops the station identification promotions for Warner Channel in Latin America). Many of RCTV's old promotions from the 1980's and 1990's can be found at http://www.youtube.com/