Sistema Público de Radiodifusión del Estado Mexicano

The Sistema Público de Radiodifusión del Estado Mexicano (SPR, English: Mexican State Public Broadcasting System), known as Organismo Promotor de Medios Audiovisuales (OPMA, English: Broadcast Media Promotion Organization) until 2014, is an independent Mexican government agency. Its mission is to support the development of public television in the country and increase its national reach; it carries this goal out through ownership of a nationwide network of transmitters and the operation of its own public television network. The agency was established by a decree published on March 31, 2010.

History

By 2010, two major public television stations existed in Mexico: the Instituto Politécnico Nacional's Canal Once, Conaculta's Canal 22. In addition, the low-powered test signal XHUNAM-TDT channel 20 and the teveunam pay TV network, owned by the largest public university in Mexico, UNAM, were operational since 2000 and 2005 respectively. However, not all of these stations, especially Canal 22 and teveunam, had national coverage outside of pay television services. None of them had a general national reach above 30%. Even then, major cities, including Guadalajara and Monterrey, were not in Canal Once's signal footprint.

OPMA was established with the mission of ensuring that more Mexicans could receive a wider range of public television signals. Indeed, when the first four OPMA transmitters took to the air on July 12, 2010, national coverage for Canal Once (then known as Once TV México) jumped from 28 to 42%; it is now at 66%.

The 2014 Mexican telecommunications reform transformed OPMA into SPR, effective August 13, 2014. At the same time, the system became an independent agency no longer under the auspices of the Secretariat of the Interior (SEGOB).

On August 26, 2015, the IFT awarded the SPR concessions for seven new TV stations and two radio stations.^[1]

Television network

SPR's flagship television network, Una Voz con Todos (A Voice for All), broadcasts documentaries and other programs. Its programming is designed to strengthen the democratic values of Mexican society.

Television transmitters

SPR's transmitter network currently covers 56% of the Mexican population. The flagship station is XHOPMA-TDT, channel 30 in Mexico City:^[2]

Transmitters on the air

Transmitters under construction

These transmitters were part of the 2015 concession package:

Other SPR relay transmitters

In October 2015, SPR signed a contract with Grupo Intermedia, owner of XHILA-TDT and XHIJ-TDT, in order to expand SPR coverage into Mexicali and Ciudad Juárez, neither of which had ever had national public television service.^[3] While the SPR prefers to build its own transmitters, the length of time needed to obtain a concession, as well as spectrum availability in the border markets, makes a subchannel plan more effective.

Radio stations

The SPR received its first radio concessions in 2015.

Digital multiplex

Except for XHOPMA, all of these stations carry (or will carry) a multiplex of at least five channels. The established Canal Once, Once Niños, Canal 22 and teveunam are joined by Una Voz con Todos and also by Ingenio TV, an educational service of the Secretariat of Public Education:

As XEIPN and XEIMT have their own digital channels, XHOPMA's multiplex is different:

¹ Although XHUNAM operates within the same area as XHOPMA, it does not carry the teveunam programming. Currently, XHOPMA is the only over-the-air outlet for teveunam in all of the Valley of Mexico.

² Canal Judicial was briefly tested in 2014. It's been unavailable ever since.

Newer stations, such as XHOPAG and XHOPVT, do not have their multiplex turned on and are currently carrying only Una Voz con Todos.

References

External links

• Official website